In the Bloodline
Simon Cooke and his dad have a fine choice in cars. Their Subaru WRX and a Jaguar XJR are both extremely quick vehicles, but their heritage and poise are quite different. And for those people wondering which of the duo is the most rapid - it's the Jag.
Apparently during cool nights they're line ball in a straight line, but during most daylight hours the cat takes it. In 0-100km/h testing, the big saloon gets a car-and-a-half length lead, and after that the Jag slowly but surely slips away with its bulk horsepower.
Not that the MY99 model WRX is down in power. On top of the standard 200-odd horses it features an Ultra-Flow 3" muffler with a DTM style tip and a 10 litre boot-mounted tank that holds water for a intercooler water spray. Simon says (no, that's not Simple Simon says!) this system really passes this 10-litres at a massive rate. Suspension-wise there are lowered King springs all round to give better looks and cornering prowess, and there is also a set of big mud-flaps dangling in the breeze as the car often goes off-road thrashing.
There is also a major sound system with a 15-inch sub and a neon light on the dash that pulses to pounding of the big woofer. Future plans for the Rex include a full 3" exhaust system, Autronic computer, STi turbo and a front-mounted intercooler. The aim is to run 1.3-1.5 Bar boost and drop the 0-100 time to the low 4s - that should be the trick to get the better of Dad's big cat.
But this 98-model Jaguar XJR saloon is enough to get performance car freaks foaming at the mouth. Powered by a 4-litre Twin Supercharged V8, it produces 380hp and a stupendous 510Nm of torque - all out of the box! With the Mercedes automatic gearbox and traction control, the Jag distinguishes itself as it pushes from 0-100km/h in 5.3 seconds with 100% consistency.
Breezing along on 18-inch mag wheels that wear Pirelli P-Zero sticky stuff the car handles formidably for such a large piece of gear.
The cars suspension also uses computer aided Bilsteins, which is termed "CATS" by Jaguar. And being a luxury car, there's enough interior comfort and gizmology to keep anyone entertained.
Simon asked us to mention his Subaru chat room at WRXCHAT@EGROUPS.COM and wrxchat-subscribe@egroups.com - so check it out if you're a Subie fan!
Bob and John's David and Goliath
The Pukekohe Park raceway seems to be THE motorsport place to be in NZ - the name seems to pop up all over the place! We received an email from Bob and John Prangnell who took their strikingly different cars to a recent small club sport meeting, where the emphasis was reputedly "more on having fun than cut-throat racing". Nevertheless, in Bob's first-ever event he drove his 1991 Nissan Skyline GT-R to a near-victory - beaten only by his brother!
Powered by the RB26DETT 2.6-litre twin turbo engine, the car is now considerably quicker than the already quick standard car. It uses a modified airbox and Trust filter, a Greddy Profec B boost controller running about 1Bar boost (which equates to about 350hp), and a 180km/h speed-cut jumper. An aftermarket Japanese 3 inch exhaust system with extra high flow is also fitted.
The brakes are bettered with race pads and Motul hi-performance fluid, while a new set of factory discs is on their way as the originals have now started cracking. Aggressive 17" OZ Racing split rims clad in Yokohama A510 245/40 ensure there is plenty of grip, combined with the all-wheel drive system plus there is also Trust strut braces front and rear.
Bob's brother John drives the yellow Fraser 7 (a NZ made Lotus 7 based kit car) powered by a 2-litre 3SGE Toyota MR2 motor with approximately 175 hp.
Induction is via two Weber 45 DCOE carbs, while exhaust gasses leave through a set of Fraser-made extractors. A T50 Toyota 5-speed gearbox is bolted up with a Ford Anglia tailshaft taking it to a Nissan Sylvia (or Cefiro) diff with a 4.36:1 viscous LSD centre. Cut down Sylvia driveshafts lead to Sylvia hubs, mounted on Fraser de Dion suspension. Spax shocks with coil-overs are fitted too.
Its front suspension is fabricated with uneven length wishbones, and the front upright is a modified Cortina item. Inboard springs and shocks are mounted vertically being actuated by push rods and rocker arm arrangement. The rear brakes are standard Nissan Sylvia, while the fronts are Mazda 323 ventilated discs with Willwood 4-pot calipers.
With a tubular steel space frame chassis forming the shape, the bodywork and floor which is made from aluminium. However, the guards and nose cone on John's car are made from Kevlar/carbon fibre composite. The lightweight car rides on 14x6 and 15x7 wheels, with Bridgestone RE710 205/50/15s and 195/55/14s worn front and rear respectively. Impressively, the car can crack the ¼ mile in an easy 14.2 seconds and has a top speed of over 200km/h (accelerating very slowly by that stage).
In the recent event, Bob and John both made it into fastest group of cars, and in the third pairing saw them lined up against each other. John had a qualifying time of 74.1secs, and Bob was a whisker behind on 74.39. Bob took the lead into the first corner, (John having "fluffed" a gearchange) and managed to keep in front for 2 of the 3 laps - until the Fraser got by on the last lap. They crossed the line maybe half a second apart, with "big stupid grins on our faces".
But it seems John won't have such an easy time in the Fraser at the next meeting. Bob is planning to run 1.2 bar of boost to get the score even...
Top Fuel Terrors
As a follow-up to our feature on RC cars, Magnus Berglund showed us some of their small haulers from Sweden. It seems the 1/8 scale drag cars are popular big-time over there - some are REALLY quick! Rumour is, the guys and gals up there are running the fastest 1/8 gas cars in the world - with a 50.29 meter track sprinted in a best time of 2.18 seconds at 133.5km/h! Yeeow!
And one those crazy Swedes has gone even further - attempting to power his funnycar with rockets! As Magnus writes, "Who wouldn't like to see a funnycar burning up the track"... So far, the guy's made three passes trying to decide which rockets to use, as some of the engines "burning time" was too short. For the time being, it's using no less than 6 model rocket engines to push it along, and while there are a couple of bugs to sort out, he'll be back with more power - guaranteed!
These cars are a 1/8 scale of a Top Fuel Dragster and are about one meter in length. All measurements for tyres, wings and body are simply taken from the NHRA rulebook and divided by eight. They use a 3.5cc engine (usually with a tuned exhaust) and the poor motor revs to around 47,000rpm at the finish line. Various exhaust systems have been tested, but the most powerful (and loudest) is the "Tuned Speed Exhaust". Many competitors found by change the length of the system they can move the engine's torque curve up and down within the rev range.
These babies even drink a mix of Nitromethane, Methanol and Oil - usually 70% Nitro, 25% Methanol and 5% Castrol M-oil. Plus they have a RC car chassis dyno available to test mods etc!
There is a 3.5cc capacity limit, the transmission is free, fuel is free and so is the exhaust. The minimum weight is 2800g and there are rules relating to wheelbase and tyre dimensions also.
The thing that has been failing the most on these engines is the bearing in the bottom end of the con-rod. This bearing has to take most of the beating, and some just cry enough. That's not a real problem though, as some competitors are willing to lend engines in the spirit of the competition! Now that's a sport!
They are currently planning a new season at the moment, and the new track will have brand new asphalt in around a month's time. Apparently the Swedish military had driven over it with a tank - so they'll be paying for the renovation!!! Oops.
See these magnificent machines at www.welcome.to/mtfa
Part of the Family
Nissan's 180SX turbo is quickly becoming a popular choice of high-performance car. Here's Eddie and Joanne's example that they picked out in Japan in October 1998, and saw it arrive in their hometown of Melbourne in early November. No messing around here eh! Like many Japanese-import cars, it even arrived decorated and enhanced with some nice aftermarket bits and pieces.
Like a 3½ inch cat-back exhaust system, tasteful 16-inch rims and a turbo timer. But the temptation to increase the boost quickly proved too much, as the car now has a petrol on/off solenoid plumbed into the end of a wastegate tee. This gives the ability to swap from a standard 9psi, to a push-you-back-in-the-seat 16psi.
However, in the near future the car will be given a larger intercooler, T28 turbo, aftermarket blow-off valve, 300ZX disc brake conversion and perhaps water injection. You see, it does start to ping a bit on 16psi when the outside temperature is too high. This 180SX already came plump with power windows, power mirrors, climate control, head-up display, electric sunroof, ABS and HICAS 4WS. The audio system is now a mix of a Kenwood 6-stacker CD and quality Infinity speakers.
Eddie and Joanne didn't particularly like the standard interior or the finish of the original paint. So they had the interior re-trimmed with grey and burgundy velour, and the exterior finished in Cranberry metallic paint with blue pearl mixed in with the clear.
The car is thoroughly "loved to bits" and while it isn't a show car, it's great for a daily driver with two young children. You can keep your damn people movers!
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