V Storm, the bike engined kit car you've been waiting for?

[treborsmada]

I've just discovered the V Storm, and even driven it!

Check out

http://www.sdrsportscars.co.uk/

The website makes it look as if it's not complete yet, but it is, and I've driven it, and I like it, and I think I'll buy one!

Half the price of an Atom, all the fun of building it yourself, and some seriously good design and engineering, pared to the bone, great looks, superb construction, oh err I'm getting excited!

What do any others think?

[Sam_68]

treborsmada said:

What do any others think?

I think I'd be more impressed if I didn't think it was being promoted by a representative of the company who has signed up to Pistonheads simply for a bit of free advertising in contravention of the site's rules.

As it happens, I've got an Aprilia engine sitting in my shed at home, but it will be going in a single-seater of my own design, not an overweight 3-seat climbing frame. 500kg?! They're having a laugh!

[treborsmada]

Hi Sam, I'm not a representative of the company, I'm a customer.

I think the V Storm will be of interest to many Piston Head members, it's the only bike engined kit car (with 4 wheels) I've found, and decent engineering as well. The website is near impossible to find on any combination of likely key words. Simon the owner is a great engineer, but he needs to get the message out, so I thought I'd help with a post on Piston Heads, hope you dont mind.

(and yes I've just signed up again with piston heads as I cant rememeber my other login, been some time since I've responded to anything on the TVR thread.

(yes I know you can put a 'busa engine in a 7, but I dont want a 7 or 7 lookalike)

[Jubal]

You are potential customer then...unless you bought one since posting?

I saw the car at Donnington this year. There were two very similar cars there, built in the Atom-esque mould. If I remember correctly this was the physically smaller of the two but it was still a pretty substantial vehicle. I hope the power is enough. I note the website hasn't changed since the late summer. How about telling the chap to put up some pics of the now finished car you drove? Just seeing one with reg plates that has actually been SVA'd would be a start.

[spyder dryver]

treborsmada said:

................... I've driven it.............

So having driven it, what were your impressions?? Do you think the maker's performance claims will be justified? What were the handling and roadholding like? How does it compare to a bike engined Seven rep?

[enginearin]

Is there any point in them quoting outrageous performance figures on their website... i don't think the car will be getting anywhere near 0-60 in 2 secs and the 0-100 in 4.8 secs is really ing ridiculous!

All that pace with only 286bhp per ton... i would say more like mid 4 secs to 60 and closer to 10sec for 0-100!

Edited to say i read it wrong (who the hell quotes 0-30mph figures!!!) and my estimates are around theirs

Edited by enginearin on Thursday 20th December 16:19

[dugt]

treborsmada said:

I've just discovered the V Storm, and even driven it!

ive driven it too

Sam_68 said:

not an overweight 3-seat climbing frame. 500kg?! They're having a laugh!

its anything but over weight

5 people can pick up the back end - we know we did

doug


treborsmada - which car did you arive in, im useless with names
i was in the GTM spyder

[Chris71]

treborsmada said:

it's the only bike engined kit car (with 4 wheels)

Hi,

V-Storm looks interesting - it's far from the only bike engine kit though. Something like half the seven clones seem to come with bike engines these days!

It is the only car I can think of with a V-twin as the specified power plant though. Maybe the torquey delivery will be well suited to a road car application (atleast compared to a CBR 900 or something).

[treborsmada]

Hi All, OK, I'm off to France in 30 mins, so will be off the net for a week, I speed read the thread, a few answers, I was in the Citroen C3 (dull or what), yes in between my first post and the second I bunged a cheque in the post, so now I really am a customer!

We tried the car at Curborough, geez was it cold, the 'track' was damp all day, the tyres were not scrubbed in, so no chance to put the power down, and I agree, a 0-60 of around 4.8 seems realistic.

So what was it like? Fun! I love the minimalism of it, especially important for a kit car, no interior to look like a old sofa, no wipers, no air bags etc. The sequential shift is a delight, the torque of the V twin is well suited to the diff/tyre ratio. 500 kg should be achievable, the Atom is 500 kg with a 4 pot Honda lump and box in it, the Aprilia unit must be lighter, I cant believe that slightly wider cross tubes is going to make much difference. Simon (the creator of the V Storm) has done a great job on the chassis, I love the inboard suspension, the welding is great, laser cut NC tubing etc, it's a serious bit of kit, hence the cheque for a deposit!

Like I said, I'm off air now, but can reply to emails to [e-mail].

There are some pictures at www.ClassicBikeHire.com/VStorm (I just put them there to share them, not pretty!) (and I know the focus isnt great, like I said it was cold, frozen shaking fingers!)

All the best, Rob

[Steve_T]

I expect this may yet be in development, but where does the airbox and filter sit - I can't see it in the pics and it's over the top of the intake trumpets on an Aprilia road bike.

Steve.

[Sam_68]

dugt said:

5 people can pick up the back end - we know we did

Their website quotes 500kg.

A decent conventional 'Seven'-style 4 cylinder bike engine can be made to weigh 70kg's less (the weight of pretty hefty girlfriend) without much difficulty. The Aprilia engine, being a magnesium V-twin, weighs in at less than a typical 4-pot bike engine (65kg all-up IIRC; certainly light enough for me to pick it up and carry it without problems). I'm confidently aiming for <300kg in road trim with my design (say, two really fat bastards lighter than the claim for the V Storm), admittedly for a single seater only with a composite monocoque.

I can lift the front (heavy) end of my car engined car off the ground on my own. With 4 assistants, I could pick the whole thing up and thow it over the hedge into next door's garden! You need to eat more spinach...

[Sam_68]

Chris71 said:

It is the only car I can think of with a V-twin as the specified power plant though.

Stuart Taylor Motorsport do the ex-Sylva Phoenix with a V-twin, I think.

[dugt]

Sam_68 said:

I can lift the front (heavy) end of my car engined car off the ground on my own. With 4 assistants, I could pick the whole thing up and thow it over the hedge into next door's garden! You need to eat more spinach...

is that lift it up as in a little bit or lift it up to put it on axel stands?

good luck with your own single seater but whats the point of only haveing one seat surely that makes it uterly impracticle (i know comeparing a car to a car wiht out doors/windscreen/bodywork and saying its impracticle is bad but bear with me here) and you cant scare your friends aswell

doug
thats just my opinion, and i do genuinly wish you luck with your own car

[Sam_68]

dugt said:

is that lift it up as in a little bit or lift it up to put it on axle stands?

That's lift it up to put it on axle stands. I know 'cos it's too low to get a jack underneath and I can never find some convenient blocks of wood to roll it onto when I need them!

But seriously... 5 people my size could pick the whole thing clean off the floor and lift it over their heads!

dugt said:

...but whats the point of only having one seat surely that makes it utterly impractical (I know comparing a car to a car without doors/windscreen/bodywork and saying its impractical is bad but bear with me here) and you can't scare your friends as well

I have other cars for when I have company. Most of my friends are racers and my girlfriend is an ex-biker, so I've given up trying to scare them... I usually end up scaring myself worse. The single seater is just for my own, selfish use, and to explore some ideas on suspension design.

[dugt]

Sam_68 said:

The single seater is just for my own, selfish use, and to explore some ideas on suspension design.

fair enough

doug

[mrmaggit]

Grinnall Scorpion III's are 400kg, plus driver and passenger, the new ones have the 170bhp BMW engine in them. Probably too much for the rear wheel to deal with in terms of traction, though.

They are a bit more than 3.5 grand, mind.

[Karlo]

I think Simon will have winner IMO. The finish work is very detailed.

[studog]

Sam68 huge respect

I am rebuilding a crossflow to go in my seven at the moment. I prefer to pick it up with a hoist.

If you can pick up 115kg of crossflow plus the rest of the front of the car high enough to put it on axle stands,on your own,I clearly need to eat what ever you do for breakfast!

[Sam_68]

No, I wasn't talking about my Sylva (Crossflow engine) - I was talking about my Westfield; K-series engine, transaxle at the back instead of a gearbox at the front, and a good 80-odd kg less total weight than my Sylva (and the Sylva is only 508 kilos)!

I wouldn't even attempt to lift the front end of the Sylva onto axle stands. I can just about carry a Crossflow engine on its own, but I wouldn't try lifting one with a gearbox and car attached!

[studog]

Is the westfield an FW400?
I have only ever seen one of those on a show stand.

Sorry just seen your profile ignore the above.

So how does the driving experience compare to other seven types form you past?

Edited by studog on Friday 7th March 12:27