Giving up on Power Race, and going SET?

Albert,
I don't have a clue how somebody can put together a car of that wieght. I know it can be done but I can't do it. Get this, I started out with a car that already had a V8 and weighed 2850 lbs. So, it's got aluminum heads, intake, radiator, fuel cell and wheels. The interior only has two racing seats and the door panels are aluminum although they are also powder coated. It even has a fiberglass hood. So, it weighs 3185 lbs. after all that. For everything I did to lighten it up I had to do two things which made it heavier. Such is the price I paid to make it rigid and safe. I envy that light car. Doesn't take a lot of motor to make 1650 go fast and that's cool. Sounds like Tom's Holy Grail/Lowther combo.

Here is the trick. I started with a two seater Ferrari GT 212, all aluminum body and wire wheels. When the original 12 cylinder engine spun a crank, the previous owner decided to build a less expensive 301 cubic inch small block Chevy with ported heads and Isky roller camshaft.

Instead of a traditional air cleaner (insufficient space), the engine was fitted with 3 two barrel carbs and velocity stacks sticking into the hood scoop. The headers and exhaust system were all formed from custom bent tubing, no mufflers, just twin collector boxes with dual 2" pipes from collector to the rear bumper. Rev capability and sound was wonderful with the roller cam and lightweight Schiefer flywheel assembly.

I have photographs of it, metallic silver with red interior. It was VERY sparse, no radio, no seat belts, with Plexiglas side and rear windows that did not roll up or down. The seats were little more than frames with a thin sheet of leather over them. The car did not even carry a spare tire. Add to that, it was right hand drive, the flaw in the car that made it uncomfortable for me to enjoy long term.

Still it was fun for the $3600.00 I paid for it. It would be worth a small fortune now.

Albert, Too cool! Let's see, a 9,000 rpm small block chevy in a 1650 lb. car. Hmmm, assuming it could keep the tires planted on the pavement, I would guess about a 10 second flat quarter mile at around 135 mph and top speed? Big time fast....180+? Anyway, it's rare and even though highly modified from factory configuration I can see the value rise you missed. If we would have kept all the cool cars we had when we were younger they would have paid for a modest retirement. Do you think our vinyl will do that?

9000rpm is a hell of alot of rpms out of a small block Chevy! I had a 1961 Austin Healey Bugeye Sprite that had a highly modified 950cc(58 cid.) inline-4 cylinder pushrod engine, that I could coax 8600 rpm out of, before valve float. It made 104hp, which is about 1.8hp per cubic inch. It weighed 990 pounds. Had 4.22 rear gears. It did under 14 sec in the 1/4 mile, and I could beat Corvettes and E-type Jags in stop-light drags. That wasn't the purpose, it was built for H-Production SCCA road racing, and the real strength was in the corners. I used to eat Lotus Elans for lunch. Those were the good old days! Nobody ever expected much from a 1 liter Sprite. Boy, were they surprised.

Now *that* sounds like the automotive equivalent of Thomas' audio system! I just hope the system is a little more comfortable and doesn't leave spots on the carpet...(I used to own a stock Spitfire :-)