Right all......

This project aint happening any time soon, but one day it most definately will........

With work and private mileage, I currently do about 40k miles per year....

The project scope is to have an Esprit, that is still light and fast, but also infinately reliable and stupendously economical....

Looking at the current engine swap projects that are being undertaken, i believe that the Audi units may well be just what I'm looking for......

I'd love it to be an S car, as I really do like them..... (not selling my G-string though....!!!) although the few I've sat in at mine have quite supprised me at how intrusive the internal capping rail is above the windscreen...... Maybe a G car it'll have to be......

Want to find an old, unloved car, with a completely tossed engine & gearbox for pennies......

Then rip her knickers off when she's not looking and fit power steering, decent brakes and one of these........

Brooooom clatter clatter

Its a 2.5 diesel 180bhp standard, with 210bhp & 420Nm of torque when chipped..... pretty damned quick i'd say...!!!!

If I could find a 4.2, when chipped it'd be 390bhp & 845Nm of torque when chipped......!!!!

Now that'd be F**KING fast, that in any esprit would give the new one a run for its money, I'd be willing to take on a Lambo for that.....!!!!!!

I'm guessing the 2.5 would be more suited to the economy side of things though...!!! LOL

Anyways, this is more of an ideas thread for now, I've got 2 1/2 years to create her, hopefully she'll be something special......

Although I'm guessing most would dissagree.....

My life.... bank managers money...... only he has to understand....!!!!

Simon

The project scope is to have an Esprit, that is still light and fast, but also infinately reliable and stupendously economical....

Simon

Right, back to bed now, Simon, I think you've had a dream.... :yes

Eric

if i could have a every day car, that looked as good as the Esprit, but did 40+ to the gallon i would love it.

th 0-15 would probably suffer ( but then again, if you trying a fastest off the lights with a 'g' car your asking to break the gearbox) but the power of the modern day diesel units would even put pressure on the latest engines.

i have toyed / talked about a diesel engine conversion before ( normaly in a elite or excel mind you ) as an every day drive, have you put your foot down lately and not pulled away from a diesel car , quite as you expected

lotus styling / looks , and handling and performance (it can be done with the right engine) AND Fuel economy

sounds ideal

Edited June 1, 200718 yr by Dodgy

I'm seriously interested in this swap... 1999-2005 vw passat tdi has a 2.0 inline 4 with 140hp and it's longditunially mounted... that would be absolutely awesome... I'm guessing that you could get between 60-70 mpg.... probably more.... there's a guy with a vw jetta putting down 450hp at the wheels with the 1.9! 1/4 mile in 12.8 seconds! Any vw/audi diesel has lots of potential and would be incredible fuel mileage... though.. some how I don't like the idea of the diesel sound

OK, OK, maybe it isn't so daft. The nice thing about diesels is that they're all torque! That VW 2.0 tdi made almost 250 lb.ft! That'll get you off the line...good luck, mate.

E.

I have got a A4 1.9TDi and yes it is quick for a diesel, but the power band is stupidly narrow (ie 2K RPM to 3.5K RPM), though tall gearing of the diesel gearbox helps.

It also has poor throttle response (compared to a petrol engine) and chipping it to get the power up will only make things worse.

Another thing to consider is that the Diesel engines have cast iron blocks and therefore are quite a bit heavier that the Lotus 9XX engine.

Still a nice idea though, but it will be a completely different type of drive to a petrol Esprit.

Fitting one would be a very similar task as my Audi V8, except you would have a bit more room to play with, my consultancy rates are very reasonable

Hilly

well... here's what I'm thinking... the 1.9 tdi weighs somewhere in the 450-500 lb range... The 2.0 might be okay.. but i don't know the wieght of that... hmmm... That's a very heavy motor... but 70mpg sure sounds nice.... 140hp in a diesel... you should still get somewhere close to stock g-car performance i would think... Damn... all this talk about diesel and I almost want to do the swap myself...

your gonna have to sell that bike to pay for it you know.. might as well get it bloody over with..

your gonna have to sell that bike to pay for it you know.. might as well get it bloody over with..

Bikes not going dude.....

Get Over It....!!!!! B)

Doesn't the A4/Jetta get 35-40 mpg with the 1.9TDI, where are the 60-70 mpg figures coming from? I would think you would get the same or worse mileage than the donor car the engine came out of. An esprit with that heavy engine will not be much lighter than the Jetta's 3300 Lb curb weight. Assuming the weight is close, expect performance to match the donor as well.

Bill

This is a nice lump...

I'm thinking more of the most modern TDIs

Take my Vectra for example.......... Big lump of a car..... (But pretty with its VXR kit and 19" alloys!!!!)

0-60 8.9sec book, 150bhp & 315Nm, and had it up to 135bananas, still slowly accelerating...

Add to that my average business mpg is aroung 53 and combined is aroung 48-49mpg.....

Chipped by a reputable company....

190-200bhp & up to approx 400Nm..... average motorway driving seeing an improvement in economy, obviously hoofing it you'll use just as much if not more due to the higher fuel pressures being run....

Figures being quoted of around low to mid 7sec 0-60

That'd be fine for a daily runner as far as I'm concerned.......

Just mentioned the audi units due to the obvious benefits of having a matched gearbox.....

Simon

Edited June 1, 200718 yr by Simon350S

This is a nice lump...

The a4 jetta is rated at 64mpg (imperial gallons, not US gallons). I would think the Esprit has a lower drag coefficient and therefor would get better than that.

I'm thinking more of the most modern TDIs

Take my Vectra for example.......... Big lump of a car..... (But pretty with its VXR kit and 19" alloys!!!!)

0-60 8.9sec book, 150bhp & 315Nm, and had it up to 135bananas, still slowly accelerating...

Add to that my average business mpg is aroung 53 and combined is aroung 48-49mpg.....

Thanks, really interesting concept you have. On my side of the pond only a few diesel units are available. This year the VW/Audi TDI units in sedans were discontinued (won't meet the emission standards), only available now in the Touareg. Don't start me on government environmental silliness, a SUV/Truck has different EPA requirements so it's ok to have a diesel there....

Any idea how much the Vectra engine weighs? FYI, my 907 long block weighs ~245 lb bare, about 300 lb complete with accessories.

Bill

I've been trying to find an exact weight... but I suspect in the 500 lb range... judging by mechanics guesses at the VW dealership that I work at.

The a4 jetta is rated at 64mpg (imperial gallons, not US gallons).

Carfueldata.org.uk rates one model 36 urban, 63 extra urban (what does that mean) and 49 combined imperial mpg. Using US gallons, 30 52 & 41 is still very good. I should have known you were talking Imperial gallons.

I would think the Esprit has a lower drag coefficient and therefor would get better than that.

Maybe you are right, I consider this a wash... most of the modern jelly bean sedans are fairly aerodynamic and there probably is more rolling resistance with the esprit tires.

Bill

OK Simon, what about this :

Everyone fits the engine swaps longitudinally with a citroen, renault or audi box - why not mount it transversely? I know it would take some monkeying with the driveshafts and engine mounts, but if you do it to a Stevens car, you don't have the brake problem to solve. Aren't there some decent V6 diesels out there (V6 would have slightly shorter (hopefully) length)?

I thought of this originally when I was pondering a saab 2.3 turbo lump, or an elise for much the same reasoning as you - a daily driver. I've never got as far as measuring or anything, so it could be completely flawed

And - thinking out loud here - if you can crack the transversly mounted issues, then there are a host of 'interesting' lumps out there - the toyota camry V6 can be persuaded to fit in an MR2 for example, and there are some lovely screamers from Honda.

Rich

Hi Richard

I agree that would be good, its just I've been told the chassis will the the limiting factor, width anyways, to mounting transversly. Not looked into it myself but if its possible it would make everything so much simpler.....

Simon

The Esprit engine bay is no where near wide enough fo a transverse lump without serious mods to the chassis, moving fuel tanks etc

It has been done, but not using the Lotus chassis.

Hilly

The Esprit engine bay is no where near wide enough fo a transverse lump without serious mods to the chassis, moving fuel tanks etc

It has been done, but not using the Lotus chassis.

Hilly

What about a Volve 5cylinder? Or the new Audi 5 cylinder turbo?(1/2 a lambo V10 from the gallardo is what it is really)

Artie

What about a Volve 5cylinder? Or the new Audi 5 cylinder turbo?(1/2 a lambo V10 from the gallardo is what it is really)

Artie

Again, too long

Hilly

Ok........

Found an engine.....!!!!!!!

2.7 V6 twin turbo....!!!

Tad pricey as its brand new......!!!

Tuned performance... 240bhp & 510Nm Torque.......!!!!! now that would be pretty quick...... and economical... LOL

Will your adapter plate fit this Punky???

All I need then is a donor vehicle...........

Simon