Check this out!

[Fiatchris]

I am normally the coolest bit of 80s metal in any car park, this Sunday at Coventry Air Museum model show I was sorely challenged......

[alfasuddriver]

Nice!

[Johnboy]

Very cool !

[alfasuddriver]

This would stand out amongst the Audis at my work car park!

[PETROLHEAD]

There's a very good example just on the Aviary end of the embankment at the edge of the Meadows Chris

All silver iirc, have you ever seen it?

[Fiatchris]

No? Not seen it, is it on the road?

Chris

[Alfasixnut]

I wonder if it has a different engine under that bonnet hump?
We had two Chevettes back in the 70's, one metallic green, which was the trade in for our Sud, then that was traded for a powder blue Chevette.

[PETROLHEAD]

Well if original its a HSR which was the 2300cc motor and the hump was part of the homologated bodykit, but it would certainly allow for "other" engines too i'd guess!

[KevJTD]

the HSR engine was also canted over by a similar amount to the sunbeam lotus (still not sure if the HSR and lotus engine are related....), the carbs were on a curved manifold so that they sat level. which would put them up where that bulge is I guess?
used to see quite a few out when we were rallying, very nimble car being such a short wheelbase.

[Kegsti66]

Here,s one.

[Fiatchris]

Very nice! Never got the Vauxhall thing, but remember loving the Silver and Gold Mantas when I was a kid.Also loved the X19.... and that led to 12 years of fun and games!

[PETROLHEAD]

Yeah i always liked an original hsr, quite cool and they were bloody quick and successful racers too.


Quite a few "replicas" were spawned locally, mostly using old Victor lumps and stuff, most were pretty naff if i recall correctly! Lol!

[Spacenut]

Very nice. I used to be able to tell the difference between the HS and HSR but can't remember now

I had an earlier "Droop Snoot" Firenza coupe, with a Blydenstein SOHC engine. I used a rally camshaft for the road, big valve head and twin Dellorto DHLA 48s. All this and a continuous 3" bore exhaust with a "nest of vipers" exhaust manifold resulted in around 170 bhp at the flywheel and a thirst for four-star that put the Baccaruda to shame!

(average of 15 mpg, now that you're asking, although I did see 9 mpg once...)

As long as it hasn't been converted to a Ford Pinto I don't care. Nice paint job too!

Lauren

[PETROLHEAD]

(average of 15 mpg, now that you're asking, although I did see 9 mpg once...)

As long as it hasn't been converted to a Ford Pinto I don't care. Nice paint job too!

Lauren

I could live with the atrocious mpg for a 170 horse droop snoot, but a transplant Pinto?

Oh my goodness No!

[Spacenut]

Quite right!

Incidentally, when Lotus developed the 900-series engine, they used the same bore and centres as the Vauxhall 2-litre SOHC engine. So the Lotus twin-cam heads bolt straight onto the Vauxhall block. In fact, the first Lotus cylinder head ended up in a Bedford CF van! The homologation Chevette HS actually used this hybrid engine and was a source of some controversy at the time.

My plan for the Droop Snoot was to upgrade to a Lotus head engine. I had one lined for it, which even had machined O-rings (no head gasket required), but the Baccaruda came along...

Lauren

[PETROLHEAD]

I do love your history lessons Lauren, always very very interesting.

Its funny you should mention the CF, always a favourite of mine actually, and i recall a friend having a facelift cf2 years ago, and although i dont recall which of the many engine options it had, i do remember that it bloody flew!

When emptyish, it could embarass many supposedly capable cars from the lights, it was great!

[Spacenut]

Yes, I always liked the CF too, and not just because the first Novas used their tail lights (mounted sideways). Mechanically they were very similar to the Droop Snoot, you could even order a ZF 5-speed transmission for them, although apparently they couldn't be swapped into the HC shell (I did ask).

Vauxhall's plan for a flagship motor involved putting two slant-4 blocks together to make an all-iron 4 litre SOHC per-bank V8. They made around a dozen trial engines, including a V8 diesel, before the 1973 Arab oil embargo hit...

...And down in South Africa, where they like driving European chassis with big engines (like the 3-litre homologation GTV6), you could get an idea of what Vauxhall had in mind with the Basil Von Rooyen "Little Chev" Firenza CanAm, which used a TransAm (race series, not Pontiac) specification 302 c.i. V8 with a Holden Torana back axle. There's a couple of examples here in the UK, out of a total of 99 built...

I'm a mine of useless information!

Lauren

[Sud 145]

Just watched the Canam on youtube - what an awesome sound.

[PETROLHEAD]

I had read somewhere that there were some plans to use some large (ish) holden branded motors in a few vauxhalls of that era. But few if any became anything sellable, big shame, i may have a tested allegiance!

Back to the hsr lump, i always liked the stepped cam enclosures and slant angle, but never studied what that meant was going on inside.

I'll have a scout round for a schematic me thinks...