Well, there are actually some seriously practical reasons for performing this conversion on our cars!
For one; where 14" or 15" wheels were either the norm, the only thing available, or specified as a class-rule, racers and race car designers would plan/seek out/convert/modify to inboard brakes, since it allowed for larger brakes! With the advent of larger wheels available (and the norm), you could now run a much larger brake and rotor combination outboard...
Inboard brakes also reduce un-sprung weight - another advantage that cannot be denied...
With our cars and their standard inboard brakes, it was a good idea - poorly executed! The heat build-up from the brakes and the exhaust and the tranny - all in such close proximity (and all tucked up in there underneath the chassis with very little cooling), is a problem. It boils the fluid, fades the brakes - and not to mention - kills that tranny! The heat-transfer from the stock, cast-iron inboard discs - right on to the tranny - is HUGE and Alfa tried to address this with the vented (but still solid) cast-iron discs and caliper spacers utilized in the SZ cars...
As a side-note; this is one reason why the vented G2/GiroDisc brakes with their floating aluminium hats and vented discs back there are so effective on the street and the track (and an additional step in the right direction!!!) I just wanted to go yet another step further!
With transaxle brakes tucked so close up in there you also can't fit larger inboard brakes without major modification. (On some of the works cars like Ron's GTV6), larger calipers and vented discs were fitted with the calipers hanging off of the rear of the tranny (almost at the bottom!)
Because we will be running 17s now, there is plenty of room for LARGE outboard brakes on the car! I was willing to accept the trade off from an increase in the un-sprung weight (because I think that we now have a suspension package that can handle it) and there were also some great strides made in overall weight-reduction!
Mainly, the outboard conversions makes a great deal of sense when you consider the increased cooling to the brakes, much larger setups and the complete elimination of heat build-up on the tranny (I will also be dumping the exhaust out the side...)
Will your boys allow the conversion - dunno? Reference the IMSA cars converted to outboard...