Getting my next project lined up already...

[dnb]

I have always wanted a Caterfield of some description. I thought it might be a bit of fun as a commuting car for next summer. Let's face it, petrol isn't getting any cheaper - Super unleaded here costing £1.03 per litre now, so something like this is going to be cheaper than running a Scoob or Griffith full time. (Neither are going to be sold for the moment)

I have no desire to have a Eurobox of any description - I detest front wheel drive cars now, and generally don't feel as if I'm in full control of them. There's not a lot of choice in the "frugal" RWD bracket, and I have no desire to ride a motorcycle.

So, I would like suggestions as to an engine for the Caterfield. Has to be less than 1545cc for tax reasons. It'll have to be tunable and capable of reasonable economy, because let's face it, I don't want a slow, thirsty car.

My first thoughts are that I should put a Hyabusa or R1 engine in it, but I'm unsure as to how thirsty they are and how tractable the car will be as a every (fine) day car primarily used on the Isle of Wight.

Over to you!

[Shaun_E]

Caterham 1400 SuperSport with 6 speed box would meet your criteria. You should see over 30mpg when not thrashing it but it will out accelerate most hot hatches. 0-60 around 6 seconds I guess, maybe less.

[dnb]

Sounding OK there

Is that 30 mpg round town not thrashing or 30 mpg on a decent long run? If the former then it's 7mpg better than the Scoob and 10 mpg better than the Griff.

[jeffc]

Ive got a westy busa, had it over 2 years now, £180 to insure.. £110 road tax.. 30 mpg driving it like yer granny..

































9mpg driving it normal

[jeffc]

A bec as a road car you will hear differing opinions, personally I dont use mine on the road since I realised what its capable of on track. when you first drive them the clutches are sharp for setting away and you will change gear more than you would on a cec, Its something you will quickly get used to. I would say they are quite clunky and noisy with all the transmission noise and the likes ,If I have to go somewhere in mine I use earplugs makes it a much more pleasant experience !!! Plenty of people I know use them a lot on the road and love it.

imho as a track car for the money they are fantastic, very little will touch them on a tight track, Ive done well over 4,000 track miles and can count on one hand the cars that have managed to give me a lesson on track.

Ive had a mega blade and wasnt impressed with the performance, I think a 893cc engine is working a litle too hard and after 80mph it becomes apparent, Ive also had a kwaka zx12 powered westy and that was very good, different power delivery to a busa you had to use the revs more . for me Out them all I like the Busa it has more torque and is the quickest bolt in option.

Edited by jeffc on Wednesday 25th April 22:34

[andygtt]

dnb said:

Sounding OK there

Is that 30 mpg round town not thrashing or 30 mpg on a decent long run? If the former then it's 7mpg better than the Scoob and 10 mpg better than the Griff.

My E36 M3 averages 30mpg and is quicker than 6's to 60.... would you really want to spend £10k+ on a kit thats beaten by a much cheaper standard tin top?

Something with a bike engine in will be much quicker with similar MPG and probably cheaper than the caterham..... my little R1 powered Indy stands to be Miles quicker than my M3 and yet is only between 5-10k.

Edited by andygtt on Thursday 26th April 11:02

[dnb]

andygtt said:

My E36 M3 averages 30mpg and is quicker than 6's to 60.... would you really want to spend £10k+ on a kit thats beaten by a much cheaper standard tin top?

I don't want to spend 10k+ on the kit - I'm only after a Seven-esque car, hence why I said "Caterfield of some description" in my 1st post. I'm just as likely to get the MIG welder out and make something of my own as anything else. A friend-of-a-friend (a supurb mechanical engineer) designed & built his own chassis and I may use something based on this. (I don't charge myself an hourly rate )

Is the 30mpg all from town/village driving or an average including decent length A & M-way road runs? I can get OK economy from either of my cars, but not on the commuting run. I'm also not bothered about all-out performance. (Look at my profile, and you'll see I have 2 very low 4 second 0 to 60 cars anyway. )

I'm after something that's not a eurobox or motorbike that I can use daily (in fine weather) that's fun for driving short distances on the Isle of Wight and for the IOW car club auto test events. Top speed need only be 90 mph and 5 or 6 seconds to 60 is adiquate. The important thing is the cost of running it must be the same ball park as the savings made from not running the Scoob or TVR. (Fir instance I would make a huge insurance saving if I didn't use the Scoob for commuting or could halve the miles I drive it)

Clunky and noisy isn't too much of a problem (see my profile again!)

Last night a friend suggested I look at using a diseasal engine. Initially, I thought this silly, but now I'm not so sure.

[andygtt]

I guess you've answered my question.... what I was getting at £10+ for a good one IMO the 1.4 Caterham isn't really going to deliver on your goal.

If your going to build it yourself that opens up an all new world...... have you seen the Murtoya? based on a scooby but with half the weight and open top!

[dnb]

I see your point now.

I've seen the Scoob thing, but again, it's a bit expensive for me at the moment. It would be a fantastic track/autotest car.

I designed a similar car a couple of years ago when I first heard the Delfino (the thing the Murtoya is based on), but haven't ever had the space or time to build it. It was a bit like an AWD Aerial Atom. It's a shame now as I have a full set of Scoob running gear sitting idle in the back of the workshop.