I sold the Porsche ....
And with the remaining cash I bought and old Ford:
Some of you may have noticed that for one reason or another I have been thinning the herd down (by the end of this week I will only have two cars with only one of them being roadworthy!) and at one point was only down to one relatively roadworthy vehicle, which I barely use these days anyway!). However, before I completely do away with retros I figured that I would scratch one itch that I have had for quite some time - An Escort RST of sorts. Maybe I have completely lost my way or parting with retros was too much for me to bear, but one thing was for sure. Before I move onto bigger and better things it is always good to live and try new things out which appeal to you.
My criteria was simple. I wished to have a standardish car but ultimately with a clean body. The latter proved to be quite tricky to find. Out of the blue this gem popped up locally. After discussing a few minor details a deal was struck. Despite its rather extreme nature I have to say that I am enjoying it. It has bundles of character and quite a few drives are an event in themselves.
So what is the story with this car? It seems have undergone a restoration of sorts where anything severely wrong was replaced and it seems that one of the previous owners spent basically his bank account on upgrading the engine. This includes the car having a 1.8 ZVH with Omega pistons, a T3 Hybrid turbo, 5th injector along with a vernier pulley, Kent camshaft in addition to a flowed head. To keep it held in place the engine is supported on Vibra Technics mounts all round. For reasons I cannot fathom it also has a Pace Chargecooler fitted which in all honesty (for now) seems slightly overkill. I have to say that for a turbo car it is relatively torquey off boost.
The engine was not the only area which received attention. It has Leda coilovers to ensure it stays vaguely on the road, poly bushed throughout the car, an RS2000 gearbox along with a new Helix clutch. Is it a little extreme? Just slightly.
The Porsche certainly had presence, that is for sure. This car however is a bundle of fun in its own right. Besides shifting well, it will happily light up the tyres in second gear in addition to sticking in the corners surprisingly well for an old car. Yes, I guess you could say that I am enjoying this for now. Christ, even cruising in it is an event in itself!
Enough waffle, here are more shots of the car:
A little too clean maybe?
Enough bling for certain sectors of society in addition to it being fast enough to scare passengers enough :
The interior is a little hardcore I shall admit:
The plans? Well, the main one is to enjoy it for the time I own it. Anything else? I do have a mint RST interior which may be replacing the race spec interior inside. Whilst removing the chargecooler spray tank will be easy, dealing with the chargecooler tank will involve some head scratching for sure; on a run the charge temp is pretty low (around 18 to 23 degrees generally).
Whether I have lost the plot or have attempted to broaden my horizons (a Beetle and 2CV were also on the list!) is another matter. Better shots shall arrive in due course.
Spec as of September 2015:
Engine:
1.8 ZVH with a Stage 3 head (supposedly) and Piper 285T camshaft on a vernier pulley
Felpro head gasket
Stock Bosch KE-Jetronic with an MF-II 5th Injector
CR Turbos Stage 2(ish) T3 Turbo (2WD Compressor housing, .55A/R compressor wheel, -31 actuator, vernier pulley with bleed valve.
Magnecor spark plug leads
Samco silicone hoses
Pace chargecooler
Alloy header tank
Bailey oil separator
Running 225BHP @ 18PSi
Gearbox:
Late BC5 gearbox with Quickshift
Helix 4 paddle clutch
Vibratechnics engine mounts
Suspension:
Polybushed throughout
Leda coilovers all round
Eibach camber bolts on the rear
Nankang NS-2R Street compound tyres shod on stock 15" wheels.
And with the remaining cash I bought and old Ford:
Some of you may have noticed that for one reason or another I have been thinning the herd down (by the end of this week I will only have two cars with only one of them being roadworthy!) and at one point was only down to one relatively roadworthy vehicle, which I barely use these days anyway!). However, before I completely do away with retros I figured that I would scratch one itch that I have had for quite some time - An Escort RST of sorts. Maybe I have completely lost my way or parting with retros was too much for me to bear, but one thing was for sure. Before I move onto bigger and better things it is always good to live and try new things out which appeal to you.
My criteria was simple. I wished to have a standardish car but ultimately with a clean body. The latter proved to be quite tricky to find. Out of the blue this gem popped up locally. After discussing a few minor details a deal was struck. Despite its rather extreme nature I have to say that I am enjoying it. It has bundles of character and quite a few drives are an event in themselves.
So what is the story with this car? It seems have undergone a restoration of sorts where anything severely wrong was replaced and it seems that one of the previous owners spent basically his bank account on upgrading the engine. This includes the car having a 1.8 ZVH with Omega pistons, a T3 Hybrid turbo, 5th injector along with a vernier pulley, Kent camshaft in addition to a flowed head. To keep it held in place the engine is supported on Vibra Technics mounts all round. For reasons I cannot fathom it also has a Pace Chargecooler fitted which in all honesty (for now) seems slightly overkill. I have to say that for a turbo car it is relatively torquey off boost.
The engine was not the only area which received attention. It has Leda coilovers to ensure it stays vaguely on the road, poly bushed throughout the car, an RS2000 gearbox along with a new Helix clutch. Is it a little extreme? Just slightly.
The Porsche certainly had presence, that is for sure. This car however is a bundle of fun in its own right. Besides shifting well, it will happily light up the tyres in second gear in addition to sticking in the corners surprisingly well for an old car. Yes, I guess you could say that I am enjoying this for now. Christ, even cruising in it is an event in itself!
Enough waffle, here are more shots of the car:
A little too clean maybe?
Enough bling for certain sectors of society in addition to it being fast enough to scare passengers enough :
The interior is a little hardcore I shall admit:
The plans? Well, the main one is to enjoy it for the time I own it. Anything else? I do have a mint RST interior which may be replacing the race spec interior inside. Whilst removing the chargecooler spray tank will be easy, dealing with the chargecooler tank will involve some head scratching for sure; on a run the charge temp is pretty low (around 18 to 23 degrees generally).
Whether I have lost the plot or have attempted to broaden my horizons (a Beetle and 2CV were also on the list!) is another matter. Better shots shall arrive in due course.
Spec as of September 2015:
Engine:
1.8 ZVH with a Stage 3 head (supposedly) and Piper 285T camshaft on a vernier pulley
Felpro head gasket
Stock Bosch KE-Jetronic with an MF-II 5th Injector
CR Turbos Stage 2(ish) T3 Turbo (2WD Compressor housing, .55A/R compressor wheel, -31 actuator, vernier pulley with bleed valve.
Magnecor spark plug leads
Samco silicone hoses
Pace chargecooler
Alloy header tank
Bailey oil separator
Running 225BHP @ 18PSi
Gearbox:
Late BC5 gearbox with Quickshift
Helix 4 paddle clutch
Vibratechnics engine mounts
Suspension:
Polybushed throughout
Leda coilovers all round
Eibach camber bolts on the rear
Nankang NS-2R Street compound tyres shod on stock 15" wheels.