Old skool engines

[Zyp]

So, you open the bonnet of a new, modern car.
I tend to find just a pile of plastic junk sitting on top and something that doesn't resemble an engine.

The Alpina, the L200, the Boxster (well you can't even see the engine but I suspect that'd also have the same affliction), both covered in a whacking great sheet of Taiwan's best.

Then I found this - a fairly modern car but with an old school engine chucked in it (I knew these cars existed, just never seen under the bonnet before).

Is it just me, or does anyone else find it satisfying to see a myriad of pipes, tubes, wires and oily bits under the bonnet?

[kambites]

Is that a ZT/75 V8? Certainly unusual to see such an... exposed engine these days. Those bits are of course all there on modern cars, they're just hidden under the plastic cover.

[davepoth]

MG ZT-260? It's about as close to an engine swap done in someone's shed that you'll find with type approval.

[sday12]

Edited by sday12 on Tuesday 6th March 19:52

[Zyp]

Yes, that's the ZT V8.

I know all that sort of stuff is underneath, but why not show it on newer cars?

[Zyp]

sday12 said:

I know... but you still can't see much of it!
(but miles better than the TDi engine)

Edited by Zyp on Tuesday 6th March 19:25

[sday12]

Zyp said:

sday12 said:

I know... but you still can't see much of it!

it's very easy to just pop it out!

[carmadgaz]

Call that old school?



and a 'modern' by the last ones standards...

[davepoth]

Zyp said:

Yes, that's the ZT V8.

I know all that sort of stuff is underneath, but why not show it on newer cars?

The only reason that it's in the open on the ZT V8 is that MG Rover didn't have enough money to get a plastic cover made up - a lot more is under cover on my 75. But the current practice of having a massive plastic sheet is silly; you can make the engine look quite nice in itself:

[Dave Hedgehog]

sday12 said:

Zanussi !

[Crafty_]

Zyp said:

So, you open the bonnet of a new, modern car.
Is it just me, or does anyone else find it satisfying to see a myriad of pipes, tubes, wires and oily bits under the bonnet?

No, thats a fecking mess IMHO.

[anonymous-user]

I always thought the straight 6 in the XJ6 was rather lovely, and it looked so physically large it always made me laugh. Of course in the XJ8 it was all under a sculpted wheelie bin lid, as is the modern trend.



The XJ12 was a reasonable compromise - a cover for the rats nest in the V but still enough on view to stare at.

[anonymous-user]

Crafty_ said:

Zyp said:

So, you open the bonnet of a new, modern car.
Is it just me, or does anyone else find it satisfying to see a myriad of pipes, tubes, wires and oily bits under the bonnet?

No, thats a fecking mess IMHO.

I think it's a damn site more interesting than a lump of plastic. Depends if you are interested in engines or how things work I suppose.

[Martin_Hx]

My dads Xjs V12, scary stuff !

[pinchmeimdreamin]

Slightly biased but all engines should look like this



Image borrowed from another thread.

[fourpointsixgt]

I was wondering about this the other day, lifted the bonnet of my Chrysler 300 and there's another big plastic 2 ft square cover to pull off. I mean, nowadays very few poeple tinker with engines apart from petrolheads who actually want to see the oily bits. Plus the engine's already got a cover, it called the BONNET.

[Crafty_]

St John Smythe said:

Crafty_ said:

Zyp said:

So, you open the bonnet of a new, modern car.
Is it just me, or does anyone else find it satisfying to see a myriad of pipes, tubes, wires and oily bits under the bonnet?

No, thats a fecking mess IMHO.

I think it's a damn site more interesting than a lump of plastic. Depends if you are interested in engines or how things work I suppose.

I didn't say I like the plastic covers, but that OPs pic is horrendous.

most yank V8s look good.
Vauxhall engines are usually relatively tidy, look at XE/LET all the way through to the LEH. They don't have an acre of plastic covering it nor do they look like a load of old bits thrown in a parts bin..

[Zyp]

Crafty_ said:

St John Smythe said:

Crafty_ said:

Zyp said:

So, you open the bonnet of a new, modern car.
Is it just me, or does anyone else find it satisfying to see a myriad of pipes, tubes, wires and oily bits under the bonnet?

No, thats a fecking mess IMHO.

I think it's a damn site more interesting than a lump of plastic. Depends if you are interested in engines or how things work I suppose.

I didn't say I like the plastic covers, but that OPs pic is horrendous.

most yank V8s look good.
Vauxhall engines are usually relatively tidy, look at XE/LET all the way through to the LEH. They don't have an acre of plastic covering it nor do they look like a load of old bits thrown in a parts bin..

I agree the pic probably wasn't best I could find, nor the tidiest, but that aside it was just the idea in general.

[Zyp]

pinchmeimdreamin said:

Slightly biased but all engines should look like this



Image borrowed from another thread.

I like that a lot!

[Matt UK]

davepoth said: