Looking to get into an Integrale 16v

[HaylingJag]

Bit of advice/inspiration into a 16v.

Back in the day i went through 3 HF Turbos and always aspired to an Integrale, however, one thing or another prevented this.
Moving on 25 years i now have a couple of Jags, MX5 turbo and a more recently acquired Griffith 500.
XKR convertable cant be sold as my wife would chop my nuts off and the XJR TWR is the only 4 door car in the household and although i only put 600 miles on it last year I still feel a need for a 4 door....This leads on to the Griff, bought on impulse as a long term keeper but im not really feeling it. Not as comfy or compliant as the Jags on an A road or motorway blast and nowhere near the MX Turbo when it comes to B road hoonage.

Idea is to sell the Griff and the XJR and go for an Integrale 16v, unfortunately the Evo's have gotten away from me price wise but i figure i can get a nice 16 valver or even an 8v for 20-25K.

Is there a major difference between the 16 and 8v? Which would be the preferred choice?

Any advice on preference, will i be disappointed with how it drives, meeting your hero's and all that, or are they really as good as the hype ???Ideally if there is anyone around the South Coast/Hampshire region that has one, and would take me for a run, that would be awesome.

So basically, sell the concept to me,

Thanks in advance
Darren

[DELTAHPE]

Engine wise I think there's a lot to be said for the 8 valve, back in the day the 16v in various cars was rather prone to belt failure, I feel they maybe stretched to old TC design too far with the 16v but it's just a personal opinion and others will differ.

[BlueStreak]

Are they really as good as the hype? Depends what you're expecting. If you're comparing it to more modern stuff then no; even fairly mundane stuff will run rings around it in so many measures. I also had a HF Turbo ie back in the day (I loved that car) and aspired to an integrale so nostalgia is strong for me. I've had my 16v for 7 years now and love it but it is a 30 year old car so I don't use its full performance out of mechanical sympathy. It rattles and squeaks but I reckon they did that from new. But on the right road it's wonderful, so delicate and connected you become one with the car. It is absolutely fast enough but it's no rocket ship, my wife's 120d would run rings round it in a straight line and in the corners!

The problem is finding a good one. I looked for a few years until I found mine, and since then there's only been a few for sale that I would have said were good. So buy very carefully. Whatever you buy will cost money, I reckon mine has averaged £1k per year in keeping it well maintained.

[keith HF]

I had a 16v before buying an Evo, and there's not a huge difference in performance. As has been said above a standard integrale isn't that fast by modern standards, but the steering handling and balance are sublime.
And add some braces to the rear end and you can dial out the low speed understeer.
I'm in Hampshire, Romsey but like i said have a modified Evo 2, but your welcome to have a look round it.