Historical or useless car facts.
Discussion
ClaphamGT3 said:
Pigeon said:
djmojo said:
The PRV V6 engine (Peugeot Renault Volvo) was used in the DeLorean DMC12 (2.8 naturally aspirated), but also used in the Alpine GTA (2.8 N/A and 2.5 turbo), and a few Venturis, as well as the more mundane Peugeots, Volvos and Renaults (like the 25 turbo). Power ranged from 150bhp up to well over 400 (in the Venturi Twin Turbo guise), and were a fairly healthy 300 and plenty horsepower in the Europa Cup GTAs from the 80s racing series, although in the GTA without changing the manifolds (inlet & exhaust) they struggle to make 280hp, even with hooj turbos!!
That engine was originally planned to be a V8 but the early 70s fuel crisis gave them the s
ts about fuel consumption so they lopped two cylinders off the end, but retained the 90 degree V angle, resulting in a cack engine which was as rough as a bear's arse. Volvo eventually brought out a version with offset crankpins to try and smooth it up a bit. It also had camshaft lubrication problems.The PRV is a strange engine, but it seems to carry several myths in its wake. The camshaft lubrication problem only affected the very first generation 2.6's from the late 70's, but was solved in all the rest. The rare Pug/Cit 24v 3 litres are a bit crap though due to their odd valve train. Venturi re-worked this and twin turbo'd them in their 400 trophy race cars, pushing to 600hp at LeMans. Peugeot did bespoke twin cam heads and pushed them to 800hp, and the block modifications to acheive this made it into producion. The standard crank and rods in all engines is strong enough for over 400hp.
They can cover truly intergalactic mileages (1.7 million for a mid 80's Volvo 760 is one stat) with little more than oil changes, and timing chains every 250,000.
It's EXTREMELY SMOOTH in well tuned odd-fire form, and with the addition of the balance shaft in even fire european 3 late engines, is truly refined (if a bit bodged). All EFI versions have the split crank pins and was done to bring the firing angles to 60 degrees instead of 150/90 in the odd-fire.
The 12v 3 litre turbos, as used in the Alpine A610 and Venturi 300 pushes more torque at 2500rpm than an Audi R8 @ 4500. Kevin Jones of GTO racing has achieved over 600hp with an odd-fire 3.2 12v turbo. He's the man who does all the UN1 upgrade stuff.
Basically a very capable engine that exists in huge numbers in very mundane forms.
ZeeTacoe said:
BB-Q said:
Athlon said:
Maybe he means the NEW mini? just trying to be nice 
Yes, I thought that was obvious. My fault for not explaining myself properly. The supercharged one they released a few years ago- does that make it any clearer?
it's b
ks.Stunned Monkey said:
ClaphamGT3 said:
Pigeon said:
djmojo said:
The PRV V6 engine (Peugeot Renault Volvo) was used in the DeLorean DMC12 (2.8 naturally aspirated), but also used in the Alpine GTA (2.8 N/A and 2.5 turbo), and a few Venturis, as well as the more mundane Peugeots, Volvos and Renaults (like the 25 turbo). Power ranged from 150bhp up to well over 400 (in the Venturi Twin Turbo guise), and were a fairly healthy 300 and plenty horsepower in the Europa Cup GTAs from the 80s racing series, although in the GTA without changing the manifolds (inlet & exhaust) they struggle to make 280hp, even with hooj turbos!!
That engine was originally planned to be a V8 but the early 70s fuel crisis gave them the sts about fuel consumption so they lopped two cylinders off the end, but retained the 90 degree V angle, resulting in a cack engine which was as rough as a bear's arse. Volvo eventually brought out a version with offset crankpins to try and smooth it up a bit. It also had camshaft lubrication problems.The PRV is a strange engine, but it seems to carry several myths in its wake. The camshaft lubrication problem only affected the very first generation 2.6's from the late 70's, but was solved in all the rest. The rare Pug/Cit 24v 3 litres are a bit crap though due to their odd valve train. Venturi re-worked this and twin turbo'd them in their 400 trophy race cars, pushing to 600hp at LeMans. Peugeot did bespoke twin cam heads and pushed them to 800hp, and the block modifications to acheive this made it into producion. The standard crank and rods in all engines is strong enough for over 400hp.
They can cover truly intergalactic mileages (1.7 million for a mid 80's Volvo 760 is one stat) with little more than oil changes, and timing chains every 250,000.
It's EXTREMELY SMOOTH in well tuned odd-fire form, and with the addition of the balance shaft in even fire european 3 late engines, is truly refined (if a bit bodged). All EFI versions have the split crank pins and was done to bring the firing angles to 60 degrees instead of 150/90 in the odd-fire.
The 12v 3 litre turbos, as used in the Alpine A610 and Venturi 300 pushes more torque at 2500rpm than an Audi R8 @ 4500. Kevin Jones of GTO racing has achieved over 600hp with an odd-fire 3.2 12v turbo. He's the man who does all the UN1 upgrade stuff.
Basically a very capable engine that exists in huge numbers in very mundane forms.
absolutely said:
Mercedes Benz were the 1st company to fit airbags into their cars.
Nope, Oldsmobile were first with an airbag in a production car on sale to the public with the fabulous FWD Toronado in 1973. Merc dawdled along and finally made one available as an option on the W126 S-Class in 1980, despite patenting the idea in 1971.ClaphamGT3 said:
Opinion based on having owned and maintained a car with that engine. 16 years on, I could still strip down & re-build the top end of a Douvrin in my sleep.
Me too - having owned... er... (counts on fingers) 10+ PRV engined cars, incl two of the rarest, and specialising in them for my day job for the past 5 years.Ozzie Osmond said:
m3ser said:
Genuine all-singing, all-dancing French Lotus Esprit (equivalent) built in Nantes. Sadly the reputation for reliability is not all it could be. I just love the idea of those cars and this must be one of the very few built RHD for the UK. The number sold in UK was truly infinitessimal (no doubt the club chairman will be along shortly to tell us how many....)
That's the ONLY right hook 400GT - it has a twin turbo 24v 3 litre PRV.
There're 9 known surviving right hand Venturi 300's, 8 of which have the more pedestrian mildly tweaked single turbo 12v's from the Alpine A610. Three are sitting outside my workshop, one of which is mine. They really only suffer electrical gremlins.
Some related factoids:
The 400GT is the first production road car to use carbon/ceramic brakes as standard.
The 400GT is still France's fastest production car.
The naturally aspirated 24v 3 litre PRV to this day still powers the fastest production Citroen - the Mk1 XM V6 24 (unless one of the new C5's or C6's has beaten it).
Some other quickies, based on an entire afteroon reading this thread from start to finish!
The BMW Isetta bubble car DOES have a reverse gear!
All the hydropneumatic Citroens' handbrake works the front wheels - at least until the Xantia. They had to bin the centralised hydralic system when designing the C5 due to its single point of failure and european legislation.
The XM has a foot operated hadbrake to the left of the clutch in left hand drive. Where do you think they put it on a right hand drive car?
The Xantia Activa is the only production car to achieve zero roll suspension (excluding tyre compression).
The DeLorean has a Renault engine and transmission but no other Renault running gear.
Although very much a parts-bin car, John DeLorean mandated that "anything you can see or touch must be bespoke" on his DMC-12. Given the quantity of this thread devoted to common parts and especially taillights, I think manufacturers could learn a thing or two from old JZD!
The Venturi Atlantique 300 has late Sierra rear lights.
The VW campervan is more aerodynamic than the VW beetle.
The Diablo/300ZX headlight cross match has been mentioned over 5 times in this thread.
BB-Q said:
sniff petrol said:
BB-Q said:
According to one of the production managers at the Mini plant I used to know, the pre-production Cooper S acheived 180mph at MIRA! In a repeat of the Dolly Sprint story the engine was seriously tamed for production.
bks.Ravell said:
Stunned Monkey said:
The VW campervan is more aerodynamic than the VW beetle.
Maybe so, but it also has about twice the frontal area! Net result; more drag.Jon C said:
I read somewhere (may have been in this thread) that the VW camper van had a lower co-efficient of drag than a Lambourghini Countach...
I read that it was designed in a wind tunnel and achieved a better drag coefficient than a beetle (which wasn't). I don't find it that hard to believe that a Countach would be worse too, the van is a very simple shape, rounded edges, smooth sides etc Only three production cars have true "Gullwing" doors. Merc 300SL, DeLorean and Bricklin.
A true Gullwing door hinges in the *centre* of the roof, so from the front the doors appear like a pair of a gull's wings. Concept cars that have theirs hingeing along the edge of the roof are completely missing the point - that Gullwing doors can fully open in a fraction of the space required by a conventional door.
A true Gullwing door hinges in the *centre* of the roof, so from the front the doors appear like a pair of a gull's wings. Concept cars that have theirs hingeing along the edge of the roof are completely missing the point - that Gullwing doors can fully open in a fraction of the space required by a conventional door.
Stunned Monkey said:
Only three production cars have true "Gullwing" doors. Merc 300SL, DeLorean and Bricklin.
A true Gullwing door hinges in the *centre* of the roof, so from the front the doors appear like a pair of a gull's wings. Concept cars that have theirs hingeing along the edge of the roof are completely missing the point - that Gullwing doors can fully open in a fraction of the space required by a conventional door.
Although if you were less pedantic:A true Gullwing door hinges in the *centre* of the roof, so from the front the doors appear like a pair of a gull's wings. Concept cars that have theirs hingeing along the edge of the roof are completely missing the point - that Gullwing doors can fully open in a fraction of the space required by a conventional door.
LuS1fer said:
Stunned Monkey said:
Only three production cars have true "Gullwing" doors. Merc 300SL, DeLorean and Bricklin.
A true Gullwing door hinges in the *centre* of the roof, so from the front the doors appear like a pair of a gull's wings. Concept cars that have theirs hingeing along the edge of the roof are completely missing the point - that Gullwing doors can fully open in a fraction of the space required by a conventional door.
Although if you were less pedantic:A true Gullwing door hinges in the *centre* of the roof, so from the front the doors appear like a pair of a gull's wings. Concept cars that have theirs hingeing along the edge of the roof are completely missing the point - that Gullwing doors can fully open in a fraction of the space required by a conventional door.
also the new Mercedes SLC should have gullwing doors as well.
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