'Thought I'd throw my two cents in to this dialog about V8 vs. V6 vs.
Rotary power transformations. It should be said that the Alpine was a
pretty good concept in the first place, and far exceeded the expectations
of auto revewers and critics of the time. Unlike the Tiger, The Alpine
excelled in road racing; winning its class twice in SCCA National
competition and placing in the top 3 for three additional years (not to
mention winning the index of performance at LeMans and beating the MGAs at
Sebring). Not surprisingly, at the SUNI '94 Autocross, the fastest Alpine
was just one second slower than the fastest Tiger.
But since the topic is enhancement, here are my thoughts. To my mind, the
"Ultimate Alpine" would not be a Cobra wannabe, but an elegant and refined
extension of the original concept. It would be more at home on the
racetrack than on the drag strip. It would have reasonable power, good
handling and balance, smoothness, and personality.
Before Rootes decided to cram a Ford V8 into the Alpine to satisfy So. Cal.
hot-rodders, there was discussion of a more elegant and balanced approach
to increasing power for the Alpine which would have retained the handling
characteristics and basic concept of the car. There was one initiative to
try a dual overhead cam engine like the Alfa Romeo. Apparently nothing
came of it, but the idea might be worth pursuing today.
I recently investigated this possibility, and looked at several DOHC engine
and trans options like Alfa, Saab, Ford Turbo 4, and some Japanese engines.
I did a number of measurements, and focused in on a Toyota/Yamaha hybrid
DOHC engine made for the Japanese market. A friend had ordered two of
these
engines, and had installed one in his Lotus Super 7. He found it to be
smooth, reliable, and very powerful.
Yamaha has been a long-time speed equipment supplier in Japan, and has
developed special high performance dual overhead cam heads for the Toyota
1800 and 2000 cc engines. These were engines used in the Corolla and
Celica cars, and have the same bullet-proof lower ends as the units
imported to the States. They are rated at 130 hp and 140 hp respectively,
and have dual side draft Mikuni carbs (solex patent, similar to Weber side
drafts). A variety of
Toyota transmissions will fit, and the cast iron housing of the pickup 5
speed is most recommended. I've measured the transmissions that came with
these engines, and believe they would fit into an Alpine with few
modifications.
Due to stringent safety and inspection laws, Japanese cars rarely last
beyond 3 to 5 years before being scrapped (the ultimate in planned
oblescence). The low mileage engines are pulled, checked out, and sent to
the U.S. for sale. Several importers, including the Toy Store in So. Cal.,
deal in them. When I last checked It was possible to get the twin overhead
cam Yamaha/Toyota engines, for
less than $1,000 for engine and trans ready to run. I can see several
advantages to this setup:
1. It is a logical extension of the Alpine concept, and you still have a 4
cyl. engine if your insurance agent should ask.
2. There is less need for major surgery including steering modifications,
sheet metal butchering, etc.
3. These engines appear to be similar in weight to the Alpine engine, thus
maintaining the weight distribution and the Alpine's good handling
characteristics.
4. If you're not satisfied with 140 HP, the Toy Store and other
aftermarket Toyota speed shops can supply mods to take these engines
over 200 HP. They are regularly used in racing applications, and
lower end parts are stock Toyota.
5. With conventional carburators, you don't have to worry about EFI, brain
boxes, sensors, or be an electronics wizard.
Better yet, if you want something REALLY unique, get or restore a stock
Alpine. So many have been re-engined and "donored" to rejuvenate rusty
Tigers that they are becomming endangered species.
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Tue Sep 05 2000 - 09:34:36 CDT