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

Yeah it's 27 but if it's cracked at all it just bends when you put the socket on - you'll see what I mean, it'll either be easy or tremendously annoying.

My only pro tip is if it smells sweet/like curry with the heater on, it's probably the heater matrix leaking and it's worth paying 500 quid to get someone else to remove the dashboard to replace it! I'll never get that time back....

Mines been pretty trouble free, 10k miles a year, bikes and camping gear go in the back like a dream!

10k miles a year, bikes and camping gear go in the back like a dream!

This is indeed the dream! Here's hoping! Can't wait to actually be able to find out.

Anyone have/had a Bmw f11 5 series?
Looking at a 2010 to 15 520d or 530d wagon, pref zf 8s auto.
Our last modern diesel turned into a total pita with the emmissons system a constant effort to keep working (to be fair no manufacturer of passenger cars got it right in the 1st gen 2007 to 2010). I think from 2013.5 they have a proper wet dpf system with ad blue and they did something with timing chain guides being updated?
Anything else to worry about, ulez not an issue have zero requirement for driving into any city.
Wanted an e220/270/320 wagon based on spec, but unless its an amg version they drive like a wet sofa. Looked at a few a6 that age, they don't age as well, many rattles, many loose bush.

Used to have a pre lci (facelift) f11. Didnt have any issues apart from worn suspension parts (including rear air bags) which were around £1600 to sort out iirc. Think that is a fairly common complaint with them.

Yeah looking for same thing. It's been mighty difficult. It's the 'I have to finish this today' that gets to me. Can never really be a week long job.

what about an exoskeleton design then bodywork requirement is minimal .. Ariel Atom / Nomad and like

Definitely a practical solution and if I was building a track day car thats the way I'd go but I unfortunately have delusions of crafting the next 904 Carrera GTS which I need to deal with 😂

How about picking up an inexpensive Boxster- the 2.5 or 2.7, then building a chassis that mounts all the existing suspension and so forth, takes the stock engine, then you could skin it however you wanted?

Bonus points for converting to double-wishbone, but you can use McPherson strut in a tube chassis.

That is a good idea but buying anything newer than thirty years for a donor vehicle will make it an awful lot harder to maintain road-legaliness after the event.

I actually think my ideal donor might be a Honda Beat... it's a Honda and that's the drivetrain I want to use and it's mid engined so roughly speaking it's the same layout (in terms of tax and insurance after the event)...

In terms of everything else in pretty happy to start with a blank slate although I most likely will end up going for some sort of patchwork quilt of different tried and tested ideas rather than reinventing the wheels so to speak...

Aestec Design GTS or GWA P/904 concept both used Boxsters

Honda Beat as a donor, niche!
Would you try and import one?

Ideally find one in Ireland if possible? Whole plan is to in the air at present though.

They’re fairly rare aren’t they? Few on eBay/classic cars, but they all look in fairly good nick/too nice to just butcher for a donor chassis.

Are you not worried about size limitations? Kei cars are proper small after all!

It does seem a shame to chop up a Beat to be fair... maybe a rotten MR-2 would be a better shout?

I won't be adhering to any dimensions of the donor car necessarily, it's more that it will be easier to get it insured afterwards if it's started out as and still is a "mid-engined, RWD Honda"... I have a pal who's wife works in insurance though so I'll quiz her on what criteria would be most advantageous to maintain if possible...

It would actually give me great satisfaction removing this monstrosity from circulation for its chassis number...

I think I’d just be worried about various limitations from a kei car. Surely the chassis will be fairly dainty as they weigh so little? MR2 deffo seems like an easier starting point.

As for that wannabe Ferrari monstrosity, just whyyyyyyyyy?!

Boxster would be cheap, available, the native car has great driving dynamics. You’d also not feel guilty cutting one up, and you can flog the chassis and parts for good money.

In other news, if anyone knows the Shell station on the M3 out of London - E63 was close to a “dab of oppo” moment accelerating out of the slip road this morning, which was interesting.

How long will the car be there being worked on?

Want to see what I can offer ;)

MK1 MR2 I'd say. or spriget

Seems wrong to kill a beat or a cappucino. But the diahatsu cuore.

Just to clarify, whatever I buy for the donor car won't actually be donating anything other than its chassis number and registration plate to the new build...

Ireland, unlike UK, takes an extremely limited view to people building cars in their sheds...

On a separate note does anyone have any experience with dual caliper brake setups?
I'm thinking it may be a nifty solution to more braking power on R53 without sacrificing 15" wheels for a big brake swap...

Talking for front wheels at a guess.

I’ve done twin caliper setups on the rear using a spot caliper for the handbrake and a 2 or 4 pot caliper for the brakes on a few cars.

What size discs have you got on the front? If you had the right wheel offset you could run up to 295 with 4 pots but it would be spendy (cad grab of my setup)

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For further inspo, my mate who is mechanical / automotive engineer (ex-ricardo/JLR/Aston Martin etc) is building his own space framed tin top hillclimb car. It’s mid-mounted bike engine and RWD with a mk1 polo shell of sorts. It’s taken him 5yrs to get to the point of having the chassis welded together on a frame table in his garage

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Out of interest, what's the point of putting a specific body shell on a project like this? Is just an affinity with a mk1 polo or that's what was laying around? Beyond the wheelbase the body shell could be anything right?