Klaas Zwart of Ascari's Countach&JValentine's 2bular exhaust
Discussion
The Countach makes a distinctive noise . This is a combination of a metallic timbre from its cam chains , its V12's pulsations , and its exhaust sound . At idle it is a dull bass throb - a heavy throb , particularly on start-up . As the engine warms up , the whole symphony mellows but that throb never disappears , it just becomes slightly more muted .
As the revs rise , the sound becomes slightly more high pitched , but it never screams in the way that a Ferrari 355 does . Instead , the whole range of notes just appears to progressively increase in volume . At about 7000 rpm in the lower gears , the engine and exhaust noises are the dominant sounds , drowning out wind and road noise . At high road speeds , this situation is reversed , but even at very high road speeds you can still hear those distinctive engine and exhaust noises .
I only have experience of the standard factory exhaust , and as far as I was concerned it was the bee's knees , and couldn't be bettered …. I've been perfectly happy for the last 19 years .
Then a couple of month's ago I bought an Elise S3 R from Jamie Matthews at Bell and Colvill -- one of the last of the high revving 2ZZ-GE engined cars : 189 bhp at 7800 rpm , 133 lb-ft torque at 6800 , rev limit at 8000rpm with transient bursts up to 8500 rpm - all in a 6 speed manual weighing 860 kg .
A 2010 car , with 53,000 miles and cosmetically almost showroom perfect . Mechanically the car was absolutely factory standard , except for a set of Nitron dampers .
The brief test drive was great - exactly what I was looking for - with the low torque ( even with only 860 kg ) you had to work hard for any reward .
But the sound from the Toyota engine was muted - and not in keeping with the car's looks , or the car's performance
I normally leave my cars exactly as they left the factory floor , but this Elise needed more life , in the form of more noise .
I was told that Jim Valentine at 2bular was the go to guy , and I asked him for a loud exhaust , and more specifically for the loudness to start as low down the range as possible .
And he has done just that -- in fact he has done the impossible . My wife says that this Chrome Orange Toyota 4 cylinder Elise now '' sounds and looks like a mini Arancio Atlas Murcielago Roadster '' . The growl starts at 2800 , with just the right amount of pops and bangs . And no drone at all .
Jim makes bespoke exhausts .And he likes talking cars and exhausts . Somehow we ended up talking about Countachs , and he casually said '' Some years ago I custom made an exhaust for a black Countach Anniversary for a man who owns a racetrack in southern Spain and makes ( made ) supercars -- Klass '' . Me : ''Ascari ?'' . JV : ''Yes him ''
Klass Zwart apparently phoned Jim out of the blue one day , and asked him to make a Loud , Loud , Loud exhaust for his black Anniversary . Clearly an out and out petrolhead , Zwart was apparently literally hopping on one foot in joy , as he stood listening behind his stationary Countach , while Jim revved the car with its newly fitted 2bular up to its 7000 rpm yellow line .
The next day Jim was invited to Zwart's house for breakfast , after which he was given a guided tour of Zwart's car collection , and finally commissioned to make a couple more exhausts for Zwart's Ferraris .
If Zwart , with his extensive experience of cars , was happy with his Countach's new 2bular exhaust , then it must have been something very special .
Chassis 12399 , a one previous owner 88 1/2 car , is currently absolutely factory standard , but a Jim Valentine 2bular exhaust is the one modification that truly appeals . And for the purist , it is a totally reversible modification .
I thought that the wider supercar world should be aware , that in the depths of Scotland there lurks a magician who is able to alchemy bespoke exhausts for supercars , that make truly special cars even more special . And Jim is able to custom build these exhausts to your sound specification ( within limits obviously ) , and achieve the almost impossible .
Why should Lotus owners have a monopoly on all this wizardry ?
As the revs rise , the sound becomes slightly more high pitched , but it never screams in the way that a Ferrari 355 does . Instead , the whole range of notes just appears to progressively increase in volume . At about 7000 rpm in the lower gears , the engine and exhaust noises are the dominant sounds , drowning out wind and road noise . At high road speeds , this situation is reversed , but even at very high road speeds you can still hear those distinctive engine and exhaust noises .
I only have experience of the standard factory exhaust , and as far as I was concerned it was the bee's knees , and couldn't be bettered …. I've been perfectly happy for the last 19 years .
Then a couple of month's ago I bought an Elise S3 R from Jamie Matthews at Bell and Colvill -- one of the last of the high revving 2ZZ-GE engined cars : 189 bhp at 7800 rpm , 133 lb-ft torque at 6800 , rev limit at 8000rpm with transient bursts up to 8500 rpm - all in a 6 speed manual weighing 860 kg .
A 2010 car , with 53,000 miles and cosmetically almost showroom perfect . Mechanically the car was absolutely factory standard , except for a set of Nitron dampers .
The brief test drive was great - exactly what I was looking for - with the low torque ( even with only 860 kg ) you had to work hard for any reward .
But the sound from the Toyota engine was muted - and not in keeping with the car's looks , or the car's performance
I normally leave my cars exactly as they left the factory floor , but this Elise needed more life , in the form of more noise .
I was told that Jim Valentine at 2bular was the go to guy , and I asked him for a loud exhaust , and more specifically for the loudness to start as low down the range as possible .
And he has done just that -- in fact he has done the impossible . My wife says that this Chrome Orange Toyota 4 cylinder Elise now '' sounds and looks like a mini Arancio Atlas Murcielago Roadster '' . The growl starts at 2800 , with just the right amount of pops and bangs . And no drone at all .
Jim makes bespoke exhausts .And he likes talking cars and exhausts . Somehow we ended up talking about Countachs , and he casually said '' Some years ago I custom made an exhaust for a black Countach Anniversary for a man who owns a racetrack in southern Spain and makes ( made ) supercars -- Klass '' . Me : ''Ascari ?'' . JV : ''Yes him ''
Klass Zwart apparently phoned Jim out of the blue one day , and asked him to make a Loud , Loud , Loud exhaust for his black Anniversary . Clearly an out and out petrolhead , Zwart was apparently literally hopping on one foot in joy , as he stood listening behind his stationary Countach , while Jim revved the car with its newly fitted 2bular up to its 7000 rpm yellow line .
The next day Jim was invited to Zwart's house for breakfast , after which he was given a guided tour of Zwart's car collection , and finally commissioned to make a couple more exhausts for Zwart's Ferraris .
If Zwart , with his extensive experience of cars , was happy with his Countach's new 2bular exhaust , then it must have been something very special .
Chassis 12399 , a one previous owner 88 1/2 car , is currently absolutely factory standard , but a Jim Valentine 2bular exhaust is the one modification that truly appeals . And for the purist , it is a totally reversible modification .
I thought that the wider supercar world should be aware , that in the depths of Scotland there lurks a magician who is able to alchemy bespoke exhausts for supercars , that make truly special cars even more special . And Jim is able to custom build these exhausts to your sound specification ( within limits obviously ) , and achieve the almost impossible .
Why should Lotus owners have a monopoly on all this wizardry ?
Edited by carspath on Friday 13th March 23:43
Hi carspath,
I just came across this post. Unless Klaas Zwart owned to black Countach Anniversarys, the car you’re talking about would have been my Countach. Unfortunately it no longer has that exhaust as I have a receipt in its history file for a sports exhaust from Carrera Sport.
I just wondered if Jim Valentine told you anything else interesting about this occasion or the car?
Thanks,
TSS
I just came across this post. Unless Klaas Zwart owned to black Countach Anniversarys, the car you’re talking about would have been my Countach. Unfortunately it no longer has that exhaust as I have a receipt in its history file for a sports exhaust from Carrera Sport.
I just wondered if Jim Valentine told you anything else interesting about this occasion or the car?
Thanks,
TSS
carspath said:
The Countach makes a distinctive noise . This is a combination of a metallic timbre from its cam chains , its V12's pulsations , and its exhaust sound . At idle it is a dull bass throb - a heavy throb , particularly on start-up . As the engine warms up , the whole symphony mellows but that throb never disappears , it just becomes slightly more muted .
As the revs rise , the sound becomes slightly more high pitched , but it never screams in the way that a Ferrari 355 does . Instead , the whole range of notes just appears to progressively increase in volume . At about 7000 rpm in the lower gears , the engine and exhaust noises are the dominant sounds , drowning out wind and road noise . At high road speeds , this situation is reversed , but even at very high road speeds you can still hear those distinctive engine and exhaust noises .
I only have experience of the standard factory exhaust , and as far as I was concerned it was the bee's knees , and couldn't be bettered …. I've been perfectly happy for the last 19 years .
Then a couple of month's ago I bought an Elise S3 R from Jamie Matthews at Bell and Colvill -- one of the last of the high revving 2ZZ-GE engined cars : 189 bhp at 7800 rpm , 133 lb-ft torque at 6800 , rev limit at 8000rpm with transient bursts up to 8500 rpm - all in a 6 speed manual weighing 860 kg .
A 2010 car , with 53,000 miles and cosmetically almost showroom perfect . Mechanically the car was absolutely factory standard , except for a set of Nitron dampers .
The brief test drive was great - exactly what I was looking for - with the low torque ( even with only 860 kg ) you had to work hard for any reward .
But the sound from the Toyota engine was muted - and not in keeping with the car's looks , or the car's performance
I normally leave my cars exactly as they left the factory floor , but this Elise needed more life , in the form of more noise .
I was told that Jim Valentine at 2bular was the go to guy , and I asked him for a loud exhaust , and more specifically for the loudness to start as low down the range as possible .
And he has done just that -- in fact he has done the impossible . My wife says that this Chrome Orange Toyota 4 cylinder Elise now '' sounds and looks like a mini Arancio Atlas Murcielago Roadster '' . The growl starts at 2800 , with just the right amount of pops and bangs . And no drone at all .
Jim makes bespoke exhausts .And he likes talking cars and exhausts . Somehow we ended up talking about Countachs , and he casually said '' Some years ago I custom made an exhaust for a black Countach Anniversary for a man who owns a racetrack in southern Spain and makes ( made ) supercars -- Klass '' . Me : ''Ascari ?'' . JV : ''Yes him ''
Klass Zwart apparently phoned Jim out of the blue one day , and asked him to make a Loud , Loud , Loud exhaust for his black Anniversary . Clearly an out and out petrolhead , Zwart was apparently literally hopping on one foot in joy , as he stood listening behind his stationary Countach , while Jim revved the car with its newly fitted 2bular up to its 7000 rpm yellow line .
The next day Jim was invited to Zwart's house for breakfast , after which he was given a guided tour of Zwart's car collection , and finally commissioned to make a couple more exhausts for Zwart's Ferraris .
If Zwart , with his extensive experience of cars , was happy with his Countach's new 2bular exhaust , then it must have been something very special .
Chassis 12399 , a one previous owner 88 1/2 car , is currently absolutely factory standard , but a Jim Valentine 2bular exhaust is the one modification that truly appeals . And for the purist , it is a totally reversible modification .
I thought that the wider supercar world should be aware , that in the depths of Scotland there lurks a magician who is able to alchemy bespoke exhausts for supercars , that make truly special cars even more special . And Jim is able to custom build these exhausts to your sound specification ( within limits obviously ) , and achieve the almost impossible .
Why should Lotus owners have a monopoly on all this wizardry ?
Spoke to Jim on a couple of occasions when i was thinking about changing the exhaust on my Countach and then again for the Gallardo. He is a lovely guy ,a real petrol head and we could have talked for a week about cars.Has a real interest and passion for what he does.As the revs rise , the sound becomes slightly more high pitched , but it never screams in the way that a Ferrari 355 does . Instead , the whole range of notes just appears to progressively increase in volume . At about 7000 rpm in the lower gears , the engine and exhaust noises are the dominant sounds , drowning out wind and road noise . At high road speeds , this situation is reversed , but even at very high road speeds you can still hear those distinctive engine and exhaust noises .
I only have experience of the standard factory exhaust , and as far as I was concerned it was the bee's knees , and couldn't be bettered …. I've been perfectly happy for the last 19 years .
Then a couple of month's ago I bought an Elise S3 R from Jamie Matthews at Bell and Colvill -- one of the last of the high revving 2ZZ-GE engined cars : 189 bhp at 7800 rpm , 133 lb-ft torque at 6800 , rev limit at 8000rpm with transient bursts up to 8500 rpm - all in a 6 speed manual weighing 860 kg .
A 2010 car , with 53,000 miles and cosmetically almost showroom perfect . Mechanically the car was absolutely factory standard , except for a set of Nitron dampers .
The brief test drive was great - exactly what I was looking for - with the low torque ( even with only 860 kg ) you had to work hard for any reward .
But the sound from the Toyota engine was muted - and not in keeping with the car's looks , or the car's performance
I normally leave my cars exactly as they left the factory floor , but this Elise needed more life , in the form of more noise .
I was told that Jim Valentine at 2bular was the go to guy , and I asked him for a loud exhaust , and more specifically for the loudness to start as low down the range as possible .
And he has done just that -- in fact he has done the impossible . My wife says that this Chrome Orange Toyota 4 cylinder Elise now '' sounds and looks like a mini Arancio Atlas Murcielago Roadster '' . The growl starts at 2800 , with just the right amount of pops and bangs . And no drone at all .
Jim makes bespoke exhausts .And he likes talking cars and exhausts . Somehow we ended up talking about Countachs , and he casually said '' Some years ago I custom made an exhaust for a black Countach Anniversary for a man who owns a racetrack in southern Spain and makes ( made ) supercars -- Klass '' . Me : ''Ascari ?'' . JV : ''Yes him ''
Klass Zwart apparently phoned Jim out of the blue one day , and asked him to make a Loud , Loud , Loud exhaust for his black Anniversary . Clearly an out and out petrolhead , Zwart was apparently literally hopping on one foot in joy , as he stood listening behind his stationary Countach , while Jim revved the car with its newly fitted 2bular up to its 7000 rpm yellow line .
The next day Jim was invited to Zwart's house for breakfast , after which he was given a guided tour of Zwart's car collection , and finally commissioned to make a couple more exhausts for Zwart's Ferraris .
If Zwart , with his extensive experience of cars , was happy with his Countach's new 2bular exhaust , then it must have been something very special .
Chassis 12399 , a one previous owner 88 1/2 car , is currently absolutely factory standard , but a Jim Valentine 2bular exhaust is the one modification that truly appeals . And for the purist , it is a totally reversible modification .
I thought that the wider supercar world should be aware , that in the depths of Scotland there lurks a magician who is able to alchemy bespoke exhausts for supercars , that make truly special cars even more special . And Jim is able to custom build these exhausts to your sound specification ( within limits obviously ) , and achieve the almost impossible .
Why should Lotus owners have a monopoly on all this wizardry ?
Edited by carspath on Friday 13th March 23:43
TSS and rat rod .... my apologies for the delay in responding .
I,ll alert Jim to this thread and see if he has any further info to add re that Countach .
And yes he,s a genuine petrolhead .
I always felt guilty taking up his time when chatting cars , as once you got either of us started , we would go on forever .
For McLaren owners ... I believe that Jim and 2bular are starting to / considering making exhausts for your cars .
I have a new to me 2010 Elise R ... low torque 2ZZ model that forces you to rev it to make progress ( revs to 8000 , and 8500 transiently ) , and Jim,s exhaust is amazing in that car .
I can only imagine what it must be like in a McLaren .
I,ll alert Jim to this thread and see if he has any further info to add re that Countach .
And yes he,s a genuine petrolhead .
I always felt guilty taking up his time when chatting cars , as once you got either of us started , we would go on forever .
For McLaren owners ... I believe that Jim and 2bular are starting to / considering making exhausts for your cars .
I have a new to me 2010 Elise R ... low torque 2ZZ model that forces you to rev it to make progress ( revs to 8000 , and 8500 transiently ) , and Jim,s exhaust is amazing in that car .
I can only imagine what it must be like in a McLaren .
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