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

How often does a modern car need to be driven?

Good question. I've not used mine for over a month.

BMW e91 325i update, 2 days short of the 6 week anniversary of paying Munich Legends 2.5k for a new ecu and some other bits.

Just drove from Camberwell to Bermondsey and back. Engine light back on, hunting at idle, stuttering under load, and cut out pulling back into my driveway.

Yay cars

That Canonbie is one hell of a hill...

335i Flickr Album

:) Probably chucked more than a few quid keeping them going. your list is quite impressive.

@lynx It was my wallet that kept me in check, kids, divorce, more kids :D also working in the motor trade and a bit of luck I picked up a few cheap that customers chose not to repair, the Audi 100 5s was the cheapest £40 with a knackered auto box, luckily a later model had a box change under warranty and checking the parts I found out the internal clutches were the same and it was changed because the transfer seals had gone allowing diff oil to mix into the auto side causing slipping, so I stripped it down cleaned all the clutches in petrol and swapped them over :) £20 for some gaskets and away.

Turns out my friendly DPD delivery man has a 5 pot Audi kicking out a rather fruity 1,100bhp. I can only assume he's got turbos modelled on the turbines at a hydroelectric power station.

I look forward to his next delivery and another brief socially distant chat about it. He spotted my RS6 and seemed keen to talk power numbers.

1,100 sounds like, how can I put this, a lot. Now, don't get me wrong - 1,500 horsepower can be had from very small capacities and a modest number of cylinders, but they only have to run for ~6 seconds at a time, typically.

You can always tune for a peak boast number then have a map for every day. But yeah, 1100 would need some serious turbines, fuel system, internals etc etc.

Try telling that to half of the guys who take their cars to Gatebil...
http://www.speedhunters.com/2012/07/you-know-that-one-audi/
http://www.speedhunters.com/2013/07/the-quattro-warrior-audi-80-like-no-other/
https://gatebil.no/for-sale-unique-800-hp-audi-80-quattro/

It’s not uncommon for 5pot turbo Audi’s to run over 1000hp, the retro power car is 1050bhp and I’m sure dialynx had various 1000+bhp ones

Each of those cars represents serious money. I’m not denying that they exist, but as they say, big claims go best with hard evidence. Going on the one for sale I’d imagine they cost around three times the asking price to build. Both of those you linked to are circa 800 horsepower, also- making another 300 when you are already at a big number is no joke.

IDK, maybe the postie has made a fortune in Bitcoin and does his round for the exercise.

Here’s a data point, based on what a friend of mine has done. He started with a 996 Turbo- IIRC 420 bhp as standard. He’s taken that to 1,100 bhp and it’s cost him £60,000. That’s starting with a 40k car that is fast in the first place. Starting with a lower horsepower number means (in general) a higher cost to get to bigger numbers, although the Audi boys using a £100 van bottom end probably helps them in this department.

1100hp seems fairly pedestrian

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dP5__kLGjHY

Great segue into my newest obsession.

Twin turbo Viper ACR

https://youtu.be/svI3XwDpdWk

What is this 5 pot turbo VAG van you speak of?

Are the LT vans not 5 cylinder?

For that Audi 80, they got the 2.5 block from a T4. Presumably normally aspirated in it's native habitat

2.5 litre T4 engine with decompression plates seems to be the lump of choice. Given the boost levels I'm assuming the decompression plates are about an inch thick.

It's a testament to how closed deck, iron blocks from commercial Diesel engines were over-engineered, although I can't help thinking that if they're ~£100/time, it doesn't really matter that much if you crack two or three per season.

In the Volvo world (with the Red block I4), it's common practice to fill the blocks water jacket with (essentially) cement and leave only the head with coolant circulation - again, for 8 or so seconds, this isn't a huge problem, and if you crack the block you get another one from the scrappers.

To be honest I'm deeply envious - block from a derv van, ported head from an 80's taxi, turbo from a Scania and three fuel pumps: 800 horsepower.

We're agonising over the adapter plate from the ITB's to the head as the transition is costing us 12 CFM at .500" lift. If we were pumping the air in, this would be not so much of an issue.

Genuinely no idea, the S2 Quattro is a 2.2L 5pot turbo from the factory of course but I had no idea which VAG parts bin they raided for it.

Yeah £20 and how long did the work take of you time, at work rates ;)

You called?

No idea on the BHP of anything I have had dyno'd as all I'm interested in is the fueling.

Here is one to think about, how do dyno computer work out bhp, why do different dyno give very different figures? Even the same make and model?

Porsche 924 used VW LT van and so did the Audi 100? engine