ZHead
Well-Known Forum User
First of all THANK YOU RUSS for creating a section for discussing the whole Hybrid thing, hopefully this will be a positive and friendly place where EVERYONE can chip in, have a laugh and discuss / debate the whole topic.
So why would anyone actually go to all the trouble of building a Hybrid ? Well I guess that question could be asked of Mr F, Luke Borg, Richard Wills, Clive Standish and the rest of the guys who have done this before.
From my perspective, the S30 is a beautifully proportioned car. To me it simply "looks right" but obviously being a late 60s design it has limitations when compared to a modern car such as a porsche or a bmw, so saying, it equally has a lot more soul.
The challenge is creating a car that has the spirit and soul of the original but one that will hold it's head high and out perform modern cars. This in part I guess is why people build 3.1L straight six engines and uprate suspension, brakes and steering.
The engine swap is just a logical extension of the "sympathetic modifications" seen on straight sixes.
So in essence I think that anyone who modifies their car away from concours original is aspiring to the same thing, a faster, smoother, better handling and stopping car. The only difference is the length that an individual will go to in order to get what he or she wants.
What do you think ?
Is a totally modified car (think Larry Horn's safari Z in the last magazine - awesome engineering, totally different car but still an L series straight six) still as it should have been or is it maybe bordering on a Hybrid ?
That car has a centrally mounted fuel tank, individually valved cannister suspension, monster vented discs and modern calipers, custom radiator, F1 flanges and driveshafts, custom clutch pack in the diff etc etc etc. FAR from sympathetic modification, it is virtually a new car, absolutley state of the art.
Debate, argue, question, discuss but let's all be nice We have been given a new play room so we should respect it
No need to sit on the fence, EVERY view is valid and will add something to the whole discussion.
So why would anyone actually go to all the trouble of building a Hybrid ? Well I guess that question could be asked of Mr F, Luke Borg, Richard Wills, Clive Standish and the rest of the guys who have done this before.
From my perspective, the S30 is a beautifully proportioned car. To me it simply "looks right" but obviously being a late 60s design it has limitations when compared to a modern car such as a porsche or a bmw, so saying, it equally has a lot more soul.
The challenge is creating a car that has the spirit and soul of the original but one that will hold it's head high and out perform modern cars. This in part I guess is why people build 3.1L straight six engines and uprate suspension, brakes and steering.
The engine swap is just a logical extension of the "sympathetic modifications" seen on straight sixes.
So in essence I think that anyone who modifies their car away from concours original is aspiring to the same thing, a faster, smoother, better handling and stopping car. The only difference is the length that an individual will go to in order to get what he or she wants.
What do you think ?
Is a totally modified car (think Larry Horn's safari Z in the last magazine - awesome engineering, totally different car but still an L series straight six) still as it should have been or is it maybe bordering on a Hybrid ?
That car has a centrally mounted fuel tank, individually valved cannister suspension, monster vented discs and modern calipers, custom radiator, F1 flanges and driveshafts, custom clutch pack in the diff etc etc etc. FAR from sympathetic modification, it is virtually a new car, absolutley state of the art.
Debate, argue, question, discuss but let's all be nice We have been given a new play room so we should respect it
No need to sit on the fence, EVERY view is valid and will add something to the whole discussion.
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