It's often the case that I'll get to drive a car on the road and wish I could
get it on a track to find out what it's really capable of. Never before have I
been on track hurtling down Starkeys at 110mph enjoying the scenery and wishing
I was larging it round the outside of an artic.
This was the case however on Wednesday when I sampled James French's rather
insane Westfield Seight. I say Seight, but it's no ordinary V8 Westie...
James runs an independent Land Rover specialists and spends his day
surrounded by V8 powered machinery of the 4x4 variety. A few warmed up cars pass
through his hands in the course of his business, so when he laid his hands on a
supercharged Discovery the seed was sown. The Disco conversion wasn't one that
would command a premium on resale so he and his boys stripped the kit off the
mud-plugger and set it aside for his 'little project'.
That project consisted of a kit from Westfield for a Seight, but James
already had the engine plans sorted. The rest of the car is standard Seight, but
with the James-French lump in the front.
A 4.6 litre Rover V8 was commissioned from RPI. Stage 3 big valve heads sat
atop a balanced engine. Things were looking a bit special even before the
supercharger was mounted. ECU guru Mark Adams did his stuff sorting out the ECU
to provide a brain more tolerant of what they had in mind. A water injection
system was plumbed in to keeps things cool on the inlet side. On the outlet side
ceramic headers keep things bizarrely cool despite the immense power being
generated. Lying on top of the engine, like a slumbering cat is the Eaton
supercharger. It's a very neat installation, testimony to the handiwork of
James' in-house mechanic who did most of the work. Despite the bulk of the
engine and supercharger it all fits snugly under the bonnet. The result? 325bhp
and 368 lb-ft of torque from a beautifully tractable engine.
It wasn't all plain sailing of course. There was 18 months of head
scratching, experimentation and debate before the final product was sorted.
James also had to contend with his customers spying the car and wanting the same
conversions on their Landies and Range Rovers. It's proved a useful sales tool!
So, why did I want to use it on the road and not the track. Surrounded as we
were at Donington with a multitude of screaming Caterhams, Exiges and single
seaters, it seemed incongruous to be driving around in a car that needn't rev
past 5000rpm and never sounded like it was trying very hard. Masses of torque
throughout the rev range mean acceleration in any gear is rapid, but
unremarkable aurally, but for the gorgeous popping on the overrun. On track I
need to feel like I'm caning a car within an inch of its life - not on a
cruise.
On the road however this car would be an absolute blast. No messing about
trying to find the right gear - just plant your foot to the floor and with a
reassuring resonance the little Westie would launch itself past traffic like a
missile. The acceleration from rest was stunning, really flinging you back into
the snug seat. Wrapped up in a flying jacket and goggles on a brisk winter's day
this has got to be one of the best ways to blow away the cobwebs. Where the
equivalent four pot would scream around like a scorched eunuch, the super-Westie
would obliterate everything in its path with a mature rumble and roar. Class.
Link: www.james-french.co.uk
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