Author Topic: Opinion on Mustang GTs? (Read 6811 times)

funkedup · « **Reply #150 on:** May 15, 2003, 11:45:48 AM »

However, I just looked at the FIA GT standings and the Le Mans qualifying results, and it looks like there is a new sherriff in town. The Prodrive Ferrari 550 appears to be the car to beat this year.

Looks like there are plenty of American cars in the field though. Riley & Scott, Viper, Corvette, Saleen, and Panoz. Too bad Mosler doesn't go to Le Mans.

Furball · « **Reply #151 on:** May 15, 2003, 11:48:00 AM »

yeah, didnt Panoz do really well last year?

Was very impressed by them

funkedup · « **Reply #152 on:** May 15, 2003, 11:50:28 AM »

Panoz is almost always quick. I think they are only in the prototype classes now with the Elan. They used to campaign the Esperante road car in the production classes but I guess not anymore.

Furball · « **Reply #153 on:** May 15, 2003, 11:56:54 AM »

Do they make road cars? i had never heard of them before Le Mans

funkedup · « **Reply #154 on:** May 15, 2003, 11:58:29 AM »

Yep they make the Esperante road car.
Other fast Yank road cars are the Saleen and the Mosler.

lazs2 · « **Reply #155 on:** May 15, 2003, 12:27:40 PM »

hey rip... didn't a Lincloln just beat the BMW in slolom and handling side by side testing?

funked... yeah.. mosler is a monster.

On the tvr..... what engines are they using these days? are they still powered by buick motors?
lazs

Dowding · « **Reply #156 on:** May 15, 2003, 12:31:26 PM »

Have you checked out the videos furball posted? One of them shows a stock TVR Cerbera beating a Viper over a mile drag.

lazs2 · « **Reply #157 on:** May 15, 2003, 12:43:27 PM »

hmm... what a great car dowding... seems that it should do better at the track... I mean, they should be king of the hill in production racing. How many lemans events have they won so far again?

Still... I am proud of the old 64 buick engine. Imagine if the TVR had an even more capable American engine.
lazs

Dowding · « **Reply #158 on:** May 15, 2003, 01:23:20 PM »

Quote

The TVR Cerbera began life in the early summer of 1993 as a styling exercise by TVR's team of designers, who were very quickly given the go-ahead to start building full scale models. They sculpted the car out of full-size blocks of foam rather than being constrained by the two dimensions of a paper sketch or the dehumanising aspects of design by computer.

Since then, almost every aspect of the car has been improved. Originally, the Cerbera was designed to be powered by the TVR Power Rover based engines but it was decided that TVR's own engine, the Speed Eight, would be a more suitable power plant. The Cerbera was the first roadgoing TVR to feature the Speed Eight engine.

This engine is quite remarkable In design in that it owes more to the current trend in racing engines than to anything that has ever been seen before In a road car. In other words, instead of basing a race engine on an existing road engine,. TVR have developed an engine for the Cerbera out of a race engine. The result is that the Speed Eight has many features in it which would be more commonly found on an F1 engine. Examples of these are its extremely sophisticated water circulation system, its lubrication system which delivers oil at high pressure to the engine and at low pressure to the crankshaft and a block so rigid that it can be used as a stressed member. An all alloy engine with its eight cylinders arranged in a 75 degree Vee, the Speed Eight engine has more torque in its various specifications than any other normally aspirated petrol engine of equivalent size and weight.

At 121 kg, the engine is indeed lighter than the V8 F1 and F3000 engines with which it shares so many features. Many Speed Eight engine components are of extremely high quality such as the pistons and connecting rods which are forged and the camshafts which are rifle bored and are made of solid billet EN40B steel. The net result is that the Speed Eight has performed extremely well in the most gruelling test known to engineers: to give forty of them to TVR Tuscan racing drivers to try to blow up every weekend for the past five seasons.

You were saying? The Speed 8 engine is designed and built in house.

lazs2 · « **Reply #159 on:** May 15, 2003, 02:36:16 PM »

where was this quote from? so... up until now... all the TVR's used Buick engines? and now they are claiming to have the best engine in the business?

GM builds formula V8 motors too.. Have for decades. TVR allmost went out of business because they were junk... they had so many warranty claims (sorta like jag).

besides .... you guys really don't want to compare wimpy cottage industry limey cars like the TVR with manly U.S. cottage industry cars like the lingenfelter and mosler now do you?

Mosler MT900s
carbon fiber body shell
2200 lbs (1980 for the Photon)
435 hp ls6 chevy engine
porche 6 speed
0-60 in 3.30
11.4 quarter mile.

2 GTS cars competed in the Rolex 24 at Daytona and finished third and fourth in GTS class

web site is http://www.mt900.com
lazs

nuchpatrick · « **Reply #160 on:** May 15, 2003, 03:08:57 PM »

Woo Panzo Esprantae.. Miata on 'roids heheheh with a heavy price tag. One thing you have to get over is the tacky interior with the 'pod' style speedo. Great looking car..

Dowding · « **Reply #161 on:** May 15, 2003, 03:37:22 PM »

http://www.21stcentury.co.uk

"Up until now"? As far as I know TVR has producing bespoke engines from its own designs for decades. Perhaps you are harking back to the seventies... disco died BTW.

British racing/sports car design is among the best in the world.

Wimpy cottage industries? If you are wanting to play trump cards, at least use the same deck and bother to read the cards. The small British design bureaus provide some superb cars - take the Speed 12 for starters.

BTW, we all remember the quality Yank cars over here. We love the Ford Mondeo and the Vauxhall (GM owned) Vectra is a "phenomenon". Thanks. And that PT Cruiser? Looks like a bag o' bollocks.

Want to play some more trump cards? The fun neverends.

funkedup · « **Reply #162 on:** May 15, 2003, 03:50:32 PM »

Dowding most of the "bespoke" TVR motors were the V-8 design that Rover licensed from Buick back in the 1960's. Sounds like they have started to design their own motors now, good for them.

hblair · « **Reply #163 on:** May 15, 2003, 03:51:46 PM »

I never heard of a TVR til this thread. Granted if I was still sixteen and read road and track or motor trend every month I probably would know all about a TVR. But who really cares? Do you own one dowding? Why the big fuss?

funkedup · « **Reply #164 on:** May 15, 2003, 03:55:19 PM »

Wow somebody else must have been asking the same questions:
http://www.pistonheads.com/tvr/features/engines/