gone over to the dark side

[Furyblade_Lee]

Sam, AMEN to that!

[Murph7355]

doclip said:

Actually it would be neat to put say vw 1.9tdi 170bhp flavour into a 7 -all that torque in not to heavy an engine -and quite frugal -wonder why nobody has ever done that

There could be any number of reasons.

Availability.

It's a diesel.

Weight.

It's a diesel.

Size.

It's a diesel.

Price.

It's a diesel.

Packaging.

It's a diesel.

Is hooning around in a 7 really going to be exciting when you need to change up at 4k revs? Or even stick in 5th and just leave it there forever?

There's much to be said for torque, but in a car like the 7, I think it misses much of the point.

I hear Duratec's are quite well endowed whilst not losing anything much in the revs department when needed.

I don't think I've ever heard a good report/review of the SEight. A Griffith must surely be one of the best uses of a Rover V8.

PS That VW engine - it's a diesel.

[doclip]

Ahem i beleive a deisel engine has won Le Mans so obviously not too shabby in a race car
Ok so it's not maybe for the pureist but the same could be said about bike engines in a 7 as well- which are at the complete opposite end of the spectrum
How much does a 2.0 TDI weigh say cf to a 2.0 VX lump ?

[doclip]

here is a review :
http://www.pistonheads.com/doc.asp?c=111&i=443...
Oh and another thing -at least the V8 wont sound like my wife's sewing machine -aka K series engine

Edited by doclip on Friday 22 May 22:58

[Murph7355]

doclip said:

Ahem i beleive a deisel engine has won Le Mans so obviously not too shabby in a race car
Ok so it's not maybe for the pureist but the same could be said about bike engines in a 7 as well- which are at the complete opposite end of the spectrum
How much does a 2.0 TDI weigh say cf to a 2.0 VX lump ?

Ahem, the current rules of Le Mans are so geared towards diesels at the moment that this was inevitable. It obviously isn't anything to do with trying to attract saloon car makers to the sport, or trying to look "right on" of course. No. Could never be

A bike engine is significantly closer to the original raison d'etre of the 7, IMO. I suspect Mr Chapman would approve of these far more than sticking a diesel in the car. Or a great big V8.

[Murph7355]

doclip said:

here is a review :
http://www.pistonheads.com/doc.asp?c=111&i=443...
Oh and another thing -at least the V8 wont sound like my wife's sewing machine -aka K series engine

Edited by doclip on Friday 22 May 22:58

A properly tuned k-series on throttle bodies with a good air filter, and a decent exhaust, can sound extremely good at full chat. And the licks of flame on the overrun are awesome (not to mention the exhaust being on the convenient side).

I grant you a V8 or a V12 is sonically superior, but that's not to say the K sounds rubbish.

There's only one V8 that I'd put in my 7, and that's an RST-V8. Unfortunately I don't want to be slinging that sort of money at the car at present as my sewing machine job is plenty quick enough at the moment

PS Your missus must be one of the quickest seamstresses out there!

[Pat H]

Murph7355 said:

A Griffith must surely be one of the best uses of a Rover V8.

That Rover engine was the best bit of the Griffith by miles.

The car certainly looked pretty, the hood arrangement was great and the gearbox was nice, but the build quality and the finish was awful.

I wish that Chapman has stuffed the Rover V8 in the Esprit. I love my Esprit, but that farty, laggy four cylinder lump really doesn't do the rest of the car justice.

Anyway, I'm off to the garage to do some spannering, or I'll never get my Seven back on the road.

[doclip]

While the K is clearly well suited to a 7 in being nice and light and capable of delivering 200bhp+ it just doesn't do it for me as a power plant -if i had uber money to spend i'd go down the same route as Norman Verona and get a bespoked steel BDR [and preferably presuade Roger King out of his retirement to build it for me ] -it would also have the freestyle push rod suspension and the 6 speed box -to me that would just be the ultimate 7 .Meanwhile i'll have to make do with a Westie -im not complaining though -lucky lad .

[Furyblade_Lee]

There have been more than a few diesel engined kit cars built. I think a popular one is the VW TDi about two generations back from the current ones, the electrics and complexity gets silly after that. But they have never caught on, i think the theory is far better than the reality. I do not think lazy torque and narrow powerband (however ferocious) coupled with a nose-heavy chassis are the best recipie.

• I had one of those sewing machines once, i thought it sounded GLORIOUS!!!! ;-)

[Rich7se]

I`m sticking with my old noisey crossflow. Scared the hell out of some old woman today, poor old bird.....

[Murph7355]

Furyblade_Lee said:

...i think the theory is far better than the reality. I do not think lazy torque and narrow powerband (however ferocious) coupled with a nose-heavy chassis are the best recipie...

[doclip]

Had a nicely tuned stage 3 xflow caterham myself on 40s and made a nice noice on full chat -but still nowehere near as good as the Caterham Cosworth BDR HPC -yellow with black cycles.

[Arewethereyet]

Seven type car and Rover V8 = Bad marriage

It’s more like a fair ground attraction, I mean, you go on it but it will inevitably make you sick ;-o

[Murph7355]

doclip said:

here is a review :
http://www.pistonheads.com/doc.asp?c=111&i=443...

Have you actually read that "review"? 2/3s of it is him describing how he was stuck in traffic! He had one point and squirt on an industrial estate FFS.

Just about sums the car up.

I was out yesterday in my sewing machine engined 7, and despite its lack of obvious torque (it kicks out about 155lbsft max but has a reasonably flat curve), it was eminently possible to leave it in 3rd or 4th and still see off most other traffic with a squeeze of the throttle.

[culminator]

Doclip, if it's not too late, try and get a drive of a well sorted Griff. I'm on my second one, having had 6 Caterhams, including a 330BHP JPE Turbo, and HPC and several crossflows.

Although I loved the 7's, and will probably get another at some point, the Griff is in a different league. As standard, the comments so far are valid. Handling is not up to the power of the engine, however,a set of nitrons, decent geo check and and a few tweaks transforms them.

I've just picked up a very well sorted 4.5 big valve with a genuine all steel 350BHP engine and I can promise you it's the most exciting car to drive. It's absolutely planted, ballistically fast and even does 27MPG on a run.

A freind of mine has a westfield seight, and it really is a bag of poo. Having said that, I'm sure a well built one with money invested would be entertaining.

[Murph7355]

culminator said:

...
Although I loved the 7's, and will probably get another at some point, the Griff is in a different league. ...

They're actually completely different cars. So from that perspective are definitely in "different leagues".

A badly set up 7 may not handle as well as a well set up Grif. But get two cars set up comparably (by people who know the two cars equally well) and a 7 will out handle a Grif every day of the week as a point to point, mainly b-roads car.

Obviously the 7 isn't as aesthetically pleasing. And doesn't make as nice a noise. As a proposition to get to the South of France in, it also loses out. But that's not the point of the 7.

(Besides, after a lot of time with the car you even begin to appreciate its looks and sounds. And if you're properly mad, you'll even tour in one just for the hits it gives when you finally get to point B).

[rubystone]

Murph7355 said:

culminator said:

...
Although I loved the 7's, and will probably get another at some point, the Griff is in a different league. ...

They're actually completely different cars. So from that perspective are definitely in "different leagues".

A badly set up 7 may not handle as well as a well set up Grif. But get two cars set up comparably (by people who know the two cars equally well) and a 7 will out handle a Grif every day of the week as a point to point, mainly b-roads car.

Obviously the 7 isn't as aesthetically pleasing. And doesn't make as nice a noise. As a proposition to get to the South of France in, it also loses out. But that's not the point of the 7.

(Besides, after a lot of time with the car you even begin to appreciate its looks and sounds. And if you're properly mad, you'll even tour in one just for the hits it gives when you finally get to point B).

Surely no one (and esp not Mike C) is not arguing that the Griff handles better than a 7. Mind you IIRC Mike did own a Cobra once

[culminator]

Absolutely Rubystone, not arguing that the 7 would run rings around even a well set up Griff! How are you by the way?

My point was that, the Griff really impressive as an all round performance car.

Although I did tour switzerland, France and Italy in the 7, the Griff should be a lot more relaxing. Plus, a mildly modified one, is pretty quick in a straightline, probably as quick as a middle of the road spec 7.

[rubystone]

Good thanks Mike. Last time I saw you driving that 7 around you had Vanessa balanced on the back in St Moritz ...that was actually 4 years ago, thinking about it!

[culminator]

Crikey, scarey how time flies. She was occasionally allowed to use the passenger seat!