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

Having immersed myself in vans for some time now I have come to the conclusion that they’re all a bit sensible. The least sensible are the Brabus Vito, but they’re still diesel - albeit a 3.0 turbo charged V6.

And because they’re all a bit sensible they’re quite expensive. I really want the 6 litre petrol V8 van, hunkered down over large alloys with leather and all the toys, for very little (initially, but doubtless a horrendous maintenance bill to foot shortly after purchase).

Basically I’d like a van to replace my C55, which means it has to be sufficiently similar that that’s not a sacrifice, and I don’t think this is possible.

The CX is a beauty dude. Though prefer the earlier ones.

Good spots as always

Dude, get 3 tennis balls. Write van on one, cheap on another and fast on the last. Choose two...

@Dammit have you looked into Japanese vans? There must be something you could import that has easy tuning ability and is whacky enough to interesting. There's a few "vellfire" vans around here rolling on big wheels and stacked with toys.... Like motorised privacy blinds, captains chairs etc.

https://independentmotors.net/11-modern-coachbuilders-ultra-rich/

I've idly wondered about the Honda Stepwagn as a replacement for my
(eventual MOT fail) Espace.
Someone must be able to spanner a Type R engine/drivetrain into one.

If you want a moneypit project hot-rod van, look no further than....

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1949-Chevrolet-panel-van-lwb-project-need-no-welding-great-winter-project/203148403237?hash=item2f4c96a225:g:QF0AAOSwWElfkItd

I'll just leave this here .. https://engineswapdepot.com/?p=10292

This is exactly what I'm talking about. Above a certain size group, the prevailing opinion starts to become the most commonly touted one, rather than one that is based on fact, sound judgement or experience, and is instead just the result of what has been said and then repeated the most.

This is best evidenced when you ask people to explain why X or Y needs to be done, and the answer is simply "that's what everyone does".

The Nissan Elgrand is available with a 3.5l v6 from the 350z....

Bingo! This is exactly what I’m after, preferably with someone else taking sixty grands worth of depreciation before I buy it.

Looks great Richie, don't leave us hanging and get some interior shots! I've got garage envy!

will do - just need to get all the builders shit out...

It is bigger than it looks - the car fits in it on the trailer. the trailer is a bit of a touchy subject here at howard mansion. i said i'd keep it in one of the farmer's barns, then said it'd keep it in the garage, but we both know it will be parked next to the garage shitting everyone up...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/284075307825?ViewItem=&item=284075307825

Tell us you're not planning to start making Dammit 7s with scrapped bore scored IMS blown 996 engines?

Second charger installed today...

Tesla is about 3 weeks away still.

1 Attachment

Tell us you're not planning to start making Dammit 7s with scrapped bore scored IMS blown 996 engines?

Engine is in totally the wrong place in a Lotus 7 type car for me to be interested, but at that price its tempting "just because". I have nowhere to put those moulds, nor space to build a Locost either, but still.

The M96-evolution engines we're making will likely be around the 20-25k mark, so might be a slight mismatch for a Locost, it's driving ethos etc.

I was obviously joking! I like the idea of a car called a Dammit 7!

Are there details of all the planned mods for your evo engine? I know you've shared bit and bobs here.

I can list out the changes, not particularly ordered but this is the gist:

• Existing cylinders machined out of the engine cases and replaced with new, 100mm diameter Nikasil cylinders, which close the (previously open) deck. This boosts capacity to 3.7 litres from the 3.4, and 3.9 from the 3.6
  
• Carillo rods, custom pistons
  
• Custom ITB's with Porsche turbo injectors (as they're relatively inexpensive and we know they support our target power), dynamic ram pipes
  
• Custom Piper cams (three grinds available, sport, very-sport, track)
  
• Heads extensively ported and profiled, custom valves which are 1mm diameter larger than stock
  
• Titanium valve hardware
  
• Custom valve springs
  
• Custom, machined from billet tappet chests
  
• Dual stage oil scavenge pump for bank 2 (duplicates NLA X51 part)
  
• Custom equal length manifolds
  
• The above designed for an 8,500 rpm redline
  
  

I like the idea of angry cams, 8,500 rpm and ITB's, should be a nice balance to the somewhat vocal exhaust. RIP getting into quiet track days.

Standard 996 is about 300 bhp (from wikipedia). Where do you get to with the above?

We won’t know until we run the first one up on the engine Dyno, so a little unwilling to give a hostage to fortune. I’d like to beat the 996.2 GT3 power figure though.

Are there any good motorfactors left? Have gsf and ecp killed them all? Or is it all internet now?

I couldn't get much through the motor factors any more, started using Autodoc online.

The M96-evolution engines we're making will likely be around the 20-25k mark, so might be a slight mismatch for a Locost, it's driving ethos etc.

Ultima EVO on the other hand. Ideal...

Yes, they’ll bolt straight to a Boxster transmission of course, with our custom gearsets installed- so absolutely ideal for mid engined kit cars.