Light, fast, practical?

[Strudul]

I recently picked up a Chimaera, but already starting to plan my next purchase, as you do

Got a pretty specific set of requirements, but struggling to meet them with anything other than more TVRs:

• <1300kg
• >300bhp/ton
• Low seating position (balls tickling the floor, low)
• Close steering wheel (being tall, I often find the wheel too far away once leg adjustment is sorted)
• Good storage (let's say ~2 bags of golf clubs, not that it will ever be used for those particular items)
• NA preferred
• 6 / 8 cylinder preferred
• Front mounted engine preferred
• Auto or manual is fine
• 2 or 4 seats
• RHD
• RWD
• Budget of £10k / £20k / £30k, lets see what you can find in each tier

Obviously if you remove the weight requirement it's pretty easy, but unfortunately that's the key thing I'm after.

Any ideas? All I can think of is TVRs, or engine swapped / highly modified 90's stuff.

Cheers

[Jag_NE]

Ducati.

[Strudul]

Jag_NE said:

Ducati.

Seat's about 2 foot too high, but I suppose you could argue the golf club carrying ability in theory

[jeremyc]

Lotus Evora



410bhp, around 300bhp/ton (depending on model), a bit of boot space.

You might have to up your budget though ...

[jeremyc]

Or a Jaguar E-Type semi lightweight.



Even more budget required.

[cerb4.5lee]

jeremyc said:

Lotus Evora



410bhp, around 300bhp/ton (depending on model), a bit of boot space.

You might have to up your budget though ...

They are over 1300kg though aren't they?

[bobbysmithy]

cerb4.5lee said:

They are over 1300kg though aren't they?

A little but don’t feel it

[jeremyc]

cerb4.5lee said:

They are over 1300kg though aren't they?

GT410 Sport is 1297kg.

Bell and Colvill said:

The development of the new Evora GT410 Sport afforded Lotus the opportunity to optimise mass, resulting in an unladen weight of 1,297 kg and a lightest possible dry weight of 1,256 kg (including all the optional titanium exhaust, saving 10 kg, and the Lotus-tuned Öhlins TTX aluminium two-way adjustable dampers, saving 13 kg) – a total saving of 98 kg when compared to the Evora 400 benchmark, and up to 28 kg less than the already featherweight Evora Sport 410.

[cerb4.5lee]

jeremyc said:

cerb4.5lee said:

They are over 1300kg though aren't they?

GT410 Sport is 1297kg.

Bell and Colvill said:

The development of the new Evora GT410 Sport afforded Lotus the opportunity to optimise mass, resulting in an unladen weight of 1,297 kg and a lightest possible dry weight of 1,256 kg (including all the optional titanium exhaust, saving 10 kg, and the Lotus-tuned Öhlins TTX aluminium two-way adjustable dampers, saving 13 kg) – a total saving of 98 kg when compared to the Evora 400 benchmark, and up to 28 kg less than the already featherweight Evora Sport 410.

Fair play!

[samoht]

RX-7 hits a lot of those,

Can make 400hp on the standard turbos with appropriate mods, or go for a reasonably small single.
1275kg
Low seating position
Steering wheel - I fitted a dished one to bring it closer
Storage - plenty between miniature rear seats and boot
NA - no although the sequential turbos are perhaps the next best thing
6/8 cylinder - rotary is smooth and powerful, more akin to a straight six than a four-pot
FR layout - yes, with 50:50 balance and low moment of inertia
Auto or Manual available
2 or 4 seats available
Budget - probably in the £20-£30k range now with 400hp.


Now it is high maintenance, but given how hard it is to find a car with all the above attributes it's worth considering. Another option is to find one with an LS swap, which then genuinely hits all your marks.

[samoht]

Harry weighed a Boxster GTS 4.0 at 1281kg https://youtu.be/33SC1IHld9Q?t=274 , which then gives it the required power:weight ratio. I think that then hits all your marks except the front engine and the price; perhaps in a few years they'll be available for £30k. But I think that suggests that a brand new car with all these attributes will cost considerably more than the budget.

[ZX10R NIN]

Not N/A but the RX-7 would be the pick:

https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/10751136

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mazda-Rx7-Single-Turbo/...

https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/10094286

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mazda-rx7-1999/13358024...

Or you could get a V8 converted one & that really will tick every box

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MAZDA-RX7-6-0-LS2-V8-RO...

[Strudul]

An LS FD RX7 has been on my radar for a long time now, keep checking classifieds for them, but they are pretty rare. FC RX7 / GT86 / S13 / S2K with an LS or 1UZ would also do the job, but just trying to work out if I've missed something a bit more standard.

Edited by Strudul on Thursday 3rd December 13:04