993 Ghia

Wow. Just.... wow.

 

That, right there. I'd roll that, anytime, anywhere.

 

.... wow. 

VW porn for sure! 

Very, very cool.

Sweet ghia.  Nice wheels.

Yup.......I could trade Pearl for that and never look back.

 

That builder seriously thought about what he wanted and executed the build perfectly.

Who said money can't buy happiness....

My goal is to one day have a motor in my speedster that will smoke the rear tires. I think that 993 motor would do we it...

Ted, you don't need a 993 for that... Just ask DannyP!!!!

 

He treated me to a smoking, squealing, example of first gear acceleration that raised the hair on the back of my neck.

As neat as that car is (Karmann-zilla in the link above), a really big VW engine (2276, 2332, 2386, 2442...) can deliver enough power to scare the willies out of most people, turn these cars into rockets and do it in an rpm range where reliability isn't so much of an issue. It's all about the power to weight ratio, and 160+ hp in a car that weighs less than 2,000 lbs (or in the case of Danny's Spyder with it's 160hp 2110, 1500? lbs.) raises you to a level that few go to on the street. It's not cheap, but it's only a fraction of the cost of Franken-Ghia above.

 

Bigger than 2276cc's (82x94) happens with a really long stroke crankshaft- 2332 uses an 84mm crank (again with 94mm pistons), 2386 is 86mm, 2442 is 88 and a 2498 is done with a 90mm crank (the top of a stock magnesium case gets awfully thin and it's really tight every where else, but it can be done). Smaller rod journals (some chevy size or Porsche 356) and matching compact, aftermarket H beam rods make these sizes possible. This scenario is what the aftermarket aluminum "bubble-top" engine cases are for. It's more work to make sure everything clears inside and fitting the engine tin so it all seals up properly with the longer strokes is time consuming, so it's not for the first time engine builder and drives the cost of a turn-key up significantly, but the benefits are huge. 

 

Danny's 2110 puts out 160hp, but has to rev up to 6500rpm to do it, while a 2276 can produce the same power at only 6,000rpm and with more displacement and milder camshaft will have a more driveable bottom end and midrange- and I'm sure Danny will argue (and Carl's had the seat time to attest to it) that his engine is no slouch in the "normal driving" rpm's. And with even more displacement, more power is possible.

 

A friend built a 2442 (44?x37 heads, 86C cam so revs to 7500, 48IDA's) for his Cal look bug and he says it's faster than his previous 2 liter-ish nitrous'd engine (the car already ran high 11's) and has not yet re-installed the nitrous (to tell the truth, I think he's a wee bit afraid).

 

While a Speedster with 911 power, suspension and brakes is a neat, fast car, the 2 things that concern me are the loss of simplicity (and to me, that's what these cars are about) and the weight gain. Now the car weighs somewhere in the area of 500lbs more, needs the substantially bigger engine, needs the bigger vented brakes and more rubber, and makes a reasonable front/rear weight distribution more difficult to achieve (I believe IM has done great things with the last point). And of course, there's the cost- it's no longer a fairly low budget affair, doubling  what most of us have in our fun, little cars. Oh- wonder what it does to the fantastic mileage numbers these things normally get?

 

A certain type 4 guru hot-rodded his 912 and found the car outperformed 911's on the track and was easier to drive, being lighter with better weight balance. Again, it's all about the power to weight ratio. 

 

I'm not saying that monster type 1 power is for everyone- the cost is significantly higher than a 140hp 2 liter, you will need to be more in tune with your car (and be able to understand when it's trying to tell you something), tires and brakes will have to be up to the task so it's not out and out dangerous, it will be more work to maintain and you won't get 100,000 trouble free miles out of it like El Guapo's 1835, but if you choose to go that way it will be fun.... Yoda out 

Actually Al, it is a 2165 and peak power is at 6000, 172hp on Jake's dyno. I rev it to 6500 just because it's fun! And it still pulls.....

 

Peak torque comes in at 147 ft. lbs. down low at 3500. The reason my engine is so tractable is because the torque curve is one of the flattest I've ever seen. I can't find a jpg right now but I know I've posted it here before.

I meant to say 140 lbs. plus from 3000 to 6000.

 

And yes, it is 1450 lbs. with a half-tank and no driver.

 

Lime Rock DE tomorrow, all day. Wish me luck, first time!

My apologies on the details Danny; I was going on memory. I believe 172hp is pretty well the limit with 40x35 heads; normally an FK8 cammed engine would rev to about 6500 with power. You could put some bigger (44x37) heads on it and it will produce another 15 or 20 hp, but the idle to 4,000rpm part of the powerband would suffer a little bit (slower intake tract speed at the very lowest rpm's may allow some fuel to fall out of suspension), although with that much displacement (and the inherent torque that comes with displacement) and such a light car the only thing you may notice is an ever so slight drop in mileage. What size carburetors (44's?) and exhaust are on it?

 

And definitely, good luck and have a ton of fun at Lime Rock! Anyone going to be taking pictures? 'Cause you know, we're gonna wanna see pictures...

Danny, I'm jealous.  I haven't been on the track in over a year and I miss it.

 

Yes, we'll need photos.....

 

 

It was a good day Ron. No pics either, sorry, unless Lenny took some. No Spyder on the track, my car passes tech for one, but not for two(instructor). They didn't like the rollbar, it isn't high enough on the passenger side. If I change that I'll be good in the future.

 

However, I did get to do a lot of laps in the passenger seat of my friend's 944. Then he let me drive a session. WHAT A FRIGGIN' HOOT! WOOOHOOO as Lane would say! Braking, turn-in, apex, track out, repeat.....

 

Then I got a ride around track in a GT3. HOLY SCHMOLY that thing is fast. It's like being shot from a cannon to the next corner. A real live roller-coaster. I am still in awe of the acceleration, braking, and GRIP!