WRX LTI TX4 - RaceTaxi
Discussion
Clarkson once said the fastest car on the road was a hire car. I disagree, it is obviously a black cab.
Having recently sold my previous sensible daily, a beautiful albeit thirsty Maserati Coupe, it seemed only logical to replace a 390 bhp rear wheel drive Italian stallion with a 100 bhp smokey old diesel.
It didn't take too long to find a suitable candidate, a 2007 automatic TX4 that was up for £1,000. The advert said it came with 11 months of MOT and had had some recent work to it, mainly involving the brakes. For the mighty speeds that this British beast could reach, it was reassuring to know that it would be able to come to a stop.
I had my friendly mechanic give it the once over, and the conclusion was that for a bag of sand it was in respectable enough condition. The interior is spotless, thanks in part to the previous owner strongly enforcing the no soiling rule.
The drive back, at rush hour, was quite an experience to say the least. If these brakes have recently been worked on, I dread to think what they were like before. Oil tankers come to a slow quicker than this thing.
Early plans for the taxi include routine servicing, some attention to the brakes and a new front passenger door.
Medium term plans involve wrapping the taxi in one of two choices:
A Chris Atkinson 2005 ish Impreza
Or full Gulf livery spec
Long term plans (3 years +) I have always enjoyed the thought of a touring car spec RaceTaxi, with flared wheel arches, roll cage etc. The search is on for a replacement powertrain. I would have no expectations of a fast track car, but it would certainly be entertaining. Something along these lines...
Let's see how this nonsense turns out
Having recently sold my previous sensible daily, a beautiful albeit thirsty Maserati Coupe, it seemed only logical to replace a 390 bhp rear wheel drive Italian stallion with a 100 bhp smokey old diesel.
It didn't take too long to find a suitable candidate, a 2007 automatic TX4 that was up for £1,000. The advert said it came with 11 months of MOT and had had some recent work to it, mainly involving the brakes. For the mighty speeds that this British beast could reach, it was reassuring to know that it would be able to come to a stop.
I had my friendly mechanic give it the once over, and the conclusion was that for a bag of sand it was in respectable enough condition. The interior is spotless, thanks in part to the previous owner strongly enforcing the no soiling rule.
The drive back, at rush hour, was quite an experience to say the least. If these brakes have recently been worked on, I dread to think what they were like before. Oil tankers come to a slow quicker than this thing.
Early plans for the taxi include routine servicing, some attention to the brakes and a new front passenger door.
Medium term plans involve wrapping the taxi in one of two choices:
A Chris Atkinson 2005 ish Impreza
Or full Gulf livery spec
Long term plans (3 years +) I have always enjoyed the thought of a touring car spec RaceTaxi, with flared wheel arches, roll cage etc. The search is on for a replacement powertrain. I would have no expectations of a fast track car, but it would certainly be entertaining. Something along these lines...
Let's see how this nonsense turns out
Many many years ago I was on a bookatrack trackday and one on the regulars turned with his track car + a black cab He took that out for a few laps. Was rather comical watching it go flat out through craners.
Great idea for a build.
Didn't the top gear tour build one on an Evo chassis?
ETA they did.
https://www.evo.co.uk/videos/planetevovideos/27437...
Great idea for a build.
Didn't the top gear tour build one on an Evo chassis?
ETA they did.
https://www.evo.co.uk/videos/planetevovideos/27437...
TGCOTF-dewey said:
Many many years ago I was on a bookatrack trackday and one on the regulars turned with his track car + a black cab He took that out for a few laps. Was rather comical watching it go flat out through craners.
Great idea for a build.
Didn't the top gear tour build one on an Evo chassis?
ETA they did.
https://www.evo.co.uk/videos/planetevovideos/27437...
Now that is the perfect inspiration. Seems a far more sensible approach to start with an Evo underneath with a taxi shell on top, but where would the fun be in that?Great idea for a build.
Didn't the top gear tour build one on an Evo chassis?
ETA they did.
https://www.evo.co.uk/videos/planetevovideos/27437...
For fans of dashboard buttons, it doesn't get much better than this. I had flirting with the idea of replacing the stereo with one of those fold out android auto single din head units, but a £6.99 phone clamp from Halfords is doing the trick.
I am currently investigating an issue with the front passenger door, which seems to let an awful lot of road noise and air in. Not too bad to have a breeze during the summer, but I imagine the novelty would wear off in the winter months.
In terms of insurance, I ended up going through a specialist broker Keith Michaels. The reg wasn't recognised on any of the standard comparison sites which narrowed down the options somewhat.
Over £700 annual road tax and the relatively high insurance costs rule these out as bargain basement ownership, but it has the feel of something that could run forever with a bit of TLC
I am currently investigating an issue with the front passenger door, which seems to let an awful lot of road noise and air in. Not too bad to have a breeze during the summer, but I imagine the novelty would wear off in the winter months.
In terms of insurance, I ended up going through a specialist broker Keith Michaels. The reg wasn't recognised on any of the standard comparison sites which narrowed down the options somewhat.
Over £700 annual road tax and the relatively high insurance costs rule these out as bargain basement ownership, but it has the feel of something that could run forever with a bit of TLC
First proper breakthrough for RaceTaxi.
Having fallen for the dangers of a late night Facebook marketplace session, I am picking up a fantastic Audi 80 RT10 super touring car replica.
The Audi has been custom built by area22designs, based very near the Goodwood estate. The Audi will be getting its own thread dedicated to it soon..
But back to RaceTaxi.
In conversation with the sellers, it became obvious that these chaps were seriously talented at custom bodywork and racing liveries.
You can see where this is going...
Hoping to start a build in August. Keep your eyes peeled for updates.
In the meantime, the Taxi is off for a full service a week on monday, as well as a few other mechanical bits and bobs.
Having fallen for the dangers of a late night Facebook marketplace session, I am picking up a fantastic Audi 80 RT10 super touring car replica.
The Audi has been custom built by area22designs, based very near the Goodwood estate. The Audi will be getting its own thread dedicated to it soon..
But back to RaceTaxi.
In conversation with the sellers, it became obvious that these chaps were seriously talented at custom bodywork and racing liveries.
You can see where this is going...
Hoping to start a build in August. Keep your eyes peeled for updates.
In the meantime, the Taxi is off for a full service a week on monday, as well as a few other mechanical bits and bobs.
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