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Have always liked the idea of a v6 in an x. Preferred the x to the Lancia montecarlo and suspect it was because the x felt sharper and nimbler than the monte. Suspect it was also that you could get x cheaper than montecarlos. Started with the idea of an alfa v6, the whole 164 drive train and wider bodied dallara kit to fit the lot in, the extra width and length.
Then the idea of actually keeping the engine bay intact as the strength of the rear comes from from the shape of the engine so needing to go smaller, that when I thought of the bi turbo engine. Even then I wanted the 2l fitted to the Italian market. Ended up finding one that had had the roof removed and it was cheap. Looked at the idea of variable vain turbos, maybe even quad turbo two smaller for efficiency and two bigger for power. But looking at variable vain turbos for petrol cars are still really expensive, as using diesel turbos won't work as differing exhaust gas temperatures.The compact gearbox was easier than I thought as modern gearboxes are getting so much smaller. Matching the output shafts and getting the ratios right might be an issue but things are getting easier to be made or modified.
Maybe a rotary would be an idea but I haven't worked on one more than engine transplants.
Funny how things change and develop, I was a teen when I had these thoughts originally.
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@Hefty found a couple of orange-indicator 996's.. both on 18"s tho.
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201602110946003/usedcars?logcode=visc
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/252280844630?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
Don't think I could handle the colour of the second one... -
Thanks, the complete experience of reading the first book 'king of small cars' , finding a phone number in the back of the book and calling Al when I was about 15 and asking about abarth cam shafts for fiat 500s. He said about 210 dollars and I said ok ill come back to you. ( sorry no speach marks). So i used to call him now and again just to talk Abarths. Then my mate, who worked for an air line said - lets do a road trip- to Cali.. I had to say yes. So for 100 quid we fly upper class to san fran and slowly drive down to LA. via Laguna seca, then to Thousand Oaks, where Al lived. Al insisted we met him at an industrial area- where he kept stock. The rest is pretty much what can be seen here on this other guys trip to see Al, we didnt get to go in his 037 though.
http://www.flickriver.com/photos/seat850/sets/72157606620357642/You can see the tea trolly in the room!
His books were like scrap books, all full of letters, rambeling and protests, art work and amazing stories about racing. I used to get the books from Chaters at Brands Hatch. I lent about 5 to an Italian guy when I went over seas. On my return he denied that he had ever had them! Al wrote a letter for me to pass on to the guy, i never did so i still have it somewhere.
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Yeah. The interior is the one thing about the early 996s that is as bad as the press said.
I'm usually a fan of unusual colour schemes but Jewish Racing Gold with Can Can red is a shocker.
I'd bang the second one though, except the most recent owner appeared to be on a mission to ruin the car.
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Iirc, Spyker were at the Geneva show last week.
Factory in Coventry.
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Just though I'd leave this here...
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So a sunny pick up...one of three in the UK..
https://www.gumtree.com/p/nissan/nissan-datsun-sunny-pickup-only-3-in-uk-/1154854674 -
Lovely, very rare now. Maybe Malta or Cypress for these, or Australia ! I have a mate who imports Ae86 s and early stuff too from Japan.
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That was their charm, and very easy to transplant a quick motor into and annoy and embarrass obvious super cars of the day. Yes i came from a J crap hating family but saw the light in the 90s. Unlike say a 911 sc you cant just go and find one for sale, thanks to the rust and hatred they are now rare.
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The Rover's cool, but the other two are fucking dogs.
Dammit
lynx
Emyr
Olly398
Ordinata
Buckaroo
TRA
VintageJon
Hefty
OldSpeed
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BRM
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Car appreciation... the aesthetics, the engineering, etc
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Thatllbe fun. When i moved to our house there were 2 wide bodied x19s rotting away next door to us. I think they got scrapped. I have a very good series of books by Al Cosintion, who was a crazy Abarth Nut. I went out to California in 2004 with a mate and we spent an afternoon with him, his muffler museam , his cars and his dead labrodore who was under a tea towel on a trolly in the dining room. He said that the dog was the prototipo! We sat round a table that had a bowl full of abarth badges in the middle. We had the oportunity to go in to a room and just soak up the vibes. A nice experience. He also had a mazda rx3 race car that he raced at Daytona in the late 70s. He died a few years back and the cars and Faza got sold to an Australian. The rx3 is now in Nz. Wish i had bought that one.
http://www.speedhunters.com/2014/02/mystery-mazda-the-jtcc-rx-3-found-basement/
This is the car.
He wrote the Faza x19 , 128 race world manual. Get a copy if you buy the car.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-FAZA-ABARTH-X1-9-STRADA-128-RACE-WORLD-REPAIR-MANUAL-Alfred-S-Cosentino-/301113156618