907 Contemplation

[jcslocum]

[quote="Rhino"]The only engines that always worked were big yank V8s, understressed, over-sized, push-rod, primitive, gas-guzzling works of art (one day I will turn a 427 side-oiler into a coffee table and drool over it all day).

Amen to that!!!

As a Yank and the owner of many many small block Chevy and a few Big Blocks I can attest to this fast. Not as primitive as many think and can really make serious HP and still get good mileage with modern engine management. AAA rated as a top 10 commuter car!!!

http://www.autoblog.com/2010/03/24/aaa- ... commuters/

Chevrolet Corvette: Who says the drive to work has to be boring? The Corvette is anything but, and when driven appropriately, it can even return near-compact car fuel economy of around 26 mpg on the highway.

I have in my shop my very first small block engine that I rebuilt as a kid. It's a 327 with a tri-power set up and I will one day find a chassis deserving of it as a project. I have had it ina bout 6 different cars in my misspent youth.

So don't dissing Yank cast iron!!

Plus, I just hate the "Liter" designations for engines. There is nothing like saying; 302, 327, 350, 383, 396, 427, 440, 454 and many others!

[samandkimberly]

So - what do you think of this M/C engine?

http://www.motusmotorcycles.com/kmv4.html

S

[Rhino]

I have to say jcslocum 25 miles per gallon? If I'm not getting 50 mpg out of my 3 litre fully loaded Merc' Estate/Station wagon I'm mad as a cut snake. And as to litre vs cui no-one (outside the states) has heard of cui. And hey - lets face it - it's a measurement system so difficult to use even we Brits abandoned it.

However - that said - if Ford built a motor and called it a 427 side-oiler then cui it is. Yank iron (cast or otherwise!) is brilliant at what it does. You'll never get 200,000 miles out of my Merc engine without a full top end rebuild at least. Your properly put together 350 Windsor will do 250,000 without breaking sweat.

We Europeans don't face the miles or do the mileage, you yanks don't face the corners or roundabouts.

Horses for courses . . . and . . . Respect where it's due.

samandkimberly - WOW!!!

[samandkimberly]

samandkimberly - WOW!!!

Oh - and if you didn't, check out the video of the engine running:

http://www.motusmotorcycles.com/index.html

I wouldn't mind hearing that when I twisted the throttle....

Sam

[Jaffa]

The big question for tomorrow is,will it be the Chinese or the Koreans that rule the transportation industry for the future,only time will tell and no one is out and down for the count at the moment

HIGGY, this would have to be the most inappropriate comment in this thread so far, my God, how could you get so desparate for a retort as to think like this!!!!

[Jaffa]

samandkimberly - WOW!!!

Oh - and if you didn't, check out the video of the engine running:

http://www.motusmotorcycles.com/index.html

I wouldn't mind hearing that when I twisted the throttle....

Sam

P H A R Q!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[higgy]

HIGGY, this would have to be the most inappropriate comment in this thread so far, my God, how could you get so desparate for a retort as to think like this!!!!

Was not meant to be a retort Just an observation
Since November 2009, China is the largest auto market in the world. China's automobile industry has been in rapid development since the early 1990s.In 2009, China produced 13.79 million units of automobile, of which 8 million units were passenger cars (sedans, sport utility vehicles (SUV), multi-purpose vehicles (MPV) and crossovers), and 3.41 million units were commercial vehicles (buses, trucks, and tractors). Of the automobiles produced, 44.3% are local brands (BYD, Lifan, Chang'an (Chana), Geely, Chery, Hafei, Jianghuai (JAC), Great Wall, Roewe, Martin Motors, etc.), the rest being produced by joint ventures with foreign car makers such as Volkswagen, General Motors, Hyundai, Nissan, Honda, Toyota etc. Most of the cars manufactured in China are sold within China, with only 369,600 cars being exported in 2009.
China's annual automobile production capacity first exceeded one million in 1992. By 2000, China was producing over two million vehicles. After China's entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001, the development of the automobile market further accelerated. Between 2002 and 2007, China's national automobile market grew by an average 21 percent, or one million vehicles year-on-year. In 2006, China’s vehicle production capacity successively exceeded six, then seven million, and in 2007, China produced over eight million automobiles. In 2009, 13.759 million motor vehicles were manufactured in China, surpassing Japan as the largest automobile maker in the world.
The Korean automobile industry is currently the fifth largest in the world in terms of production volume and the sixth largest in terms of export volume.
Yes I know the thread started out with the Italian producers but has meandered to include the old iron from the USA. The research company I work for as a way to pay the bills for the lease,keep the light on and such in support for our very expensive research operations in Diesels, as a sideline provides EPA certification for producers wanting to import their engines into the USA. In the last two years we have been inundated with engines produced by a triad of Japanese and Korean engines manufactured in China. These guys are gearing up for a serious onslaught of the world markets
But like i said it was just an observation not meant to hijack the discussions here

[higgy]

We Europeans don't face the miles or do the mileage, you yanks don't face the corners or roundabouts.

Never been here Eh? There are more roundabouts in just New Jersey than the entire rest of the world

And many American cars have had world class handling. Just ask Enzo Ferrari why he convinced the FIM not to sanction The Italian GP in the 1960's It was a little home made american iron called a Shelby Cobra that was about to beat him out of his world manufacturers title and on his home turf.

Then there is and was the Ford GT40 and many others

[jcslocum]

I have to say jcslocum 25 miles per gallon? If I'm not getting 50 mpg out of my 3 litre fully loaded Merc' Estate/Station wagon I'm mad as a cut snake.

That's 25 MPG in their commuting test and from a 400HP engine. Pretty amazing stuff if you ask me. Pluse we're only paying $2.95 per gallon here so I know that your costs in the UK have alot to do with your thinking.

That Motus engine is in the frame the wrong way and it's 1/2 of a small block chevy...

I'm into marketing hyperbole as much as the next marketer but come on, read that web site. "Increases power and reduces emissions by digitally atomizing fuel..." What? The only unique thing listed there is the direct injection. Shouldn't a 90 degree V4 not need a balance shaft? I have to think on that one....

[higgy]

Shouldn't a 90 degree V4 not need a balance shaft? I have to think on that one....

Depends on the impulse spacing,er ah firing order

[duc907]

We Europeans don't face the miles or do the mileage, you yanks don't face the corners or roundabouts.

Never been here Eh? There are more roundabouts in just New Jersey than the entire rest of the world

And many American cars have had world class handling. Just ask Enzo Ferrari why he convinced the FIM not to sanction The Italian GP in the 1960's It was a little home made american iron called a Shelby Cobra that was about to beat him out of his world manufacturers title and on his home turf.

Then there is and was the Ford GT40 and many others

both the Cobra and the GT40 were english cars. There was alot of cool cars kept out of the states by the political power of the big three.

[higgy]

both the Cobra and the GT40 were english cars. There was alot of cool cars kept out of the states by the political power of the big three.

Yes they started as British rolling chassis, one from Lola one from AC,far as it goes, never heard anyone refer to either as British built cars

[Mc tool]

might be a bit late here but the cui verses litres spat is an amusing one , A 350 or 327 small block is just that , , not a 5 point what ever the fck it is litre. Tyres are funny ..... a 160 (mm) wide tyre on a 16 inch rim. A pound of butter is a pound , not 600 grams , a pint of beer is . What really takes it ( for me anyhow ) is hunting magazines that quote accuracy spec's as 25.4mm at 92.8m, why cant they just call it " an inch at a hundred yards " like it always was , without going to the trouble of converting it to metric and making it harder to say and write. My capri does 33 mpg, Dianne's toyoya ( broke the friggin cam belt, and sucked up all the " paint the paso" money ) does about 15km/liter. Why are american gallons smaller than every one elses . Just as long as my pot comes in ounces, my beer comes in pints , and a good set of tits is still 36 inches.........however , Id love a set of 94mm pistons for the paso, or some 39mm fcr's

[jcslocum]

Tool, sweet rant!!! +1 from me.

Regarding the titty thing, 36A might not be as much fun as a 34D...depending on your tastes

[Rhino]

Higgy - I lived in the USA for years, loved it, and loved your women (so much so I exported one!) and most of it doesn't have corners or roundabouts. The Cobra is a British car - bodied in Italy and then shipped to Shelby who dropped a (260 then 289) 427 side oiler into it. Obvious move (with hindsight anyway) but took a yank to do it. The Cobra is not an American car. You guys have built some BRILLIANT cars - but not that one. I used to have one and the only thing American about it was the motor in the front.

Mc tool - you do make me laugh - but - boy have you got your priorites right. If you're ever over here you've a place to stay and as much beer as you can drink!