Any purpose built Garage made car ( ie. a racecar or a no compormise street car disguised as one)will blow the doors of a factory car. Back in the day HO specialities owner had a tripowered 455 64 GTO that with a Regular 16" GTA wheel and tire Combo kicked a ZR-1 royally up in the rear in the Slalom and the road racing track plus skidpad... A friend had a 1300cc Turboed Starlet doing 9.7 in the quarter.. another has a 1600cc Toyota GT Corolla doing also high 9s's and still be a good road race car..both fully street driven. The Starlet being a tad radical though.. An old pilot teacher and rally racer did 71 vette with just a 355 that screams 9000 on the street be faster on a track than the new ZR-1's of today. Although a lot of credit goes behind the well too..he races even today. Still he tells the Vette is clumsy compared to his Opel GT.. although a lot faster. An relatively easy task could be getting an old Formula roller and put a spyder prototype on one just like the Sports-2000 racers basically was.
I like your way of thinking, go for it. Of course many fine ideas could come from the cars hiding at your Dad's place.
I have a little '48 Anglia 2dr I alway wanted to build into a cornering machine someday. It's a stock body and frame complete with no engine or trans. I was thinking about adding about 6"-8" of width right down the center of the body so I can make a wider track width and have more room for a trans/engine tunnel. Anyone out there seen this done?
Berpop... View attachment 1374168 View attachment 1374169 View attachment 1374170 Edit. There was a widened Pop/Anglia (not the fenders but the body, like you said ) in one of the Brit Rodding magazines sometime in the '80s. I did not like it. It really messed up its proportions....
I know I don't like the wide fenders. It would be a simple photoshop. I only have 2 cars ahead of the Anglia....
I always liked MGB's and Sunbeam Alpines/Tigers. I also thought about putting BB tortion bars and a small block in a Valiant for grins and giggles. I can't remember if the '63-'66 cars used the same length bars as the early '60-'62 cars or the later '67-'76 cars.
I've had a 1969 Volvo P-1800 outside on the side of the garage for years now, only project that isn't inside. Plan is to put a Ford small block in it, I should move projects around and somehow squeeze it into the garage.
How about a SIMCA ARONDE American styling, small, and light. Put in the drive-train of your choice. Much easyer, and less expensive to find than the OCEANE, or SPORT 8 like in your photo. Just a thought.
I've also been searching for the same type of car as the original poster... only I DO want a convertible. Any ideas out there that failed to warrant a mention previously because they were open cars? Is it OK if we include convertibles in this thread, too? I don't really need a car that kills on the track, just something quick and fun on the street and that makes good sounds with the wind in your hair. Like most red blooded American boys, I like c2 vettes but they are a little big, a little cliche... and so ridiculously expensive. They do have some investment upside, however (at least till the Boomers die off). A 3.2 911 might be fun, too, as a previous poster mentioned. Too bad both 911s and Vettes carry some unwanted baggage, image-wise, amongst the public.
MGB V8s have been mentioned before, but would seem to fit your criteria well. I find the GTs unspeakably ugly, but the roadsters look good. -Dave
V-8 Miata swaps are common enough that you can buy well sorted out kits to install either a SB Ford or the newer aluminum Chevy LS engines. If you really want a top, removable hard tops are available. The car comes with the fittings needed to accept the top. Recent generation Miatas are available with a folding metal top.
Not sure if the link works but this is my choice....... Ford Cortina with a 302 Roller motor and a T-5........... http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/cto/2479203078.html
The 1952 Chrysler DElegance was the Ghia-built showcar I was thinking of. Replacing the front sheetmetal on a Karmann-Ghia with something styled after the Chrysler would result in something really resembling the Ford/Simca Comete, IMO. And it would be a good excuse to use a Red Ram and a five-speed. -Dave
That reminds me of an idea I had years ago, a front-engined VW Bug with a wheelbase stretch ahead of the cowl, an upright front grille, and extended/restyled front fenders. As I recall I had VW headlights moved inboard as on a '37/'38 Ford. The idea was to keep the VW floorpan and add frame stubs to the front to carry an engine, run the driveshaft over the top of the backbone, and suspend a DeDion axle off the original rear torsion bars' arms. That Chrysler is beautiful, even if it does look as if it has just received bad news in the post.
I haven't read all the posts, but someone must have mentioned the Factory Five Cobra. If not, I am. Can buy good used ones for $25k, or build your own. I second the V8 Miata suggestion. There are kits available and the car is well balanced, due to the addition of the V8 tranny and diff. Weighs only a couple hundred more pounds than stock. Turbo and and supercharger kits are also available for the stock engine, 200+ whp is easy to get and you have a car that looks like an old Brit but does everything better. I have a supercharged one and it's a joy to drive. BTW, that Ford with the unpainted hood in the very first post is a dream car to me. I'll trade my Miata for that - no problem.
Thanks, John, but I think an MGB-GT (or most of the other cars in my summary in post #86) would be easier to find and easier on the eyes.
How about a Karman Giha with a front wheel drive cadillac 500 stuffed in the rear. I saw one in Little Rock a few years back with a Torinado drive train.
If you want to go way off the beaten path, what about a Renault Caravelle? Yeah, it had a wheezy little 4 cylinder mounted in the rear but it had some really nice lines that deserved better mechanicals than it ever got. I'd love to see one done up with modern suspension and either a front or mid mounted engine. And while this picture shows it as a convertible, it was also available with two different removable hardtops- one that was more squared off that did nothing for the lines of the car and one that resembled a scaled-down '62 Bel Air hardtop roof. Autoweek just listed one sold at auction in Ohio a little while ago for under $3000!
I've had this MGB since 1971 and it has had a 215 Buick, turbocharged Olds F85, and now is being rebuilt with an LT1, 6 speed and Corvette C4 suspension all around. I had to widen the car 11" to use the C4 suspension. The whole story with lots of pictures are in the links in my sig. Small cars with lots of power that handle and stop well are cool View attachment 1503327 View attachment 1503328 View attachment 1503329
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