Automobiles

[Crashburn]

Well this Caterham is batshit crazy.

[72gmc]

^^^ I also enjoyed Chris Harris' review.

[Philster]

This is an interesting approach to carrying bikes in a cross-over. Requires both front tire and seat-post removal:

Concept Active Tourer Outdoor by BMW - BMW Active Tourer Outdoor Concept - Road & Track

[maunahaole]

Is This V8 Chevrolet Corvair America's Porsche Cayman?

Want.

[Crashburn]

I saw two of these this past weekend in Brownsville, Tx. and would totally be down with a RWD GTI.
P.S. I know it's a BMW and not a VW.
2012_bmw_1series_hatchback_12.jpg

[maunahaole]

The mercedes a45 is pretty sweet. The blower on it is huge.

[nahtnoj]

I saw two of these this past weekend in Brownsville, Tx. and would totally be down with a RWD GTI.
P.S. I know it's a BMW and not a VW.
2012_bmw_1series_hatchback_12.jpg

Hot weather testing?

Americans are too stupid for it to make $$$ sense for BMW to import something like that. They would sell 50. The sedan with the useless trunk? Sell 5,000.

[Crashburn]

Hot weather testing?
Americans are too stupid for it to make $$$ sense for BMW to import something like that. They would sell 50. The sedan with the useless trunk? Sell 5,000.

They were from Mexico. One my sister's neighbors who is a student at UT Brownsville drives a Nissan March. Last time I was there I saw one of these.
450-web_12_focus-st_dsc_1175.jpg.

[Crashburn]

The mercedes a45 is pretty sweet. The blower on it is huge.

Have you watched this yet? I'm sure supercars are fun but these two are blurring categories.

[maunahaole]

I had not seen that. Seems like the guy loves the a45 but is having difficulty getting his arms around the fact that it is a 4 banger.

[Jason Musgrave]

Finally got a chance to test-drive a FRS/BRZ (FRS) yesterday. Holy-cow that car is good. Not fast, but everything else is sooooo good.

Me wants!

[Zimmermanbicycle]

ep 001.jpgFinally test fitting the 940 turbo motor into the '73 Volvo P1800es,we are getting closer to done!275Hp here we come up from roughly 100.
-Eric

[cs124]

Finally test fitting the 940 turbo motor into the '73 Volvo P1800es,we are getting closer to done!275Hp here we come up from roughly 100.
-Eric

You really need to post lots of pics when that is finished

[nahtnoj]

You really need to post lots of pics when that is finished

Build thread.

[Zimmermanbicycle]

You really need to post lots of pics when that is finished

Will do,it's going to be a bit of a beast,tweaked balanced 940 Turbo,T5 trans,VPD progresive springs (about an 1 1/2" drop),Bilstiens,tasteful wheels some brake upgrades,IPD sway bars plus about a gillion other details I'm forgetting.......should be a pretty good sleeper....fits my bike without pulling the wheels.....the antidote to the numb perfection of my Prius daily driver.
-Eric

[maunahaole]

I really hope that you are leaning towards the sorta uncouth exhaust note on that.

[Too Tall]

Gawd that's hot. I used to tool around in a mod'd P1800 belonged to a guy who's sailboat I race. He added all the IPD stuff and it freaking flew. Can't imagine what that's going to do. Awesome.

[twowheels]

My gosh that thing is crazy, i can't imagine the forces you are going to put into the chassis. It's kind of a 2013 sunbeam tiger.

[hampco]

Volvo 122 el camino, anyone? We saw this on Orcas Island, had to chase the guy down to chat. He said it took him half an hour to buy a six-pack of beer the other day...

[MisterDangerPants]

Finally test fitting the 940 turbo motor into the '73 Volvo P1800es,we are getting closer to done!275Hp here we come up from roughly 100.
-Eric

Fantastic! I love stuff like this, and for a good reason. I come from a "car" family as my father was very much an automobile enthusiast (he had a lift in his home garage) and he worked at General Motors for his entire career. He was always thinking up interesting projects. Here's one I posted in another thread:

If you’re going to slap a V8 into something fun, go with a Porsche 914. That’s what my father did. Back in the late 1980s he decided to put a 1967 Chevrolet 283 into a 1974 Porsche 914. He also upgraded the suspension to that of a 911 and performed all of the bodywork on the car (except for the paint). My father was an extremely talented mechanic, fabricator and welder and this car was probably his favorite project. When he passed away last year, I gifted the car to my cousin in Arizona who absolutely loves it. He lives in Tucson where, coincidentally, there is a shop that specialized in 914 V8 conversions called Desert Hybrids. After 20 years, the car needed some updating and this guy does amazing work.

Here it is when it first arrived in Arizona:



Here it is last week before the engine was installed back into the car after the updates:







I am told it'll be ready in a couple of weeks. I wish my father was alive to see how lovely it is.
Anyway, sorry for the digression, but this post got me thinking….

P.S. Yes, it a very quick little car. Very, very quick.
P.P.S. 914s are also popular for Subaru engine swaps.

My cousin drives the 914 a couple times a week and is always being stopped to answer questions about the car.

Anyway, looking forward to seeing the progress of your project!

P.S. Here's my father in 1959 (18 years old) with his very first hot rod, a 1940 Ford. He said he swapped the engine but don't recall exactly what he put in (possibly a flathead V8):