Thursday 12th February 2009

AJP8 Relaunched

Iconic TVR engine relaunched as Melling V8 with more power and better durability

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The new Melling V8

The iconic AJP8 engine has been relaunched as the Melling V8 with more power and better durability. Engine guru Al Melling, who originally created the AJP8, has extensively reworked the unit to bring it up to modern emissions standards.

The uprated V8 will now be used in the Melling Wildcat, a new two-seater British sportscar. The AJP8 was the first of TVR’s own engines and debuted in the Cerbera. It had one of the highest specific outputs of any normally aspirated V8 at the time.

But now Melling says he has squeezed even more power out of the unit, although an exact figure is yet to be published. The Melling V8 will be offered to the motorsport world, as the engine has established its pedigree in the TVR Tuscan challenge cars.

Many of the engines only required rebuilds after three years of racing. The company hopes to offer the new engine to existing TVR owners as a replacement and says it is far more durable than the original.

The major updates are more power across the range, and a better design of the pistons and rings. The Melling V8 sees a return to the solid billet crankshaft and there is a completely new intake system. The unit features a new design of cylinder liners and new camshaft profiles.

Performance Figures:

Dry Sump – Race Variant

4.5 ltr

Max torque: 407lb/ft @ 5,200 rpm

Max bhp: 448 @ 7,200 rpm

Engine weight: 118 Kgs (Including Alternator)

Wet Sump – Road Variant

4.5 ltr

Max torque: 390lb/ft @ 5,200 rpm

Max bhp: 418 @ 7,200 rpm

Engine weight: 123 Kgs (Including Alternator)

[ridds]

Price?

[ridds]

And is it dry sump or wet sump?

THought Al said the wet sump version should never have been made, in which case why is it back here?

[ridds]

My guess is £10-12K Engine only.

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Question is what emission rules is it meeting?

Never gonna meet EuroV so what's the life of it?

Unless it has 4v heads and some close coupled cats.

[ridds]

Graham said:

darren no 7 said:

the new ajp is £14500 been on phone to them today

let me think

Melling-ajp 450bhp ( maybe) £14500 (does that include ecu etc?)
Ls3 480bhp ( factory upgrade-from gm uk) £6000 + (2.5k ecu,loom and dry sump bits)

£14.5K! I would bloody well hope it comes with and ECU with a very good calibration in it for that much and a set of headers with Cats!

[ridds]

I can't see any reason why an AJP wouldn't last. There's no reason why any engine couldn't last 24hrs.

As long as you have the right parts in it to start with, the performance isn't too great for those parts and it's built correctly then it should last fine.

[ridds]

What about all the engines in the Tuscan Challenge cars?

I'm sure none of them are rebuilt every race. Add up all the time they've been running and you'll be getting on for some serious hours.

It's hard to find out, as said, you'd need to put an engine out there to find out. With basic care and pre-engineering for the race I can't see why it would go bang.

Those that say it will go bang, what do they suspect would fail?