chapel
Part of things
Posts: 264
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Jan 22, 2005 23:00:29 GMT
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Ok, I'm from America... so displacement is never really below 1800ccs. The tiny displacement cars you guys have really make me appreciate the kind of power you guys get out of those tiny little lumps. The Imps with their sub litre engines capable of over 100bhp... I have every issue of Retro Cars since the beginning and it has really turned me on to the smaller cars. Well, now for some big displacement Yank Tanks  Obviously, we have the Small Block Chevy. Generally displacing 350cubic inches (5700ccs) and making between 300-405bhp My mother owned a 1969 Pontiac GTO as her first car.  It has a 400cubic inch (6.5L) 350bhp with a 4 speed transmission. When I was a youngin we used to have this beast:  1986 Chevrolet Caprice Classic. Ours was white with wood panels. My mother was one of 6 people in America to option it with the GM 400cubic inch crate motor and Turbo Hydramatic 400 transmission. It was a $3000 option that year. So... blame it on my mom! She was a speed demon as a youngin. Her exploits as a street racer from 1969-1971 are legendary in this area. She was the lady racer with the Red GTO... As for my penchant for European cars... no one is sure where I picked that up from  My parents have always owned a big American something... Now they are looking to get a Hemi SUV. They tow a rather large caravan and we own 3 Doberman Pinchers so they effectively USE the size and power of the truck... |
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Jan 22, 2005 23:18:39 GMT
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I envy you Americans with your big cubic inches!! ;DProblem over here is that the fascist regime government really really like to tax the f*ck out of fuel, meaning if I ran something like that it would devastate me financially!! Having said that, I'm fitting a Mercedes V8 (3.5 or 4.5 litre....haven't decided yet...) so it looks like that grinning fool Tony Blair and his henchmen are gonna be taking plenty of cash off of me in the future!  We pay about 78p/litre over here which I'm sure you'll agree is a total scandal! |
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Jan 22, 2005 23:36:53 GMT
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ok you work for a bm dealer but why you buy a 318??
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2001 HONDA CT110 (NOT RCV)
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SkoCan
Posted a lot
Quando omni flunkus, mortati
Posts: 1,916
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Jan 22, 2005 23:47:05 GMT
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Comes out to 1.74CDN per litre. Sad.  We`re only at 74cents ;D My 5 foot tall mother had a Safari Custom Wagon at one time. With the 454 ;D |
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chapel
Part of things
Posts: 264
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ok you work for a bm dealer but why you buy a 318?? It's a 325i Sport  I pay about $1.90/gal for Super High Octane (93 US/98RON). So about £1 per gallon... or 25p/litre So, I guess I'll be off until you guys stop hating me. BTW, we get 104 octane race fuel (110RON) for about $3-5/gallon |
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25p/litre?! I'm emigrating. ;D And 110RON juice... imagine the compression ratios you could run with that stuff!!
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chapel
Part of things
Posts: 264
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yeah, but your British pound is worth twice our American Dollar right now... so... uh... you guys suck too. I pay about $12US to get Retro Cars every month...
I run 93 octane because I have a chip that far advances my timing and changes the fuel map
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We don't need 110 octane race fuel'
We got LPG and its 114octane and about 1/2 the price of petrol. Well its a bit less than that here.
LPG allows my Sunbeam to run 12:1
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Last Edit: Jan 23, 2005 9:58:26 GMT by bazza2541
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Jan 23, 2005 11:13:03 GMT
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True about LPG. I would convert but a) I can't afford the conversion, and b) I don't trust the government to hold off on the tax for too long (that's the only reason it's cheap as you probably know  - as soon as enough people are running LPG they'll whack the tax on it you can bet. |
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Jan 23, 2005 11:29:29 GMT
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We pay about 78p/litre over here which I'm sure you'll agree is a total scandal! in the north east we pay between 78p an 86p. could some one explain why some of us drive guzzlers when the cost of fuel is so high.none of my cars return anything better than 25mpg,and thats driving like miss daisy.if i put my toe down all i can hear is glugging, and watching a rapidly falling petrol guage. oh yeah hello chapel,wash your car! ;D |
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Jan 23, 2005 17:50:31 GMT
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Those walloping big North American V8s are pretty impressive all the same, although I'm pretty fond of the Imp engine! The good thing is, an Imp engine isn't only little, it's light, since it was made of a light alloy so is reckoned to be a third the weight it would be in cast iron. Which is nice. That and the whole of the Imp is quite light, when it's done my Imp might weigh less than 650kg, so it won't need a great deal of power to keep me flying along at a fair rate! The other thing is the Imp might look a little like a Chevy Corvair, but it's suspension design is much better thought out, and it has much less weight at the back, so Imps have a good reputation for being able to keep their speed in corners where many more powerful cars would have to slow down or else end up in a ditch! I suppose the Imp suits our roads and racetracks as well as your impressive big V8 psychos suit your North American roads and racetracks And to make some of you very jealous, my Imp can return 40 mpg when it isn't running like a wounded pig! |
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"He's not the messiah, he's a very naughty boy!"
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GJM
Posted a lot
Alloy engines; like communism- great in theory.
Posts: 1,393
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Jan 23, 2005 18:01:12 GMT
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;D power to the imps!!! ;D
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Jan 23, 2005 21:15:37 GMT
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Fantastic stuff! Chapel - are you the same Chapel that's the MWerks guy? I lurk on VWVortex and that username seems familiar |
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chapel
Part of things
Posts: 264
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Jan 23, 2005 21:42:56 GMT
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The one and only!
I've been on the vwvortex since it's inception and have busted balls getting mwerks running.
It's quiet, but it's a good site.
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Benmarina16v
Part of things
1974 2ltr 16 Valve Marina Coupe 200Bhp On The Way
Posts: 414
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Jan 24, 2005 10:50:22 GMT
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I was thinking of getting the capri converted to LPG. But like BenzBoy says, how long will the government lay off?
2.8i V6... Daily driver... Currently fuel (LRP) is 79 around here. 76 for unleaded. The ol girl ain't too bad on longer runs tho!....
PS can't wait for the snow to arrive in Leamington... LSD+Snow= Scaaaaaaary
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 '87 2.8 Ford Capri '74 2.0 16V Marina Coupe '72 1800TC Saloon '72 1800TC Coupe -------------------------------------------- www.morrismarina.net |
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Jan 24, 2005 13:34:26 GMT
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53 pounds to drive the Benz back from Norwich yesterday (180miles). Although that deos include a few miles of RMad 'test driving' it.
Having a 5.6 litre daily in the UK is only fun whilst the novelty lasts...
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There is nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes
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ImpManiac
Part of things
Imps... Imps... Imps...
Posts: 868
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Jan 25, 2005 17:07:39 GMT
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Hear hear, Revolution! My Imp used to better 40mpg when on the standard Sport engine... and when it had piston rings and valve guides...  The new engine, with its great gurgling Webers and full race cam will be a different ball game. 30mpg if I drive like an angel. Yeah, right!  The Omega don't do too bad, though. Averaging 29mpg at the mo. From a 208bhp 3 litre V6!  And I do like to use it a bit too. Some day, though, I'd love to experience limitless, tyre-shredding, relentless, stupifying power from a big block Yank V8, preferably strapped into a Cobra replica, preferably MINE.  Some day...... I'm |
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1966 Singer Chamois sprint/hillclimb car in white over blue two tone
1975 Triumph Stag long term project (over 20 years so far) in colour TBA
2003 Vauxhall Vectra GSi 3.2 in black sapphire
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My parents have always owned a big American something... Now they are looking to get a Hemi SUV. They tow a rather large caravan and we own 3 Doberman Pinchers so they effectively USE the size and power of the truck...
- as soon as enough people are running LPG they'll whack the tax on it you can bet.
And I do like to use it a bit too. 
Some day......