Cheapest and the Fastest!!!

[The Seer]

A few years ago I dueled my Integra Type R against a Starlet Turbo. I was totally annihilated and had a hell of a lead on him to begin with on our local duel carriage way. I was shot down at over a 100.

When chatting to the chap he explained he was running circa 200 bhp on standard internals.

The other day I came into conflict with another Starlet Turbo....the same thing happened once more. Though this time when chatting to the driver he revealed that my original joust was with his Dad. It turns out that Father and Son tune these cars and have being doing so for the past four years.

They weigh only 860 kgs (Renault 5 Turbo anyone?). Ok, terrible torque steer is present at only 200 bhp, though a Quaife LSD is available at £500 which helps to avoid curbs and lamposts. Good for up to 250 bhp.

What intrigued me was that for 3.5K a VERY clean car can be imported from a Japanese auction house to your doorstep. Hand the car over to these two (don't have a website address yet). Give them 4K and you have a car running 250-300 on variable boost. Completely set up with strengthen/forged internals. The power to weight is superb for an overall outlay of 7.5K and NOTHING purchased for that kind of cash apart from 2 wheels can keep up. A shot of gas can also be used for straight line amusement.

 

[FincH]

In all fairness they look s**t.

 

[Graham Gooch]

Yeah but you have to drive a Starlet lol.

Get a slower car that has a better chassis and will be fast other than in a complete straight line.

Oh and one more thing, Clio Discussion?

 

[Ian_182]

I would love a go in one.A real little sleaper.And thats what i like

ian

 

[The Seer]

Believe me, their overtaking ability is phenominal!!!!

With suspension geometry altered and much better dampers and springs (O.K. getting on for a total cost of 9K) and the car now handles properly with much less torque steer. Remove the rear seats, interior panelling etc and the car only weighs 800 kgs. Power to weight is approaching 375 per tonne. Check the knowledge in the EVO and thats moving into Supercar territory!

Car will accelerate to 100 mph in circa 10 seconds, a 1/4 mile will come up in the mid twelves or less. If any one knows of a car which can be bought this kind of money and has this kind of performance I'd like to know.

 

[Graham Gooch]

Aye, but

1. I'd never modify a car to that extent
2. I'd never spend that much on a starlet
3. there is more to a car than simply being 'fast'

 

[edde]

Corsa/Nova C20 LET can be done for cheaper.

or a kit car.

 

[Gaz_]

i personally love the Glanza's

 

[Cliodamo]

a nova sr with a peco

 

[Cliodamo]

i bet u could get a maestro turbo (from somewhere lol) and nos it and blow everything away. £1000 all in. i challenge anyone to beat that lol

 

[edde]

i bet u could get a maestro turbo (from somewhere lol) and nos it and blow everything away. £1000 all in. i challenge anyone to beat that lol

Saab turbo?

 

[The Seer]

Corsa/Nova C20 LET can be done for cheaper.

or a kit car.

Unfortunately most Nova's are now entering salvage yard territory due to rust and rot. Also their engines aren't as refined due to being of an older design.

The Starlet's aren't particulary new but newer than a nova.

As for kit cars the only ones worth buying are Caterhams. Second to that is Westfield and they're not particulary well engineered. The rest are cheap imitators which fall apart quicker than a bird table built in C.D.T. by chimps.

Yes there is more to a car than pure speed but if you can afford a second car for less than 10 K which will keep up with supercars (to 130 mph) and Skylines with 500 bhp which cost significantly more to tune, the Starlet has to be the car to have.

 

[Graham Gooch]

You'll never find a maestro turbo and the o-series engine in them is well parp.

Cheap fast would be an Uno turbo or a dog of a r5 GT Turbo, bit of carb work lots of boost equal very quick and cheap blow up LOLz

 

[Cliodamo]

hunting lol

 

[edde]

Unfortunately most Nova's are now entering salvage yard territory due to rust and rot. Also their engines aren't as refined due to being of an older design.

The Starlet's aren't particulary new but newer than a nova.

As for kit cars the only ones worth buying are Caterhams. Second to that is Westfield and they're not particulary well engineered. The rest are cheap imitators which fall apart quicker than a bird table built in C.D.T. by chimps.

I don't think many of the other companies out there would agre or long term owners with that comment. There superly well built and put together often infact often.

Not all Novas are wrecks though.

Whats age got to go with power? I'm sure the startlets just as old engine wise.

 

[Graham Gooch]

the XE engine is one of the best engines around! old or not old.

 

[The Seer]

Apparently once the 3.5K engine job is done with the uprated internals it'll last a very long time. As long as you don't go above 400 bhp.

 

[Graham Gooch]

Yeah but 400bhp and fwd will be ghey!

 

[Cliodamo]

http://www.mgcars.org.uk/mgm/classifiednew.html

hehe lets blow up some maestro`s

 

[tommyboy]

Starlet GT turbo - this along with a 205 gti are the only cars that genuinely scared the living s**t out of me during a passenger ride

 

[The Seer]

the XE engine is one of the best engines around! old or not old.

Not as good as the Toyota engine, and not as strong. Japanese engineering proves itself alongside German through high mileage reliabilty, as does the rest of the car.

 

[edde]

the XE engine is one of the best engines around! old or not old.

Not as good as the Toyota engine, and not as strong. Japanese engineering proves itself alongside German through high mileage reliabilty, as does the rest of the car.

You just said you need to spend £4k to make the get to 250~300hp don't need to spent that much on a C20 Let to that power.

 

[Graham Gooch]

the XE engine is one of the best engines around! old or not old.

Not as good as the Toyota engine, and not as strong. Japanese engineering proves itself alongside German through high mileage reliabilty, as does the rest of the car.

b****cks! sorry as much as I love Jap cars and the like, there seems this invicibility around their engines, and the fact is they are as vunerable to the usual stresses and failures that affect all turbo engines.

 

[The Seer]

Not as good as the Toyota engine, and not as strong. Japanese engineering proves itself alongside German through high mileage reliabilty, as does the rest of the car.

b****cks! sorry as much as I love Jap cars and the like, there seems this invicibility around their engines, and the fact is they are as vunerable to the usual stresses and failures that affect all turbo engines.

Agreed, they are vunerable to the usual stresses but less so due a greater R&D budget than that of Vauxhall for the Nova's engine. Also the design is newer than that of the Vauxhall. The tolerances are greater. Japanese along with German efficiency is usually second to none.

 

[Ian_182]

I'd take one as a toy,no probs.love to see the look on someones face in an m3 in that(just for a laugh of course0

ian

 

[Graham Gooch]

b****cks! sorry as much as I love Jap cars and the like, there seems this invicibility around their engines, and the fact is they are as vunerable to the usual stresses and failures that affect all turbo engines.

Agreed, they are vunerable to the usual stresses but less so due a greater R&D budget than that of Vauxhall for the Nova's engine. Also the design is newer than that of the Vauxhall. The tolerances are greater. Japanese along with German efficiency is usually second to none.

Well cosworth help design the XE head........

 

[tollan172]

fiat uno turbo search those things on you tube obv tuned and holds of a ferrari gotta love it

 

[edde]

Agreed, they are vunerable to the usual stresses but less so due a greater R&D budget than that of Vauxhall for the Nova's engine. Also the design is newer than that of the Vauxhall. The tolerances are greater. Japanese along with German efficiency is usually second to none.

I'm assuming were on about 133hp starlet turbo ie the 4E-FTE one which is a much the same engine as the 1989 4E-F engine?

1988 the red top was first fitted to the Astra so we can gess was designed not far before that plus its got a cosworth designed head on it (apparently).

So does 1 year make that much difference?

The Nova never had the red top XE fitted though.

German efficiency along with Jap stuff isn't always the best.