another monster lives...Wildcat Esprit

OMG - another v8 monster race Esprit already exists and campaigns in the BARC NW series..

http://www.espritv8.net/id170.htm

I have been racing cars since 1985, firstly in Hillman Imp Special Saloons and then from 1994 in the Esprit silhouette GT car. In 1996 the Esprit was fitted with a 5.0 litre Wildcat V8 engine, and this is when the fun really started. In 2001 my 5.0 litre engine expired, in 2005 I returned to the tracks with a 6.0 litre Wildcat V8 engine producing approx 450 BHP.... so the fun just got better !!!! This site is full of information, photos and race movies of me in the Esprit and Imp, including details of my Wildcat V8 engines. Also on the site is information about the BARC NW Centre Sports Saloon Car Championship, including Race Reports, Movies, Photo Gallery, Championship Reviews, and Other Competitors cars. Please look around the site, there is plenty on it. Why not add the site to your favourites list and visit regularly so you can keep up to date with the latest news.

so much for being unique... awesome car tho - I'll post more pics in due course.

I've contacted the owner (Simon Alloway) for tips on settings such a beast up..

Update - 29th March

Still waiting to hear back from:
MVS - carbon
GAZ - suspension
Team Dynamics - wheels
Underground - livery design
Touringcarspares - slicks

Adam Kindness (www.trackscotland.co.uk) was really helpful and sent me a p'copy of the trans section of the Porsche manual for his 930 - left it on John's desk mid-week and sure this will let them push forward.

Spoke to big Steve - he's got the GD gear linkage working and painted it black..

I still need to get to the workshop and measure the disk dims for Barry. Wooden 60's Chevy Chevelle SS gear knob came in the post from US - should work a treat.

Looks as if SIDC have a Knockhill track morning on the same day as the TA guys. John Stewart has privisionally put me down (I have a credit with SIDC) and hopefully a chance to show Rob Barnes (www.timeattack.co.uk) what the old gal can do.

Focus now is to complete the car, dyno and shakedown. Gaz @ Autotecnique can then give th ecar a lick of paint before UG put their graphics on it.

Other main focus is finding a sponsor and race series for 08.

update - 16th March

Not a lot to report; however did get time to do some new black blueprints of the modified Esprit - sent them to Martyn @ MVS and Scott @ Underground. Waiting to hear back from John L. Waiting to hear back from MVS. Waiting to hear back from Tony at www.touringcarspares.com Waiting to hear back from Gaz suspension - sent suspension down last w/e.

Cheers

Jon

keeping things cool.>?

I'm going to run a Moroso 3 quart accumulator for very reason for start-up and long sweepers. I have a champ pan which has the best baffles I've seen yet - very similar to the Moroso but even then Gardner Douglas said I need to either dry sump or use an accusump to stop starvation and at 8000rpm that's a big deal. Dry sump is fine but it's temperamental and I like a sump sitting nice n low for good CoG een if it can be bettered by dry sumping.. + save some weight. I then plan to use very good additives (as recommended) and good heat exchangers to get the thing running as cool as poss. However I have read to not use additives in the Porsche trans but certainly a good additive like silkolene, slick50, stp or zxl should work really nice. Above all I'd recommend overkill tp anyone running a race spec Chevy, jst make sure you have thermostats so everything can also run at optimum temp.

I got my accumulator on order from Scott at the Jeff Gordon race school - unused for a god price. Hopefully it now gets here in one peice...

Leda.. gone bye bye?

Got the suspension in the box ready to go Saturday then someone directed me to this website.> !

www.leda.com

With regret, the company has ceased trading and cannot therefore accept any further orders.
Efforts are being made to find a way to recommence business and a further announcement will be made as soon as possible.

So now I need to track down John who left leda to start up Gaz and see if he can servoce/revalave the Ledas and advise on some spring rates.. Falens and not Eibachs as the Eibach deal went bye bye..

forces conspiring against me...

A quick re-cap.. TPE-358-SS - Leta?

Lotus Esprit Trans Am ('LETA')

Leta's one of the oldest privateer Esprits in the Uk and prb the oldest Stevens privateer car still to be around. I think it was first raced around 1993: all racing history in that car was with John Hazzard of Hemmel Hempstead - most of which was in 750MC and AM Mid engined series, with some modest success inc. a 2nd in the 750MC c'ship one year and a few wins to its name, but the guys here will know more about it that I do. I'm just entering my novice season having sat my race license back in October.

As for the future conversion, rebuild is ongoing and is a complete overhaul and the car wont resemble much of what it was previously. I can send you full engine specs/pics etc but to summarise: We're trying to build an Esprit in a trans am rather than European GT mould. Plan is to race at Castle Coombe Special Gt series, UK Time Attack c'ships in 2008 and attend various race series where open categories are allowed. Ideally I want to race super modified Gt cars from the same era.

TPE-358-SS Esprit Trans Am Car:Fully strippedoriginal Chip Gnassi nascar dash - ex-cup car.Sparco quick release wheel and woodword hubfloor mounted pedal setBarry Colding (San An, TX) Dart 358ci sportsman steel motor - seasoned, rebuilt9000rpm cam, b&b, full spec steel internals, crane solid lifters, nascar springs etcStock port - 348 crank with overboreDaVinci-Holley 700CFM 2-bore - 550-600bhp on 114 RON, 650bhp with 4-barrell, 500bhp+ with 105RON.MSD ignition - nascar spec, ignition/rpm controller etcchamp pan - wet sumprace spec Porsche G50-50 trans with lsd - rated to 850bhp.Sachs race clutch, mini fly, Gardner Douglas lola T70 rod shift linkage - right hand shifterLeda coil over suspension - fully r-jointed - Eibach springsAlcon 4-pot brakes all round with bias etc17/18" Team Dynamics pro-race 1.2 wheels (slicks)15/16" Compo-Revolution 5 spoke split rims (wets)Multi-point cageFull lexan all roundlightened bodywork Group C cut-off rear endcomposite front end - trans am stylecomposite front diffuser composite rear undertraycomposite rear diffusercomposite one peice engine covercomposite Gt1 rear wing
goes on and on..

but it's a bunch of bits at the moment and we wont know about settings until we get her onto the black stuff. Once built we plan to start getting some testing done over the summer with a hoped dyno run and set-up in April. I have no tips as such to anyone wanting to build a race car as I have a workshop taking this on and it's very much trial and error. All I'd say is that there are a 1000 things to think about that could make your budget sky rocket. Building a GT car is not cheap but I have found ways to discount my costs by about 30-50% across the board. I take charge of procurement and the timetable - getting the parts needed to the workshop. I've sourced most parts from the US to again keep costs down.

Advice to anyone contemplating building their own race car> Don't.. much easier to go and buy someone else's.

Update - 5th March 2007

Need to track down a manual on stripping down the G50-50 for the workshop - it's really holding us up.

Spoke to Tony at: www.touringcarspares.com said he could hook me up with some part used slicks for v.little: "I use 265's on a 10" rim and 240's on a 9" rim on my sierra , you could use a 250 on a 10" rim tho I reckon , he wasn't sure if they have any 265's, his part worn storeman is away until tuesday do i'll ask him then .I havean old pair of avon 250 620(or 630) x 17" wets that I'd happilly part withfor peanuts if that helps get you going as well , theyre not worn out just afew years old ." Tony will also check on 250/18s which are Porsche cup fronts.. should do nicely for testing for a cpl of hundred. Does bode the question why I spent £1000 on Toyos..!!!!!

Spoke to Bev @ www.leda.com and agreed to send her the dampers/springs down at the weekend. Another easy £300-400 by the time I order new Eibachs.

Spoke to Scotty @ www.undergroundgraphics.com and he's aiming to send over some mock-ups over next cpl of days.