RE: Driven: bike-engined Fiat 126 Bis

[Mr Pies]

Please don't use the word 'ickle' in a write up again.

[johnpeat]

bartselephant said:

There's a chap called Wayne Schofield who put a 'busa engine into a Cappucino. It started almost as a thought experiment, that got real, and then seriously real.

The first clip is in-car footage from a trackday at Donnington, to see what the car would do (at 1 min 18, he catches and passes some 7's. The second clip is from a race he entered at Mallory.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNgfUxbyNUU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBZuPMAPZto


I don't think he usually involves himself in any of the oily bits, as he does the electrical and programming side for a living. This car gives me serious envy!


Umi

That is seriously bonkers - there's got to be more to it than just a bike engine tho, the brakes haul his speed off in a way I've not seen this side of a single-seater - and the speed it's carrying into the corners suggests that the original suspension is also long, long gone...

[CDP]

The performance figures sound a little doubtful. The brakes will be terrifying and as for the handling I shudder to think.

But I can't help loving it, the absolute Q car.

[Felters]

I used to have a Westfield Megablade - still regret selling - this looks like my sort of car!

For those interested in minor details like brakes and suspension have a look at these. About twice the price of the Fiat but...

http://www.smartuki.com/

[monthefish]

What the hell was the driver doing at 1:10?
Whatever it was, I'm glad it wasn't my car he was doing it in.

Waitey said:

The Danimal said:

Awesome project. What's with all the helmet and ovis on the test drive?

I missed that that first time round. Does he think he's the stig?

Maybe he's seen the recent threads on here where the drivers get a hard time?

Edited by monthefish on Saturday 28th January 13:27

[Matbmx1]

Question for the bike engined car people..

Can you clutchless up shift in these still? Just wondered if the gear lever linkage makes it too slow? If not any other reason not too? Bike engines love it!

[Sam_68]

Matbmx1 said:

Can you clutchless up shift in these still?

Yes, you can.

Bike gearboxes are dog engagement and you can clutchless upshift on any dog engagement box, though the dogs on bike gearboxes tend to be smaller than those on a 'proper' car dog box and so can be a bit of a weak point.

[Matbmx1]

Question for the bike engined car people..

Can you clutchless up shift in these still? Just wondered if the gear lever linkage makes it too slow? If not any other reason not too? Bike engines love it!

[Agent Orange]

Ha great fun! Bet that 126 is a hoot to drive.

Toyed with the idea of a bike engined Mini in the past. There are loads of examples out there but favourite has to be the Lynx AE setup as it's *almost* plug and play.



http://www.lynxae.co.uk/Products-MiniR1.htm
There are no body modifications.
- Minimal subframe modifications.
- No need to send your subframe for modification.
- Uses existing standard radiator in original position.
- It is easy to swap from 'A' series to R1 and back (our kit uses the original engine mountings). In fact you could for example do a sprint with an R1 engine fitted and the following weekend do a classic hill climb with a 'A' series fitted.
- You get a Quaife ATB LSD supplied as standard.

Though I still yearn for Jon's original green LR1 but I'll take the orange LR1300
http://www.lynxaelr1.co.uk/index.htm

Edited by Agent Orange on Saturday 28th January 09:56

[GrahamC230K]

I love the concept. The video managed to make it look slow somehow

[anonymous-user]

Really needs one of these:

http://www.holeshot-racing.co.uk/index.php/parts-a...

[paranoid airbag]

bartselephant said:

There's a chap called Wayne Schofield who put a 'busa engine into a Cappucino. It started almost as a thought experiment, that got real, and then seriously real.

The first clip is in-car footage from a trackday at Donnington, to see what the car would do (at 1 min 18, he catches and passes some 7's. The second clip is from a race he entered at Mallory.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNgfUxbyNUU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBZuPMAPZto


I don't think he usually involves himself in any of the oily bits, as he does the electrical and programming side for a living. This car gives me serious envy!


Umi

saw this in practical performance car, chapeau

V8 FOU said:

Brilliant Car! Buuttt... on the original drum brakes? With 145 bhp? Those brakes were bad with 40bhp!
Drum brakes, for the younger ones, were usually fitted old cars and were cr*p and faded and didn't have a servo. Now go back to watch Blue Peter where they are "today making a drum brake for your fiat using sticky backed plastic and a Squeezee bottle" (That's for the older ones...)

wasn't the sticky backed plastic just for the sport model?

[Flying Toaster]

Personally i'm not that keen on bike engined cars, i'd like it more if they put a more powerful car engine in it. The only problem there is that there's no room to put a much bigger engine in a 126, altough the polish have manged to get a 1.2 FIRE in there. I can't imagine what that does to the handling!

[Nedzilla]

Flying Toaster said:

Personally i'm not that keen on bike engined cars, i'd like it more if they put a more powerful car engine in it. The only problem there is that there's no room to put a much bigger engine in a 126, altough the polish have manged to get a 1.2 FIRE in there. I can't imagine what that does to the handling!

Have you ever actually driven one? I have recently just sold a 220bhp westfield megabusa which i owned for 2 years.10,000rpm,sequential gears,0-100 in sub 8sec and cheap as chips to own

Seriously,whats not to like!!

[Gixer_fan]

Not the smoothest gearchanges I've ever seen....

[Dave Hedgehog]

the world is a better place for this car

[rtz62]

I think the owner has been eating too much cheese if he believes those figures!
Mighty engineering, but only on a drag strip; the brakes and suspension of your average pram - tell me ANY. Insurance company would want to provide cover unless the brakes and suspension were sorted.
Hilarious. In a juvenile sort of way; I take my straight-jacket off to the guy!

[Flying Toaster]

Nedzilla said:

Flying Toaster said:

Personally i'm not that keen on bike engined cars, i'd like it more if they put a more powerful car engine in it. The only problem there is that there's no room to put a much bigger engine in a 126, altough the polish have manged to get a 1.2 FIRE in there. I can't imagine what that does to the handling!

Have you ever actually driven one? I have recently just sold a 220bhp westfield megabusa which i owned for 2 years.10,000rpm,sequential gears,0-100 in sub 8sec and cheap as chips to own

Seriously,whats not to like!!

No, I've never been in a bike powered car, but i have been in a westfield with a rover v8, which was insanely fast of course!

I think my problem is that there's no power at the bottom end of the rev range. You can hear the car juddering as it pulls away from a standstill, there's just no power at low speeds.

I also don't like the screamy sound of a bike engine as well, they're just too... screamy!

Of course i wouldn't turn down the offer of a bike engid westfield, and everything I've said is mostly irrelevant because a bike engine and a huge v8 are completely different.

[CDP]

wormus said:

Really needs one of these:

http://www.holeshot-racing.co.uk/index.php/parts-a...

Looks stunning but it's also over twenty grand which means it's begging for a much better home.

[KM666]

V8 FOU said:

Dan Trent said:

Figures are 'model's own' and all that and that's the best we can do in the circumstances. It's quicker than it was when it left the factory, of that there can be no doubt!

Cheers,

Dan

Precisely.

What does it matter? It's a hoot and silly fast. Enough said. Stop bhing.....

I stuck a K&N on the old mans clio now I reckon it'll see 60 in about 2 seconds, 100 in 8 and go onto 300mph. Reckon folk will have something to say about my performance figures.