Classic Alfa Forums

That looks interesting, I'm guessing its an APU, any idea what model?

Gas turbines usually produce extremely good power for their size and mass compared with piston engines, so even a 50 shp APU should get a Spridget moving nicely!

Lauren

Spacenut wrote:That looks interesting, I'm guessing its an APU, any idea what model?

Gas turbines usually produce extremely good power for their size and mass compared with piston engines, so even a 50 shp APU should get a Spridget moving nicely!

Lauren

Hi Lauren - full marks - it is an APU! "It's a Rover 2S/150 twin shaft APU used as main engine start on the Rolls Royce Spey turbofans for the now retired Nimrod maritime patrol aircraft."

Excellent! Nice to see the builder is using BL parts

ideas...

Initial thought was Marcos.

Looks like it started off as an MGB gt but know idea about all the mods.
Looks like it will be hairy.

didn't think it'd take too long, kieth gets the win

is built on an MGB GT chassis, or some parts of it.

forward of the scuttle not much remains.
central portion is familiar, roof line about the same as is the hatch. rear window bottom edge has been raised to meet the wider/higher rear arches.
rear end is as the front, space-frame construction with very little of the original B left.
even carries the original dash at the moment complete with glovebox

wish i'd taken more pix and asked some details, an interesting one

a pic from the other side with more bodywork attached.

Looks good Kev, any idea of the engine ?

Here is one we are starting to take the paint off .

Once owned by a very famous person who used it in one of his films..........

Kegsti66 wrote:Looks good Kev, any idea of the engine ?

wasn't one i recognised mate, a big V8 with what looks like being a twin turbo installation. gearbox was massive so big torque figures are to expected. rear diff was also more suited to a truck

had a sign on the floor with jenvey on it but what they had to do with it i'm not sure, besides maybe making the induction side of thigs?

sure phil may know a bit more....

Kegsti66 wrote:Here is one we are starting to take the paint off .

Once owned by a very famous person who used it in one of his films..........

Ferrari tipo 250 '14 Louvre' Tour de France Berlinetta....?

Was the film the Love Bug?

Ted

Re the BGT - I'm afraid I don't know about that one
......but this is mine Tube chassis, Jaguar 5.3 V12 with 6 x 40 IDFs, auto box and narrowed Jag IRS.

Well that will be nice to do the shopping in need more picks

Spot on Ted, you are right on the button.
Apparently, it was owned by Walt Disney when they made the film.

Philip , your "B" gt looks great. Can I ask, Why the big Jag 12 or is it just, why not ??

Top job.
Keith.

Kegsti66 wrote:Looks good Kev, any idea of the engine ?

Cylinder heads look like Lotus 900 series (Esprit/Elite/Eclat), grafted onto a V8 block. Historically the Lotus engine was developed on a Vauxhall slant-4 block, which Vauxhall used for a stillborn SOHC V8 programme (fuel crisis killed that) and also used to their advantage when they developed the twin-cam Chevette HS for Group 4, and was also the basis of the Lotus Etna V8. I believe the heads are symmetrical, so can be fitted to either bank of a V8. No idea what the block is though...

Lauren

There are some clever people out there.

Philip , your "B" gt looks great. Can I ask, Why the big Jag 12 or is it just, why not ??

Top job.
Keith.[/quote]
Thanks Johnboy and Keith - I chose the V12 for several reasons, I had previously built and raced a "Pro Rover" V8 BGT but sold it and it disappeared - so I decided to build another - then it surfaced again so I wanted to do something a bit different.
I had access to a V12 XJS to strip it for some parts
- and I like engines as I have/had a 4 cylinder A Series frogeye, 4 cylinder DOHC MX5, Flat 4 boxer 8v, flat 4 boxer 16v, V6 24 v Alfa, Rover V8 Sprite.....The V12 completed the set!!

The BGT racecar is being built by APS Motorsport to take either a 4 cylinder engine or the twin turbo V8 - which is said to be an APS developed engine - but it does appear to have a Rover based block and Lotus based cylinder heads.

Alfasixnut wrote:The BGT racecar is being built by APS Motorsport to take either a 4 cylinder engine or the twin turbo V8 - which is said to be an APS developed engine - but it does appear to have a Rover based block and Lotus based cylinder heads.

That sounds like an awesome old skool combination - Lotus heads on a Rover block, so as contemporary as the BGT chassis. All-alloy, light weight, lots of potential... although I did hear that Rover V8 cranks suffer from whip when tuned to produce 450 bhp or more - but I dare say there are stronger steel cranks available from TVRs and the like.

Do I get a point for identifying the Lotus heads?

Lauren

Oh no Philip !!
You forgot a V10 project
Thanks for doing the homework.

Kegsti66 wrote:Oh no Philip !!
You forgot a V10 project
Thanks for doing the homework.

Well Dodge Viper engines are far too rare - and expensive!!

Whilst I'll be amazed if anyone gets this one right - although it did get into Car and Car Conversions Magazine - it is relavant to this forum and has some association to my race Alfasud.......

It was built in 1987 and I wonder if it's still about......This photo was taken at Brands Hatch at an round of the AROC Race series.
A really interesting car.

Ted

So it's boxer powered with a Sud spoiler . Other than that pass

Citroen Ami(?) - with a sud rear engine?

certainly has sud tix wheels, so you'd say that it has the sud running gear too.

bit better than the original 2 cyl engine

Was your sud's old engine fitted to it when your car started its transformation?
I think we all presume it runs an Alfa boxer, but the louvered boot steers towards a rear/mid mount.
Did you ever have a drive in it Ted?
I have seen an Amie with an Alfa boxer in the front. Looks fun, bet it caught a few people out on the streets !!

Based on Dyane 6 ?

Hi All,

It was known as the Suditroen as it had a mid mounted 1.5 Sud engine in it. It had basically the entire front end of a Sud, engine, gearbox, brakes and front suspension including struts grafted into a sub frame where the Citroen rear seats would normally go. Instead of steering links the track rods were replaced by locating arms - all rosejointed. It also had a turbo fitted which was one of the Terry Drury Racing kits that were available back in the 80's with an intercooler - hence the air intake in the door. It was reckoned to have around 150BHP at the flywheel. The front suspension, brakes and steering came from a Lotus Europa and the whole chassis was strengthened and stiffened. Front rads, battery and fuel tank helped with weight distribution. If you look you can see that both front and rear arches were extended to increase the track.

And it was fast! I remember being in it at a traffic light grand prix and seeeing off an Audi Quattro Turbo........changing down at 110mph didn't half make people stare!

What was so good about it, along with some fantastic engineering by the builder, was that it was fully trimmed and soundproofed so it honestly looked like a proper production car inside.

The link with my Alfa was the original, long ratio SC gearbox was used as the Suditroen could pull the long 5th.

Apparently, it is still around on a SORN and last MOT'd in 2012 so it would be great to see it resurected again.

That sounds epic - reminds me of some of the other great Q cars; Gunther Artz build a Porsche 911 mid-mount into an oval rear window Beetle, and also slipped a 928 V8 into a Mk2 Golf (the bodyshell was widened 3" to make it fit).

TAZ racing made a pair of awesome Fiat 127s, one with a mid-mounted Alfa boxer, the other with a more "conventional" smallblock V8 - plus there's that Fiat 500 with the Alfa 33 mid-mount as well...

Lauren

Nice one Ted, like you say it would be good to see it back on the road.
Love the fact it has the full sun roof as well.