Car appreciation... the aesthetics, the engineering, etc

Switchable exhaust? Silenced for town, cruising, not waking the neighbors and then a bypass for waking the dead.

Could do, I'm going to see where we end up with the following first:

• Long tube, 1.75" diameter primary, equal length manifold
  
• 2 x 200 cell catalytic converters in an X-pipe configuration
  
• Cargraphic sports exhaust
  
  

At the moment I've got stock manifolds and stock cat-section, apparently just the move to 200 cell cats makes the system a lot louder, the equal length manifolds will also change the tone and potentially release more noise.

I may end up trying to tone it down a little - if it drones at a cruise then I'll definitely be making changes.

= I want to be able to listen to Radio4 whilst pootling along, and yet have it howl like one of those rally cars when using more of the throttle.

Interestingly the engine designer (who had previously opposed ITB's) said that it might actually make sense to use them with the cam profiles he now has in mind, given the move to solid lifters and (this looks a little silly seeing it in type) a rev limit 2,200 rpm above the current one.

In associated news, the engine designer has also started calling this "Project ridiculous", as it's going to be a somewhat unusual engine to find in the back of a stock-looking cabriolet.