In the sixties if you wanted more power out of your Mini, Austin Healey Sprite, Austin A40 or Morris Minor the Shorrock and Judson superchargers were about the best as you can get. This very rare Shorrock supercharged A-Series engine is going into one of the FIA race car Austin Healey Sprites we are currently building.
This 1973 Jensen Interceptor with 7.2 L Chrysler V8 engine runs but has seen too many years in the Texas sun. A modern drivetrain and styling is in the works for this transformation.
This vintage Rotary-Engined Pickup (REPU) is a restored example of the second generation Mazda B-Series pickups. The 1974 Mazda REPU was the first year for a rotary engine in a pickup which had a four-port 1.3-liter 13B four-barrel carbureted engine. 15,000 units were built.
In July of 1951 the MG TD2 pictured in white on the right was introduced which came with many upgrades over the standard TD. Although both of these TD are 1952 models the red car on the left is a “competition” version designated the TD/C Mark II which came factory will all of the competition equipment that MG offered such as dual shocks on each corner and a more powerful high compression engine.
The GT body style was first introduced in 1964 with a Volvo B18 unit with overdrive gearbox and De Dion rear axle. In 1966 they switched to the Ford Kent “Formula Ford” engine. The plywood chassis was glued together from 386 separate pieces and was not only light and strong. Although most people have never heard of Marcos which ceased production in 2007 you have heard of the drivers who raced them. Among the drivers were Jackie Stewart, Bill Moss, John Sutton, Jack Gates, John Mitchell and Jackie Oliver, as well as Jem Marsh.
This Sprite arrived in typical fashion exactly as you see pictured here. The owner has decided to put on hold the 1958 Sprite we started and move the racing engine and suspension over to this car instead and then restore the other car to a more factory condition. This car has signs of being an old race car with the roll bar cut off near the mounts and when finished will be faster than ever.
Rolls Royce has famously advertised the horsepower of their cars as either “adequate” or “sufficient” instead of printing an actual number. Today we find out if the power made by the 6.25 Liter Rolls Royce V8 in this 1961 Silver Cloud is actually adequate.
Running this Shelby GT500 Super Snake first on 91 octane pump gas and then on 98 octane Sunoco racing fuel confirmed what we saw two weeks ago with the GT350 that these cars will greatly benefit from higher octane fuels. The Super Snake saw an increase of 46 hp giving it around 740 gross horsepower.
The engine for the 1966 Volkswagen Beetle has finally arrived from GEX International and this extra power from the dual port heads should be a huge improvement. GEX offers a 36 month warranty on this engine and claim they have run them all on the bench before shipping.
Fifty years after the original Shelby GT350 a new one is now available in dealerships. Ford rates this 2016 Shelby GT350 at 526 hp but it wasn’t until we drained out the premium pump gas and put 98 octane Sunoco race fuel through it that we were able to see those numbers. To our surprise switching fuels netted a gain of 25.5 horsepower with this car.
The Lotus engine is rebuilt and sitting again now in the 1973 Jensen-Healey. Without the intake manifold and carburetors mounted the Lotus 907 engine looks tilted 45 degrees. This early Jensen-Healey is only a few hundred before they made the first big revisions to the model. The later Series II and JH-5 models seem more common at shows.
Jensen used Chrysler V8 engines for the Interceptor with a 4-barrel carburetor 440 c.i. engine they produced 305 hp SAE net. Mated to an automatic transmission this car was a true GT that could cross continents effortlessly.
We have had the DynoJet for just shy of a year now and by the end of the year it will have seen a fair share of interesting makes and models. The DynoJet is great for much more than just finding out how much power or torque a car makes. You can analyze the fuel to air mixture, ignition condition, finding leaks, engine break-in, and even aero dynamic effects on gearing.
Built by Drauz in Heilbronn this car is the rarest of the production Porsche 356 models ever manufactured for a full year. The Convertible D was meant to be a “weekend racer” and was built with a removable windshield among other significant differences from the Speedster.
175 CD-2 Stromberg Carburetors will usually be finicky especially when your engine has four of them. Although this Jaguar ran pretty good it was leaking fuel, oil and leaving its aroma on the passengers after a drive. The leaking fuel had stained the jaguars front frame members which needed a repaint and general cleanup. With everything polished, cleaned and rebuilt the passengers can enjoy the smells of the scenery and not of the car.
This Chrysler 440 cu.in. V8 powered British classic is ready to prowl once again. Only 267 convertible Jensen Interceptors were made making these cars a rare site at any show.
It was time to pull out some classic software to diagnose and check the 1990 Lotus Esprit Turbo. This software is the best and sometimes only way to diagnose the complex brake system on these cars.
One has to wonder if an International Metro has ever been on a dyno before. The old Silver Diamond 220 doesn’t make much horsepower but it has plenty of torque.
It was a pleasure to have this land speed record holding two stroke SAAB Sonett at the shop today. Hearing this car on the dyno is not for those who do not like loud noises. See this car tomorrow in downtown Des Moines for the Des Moines Concours.
The new suspension and brakes are fitted and adjusted. Now with disc brakes and a power brake booster this car is safer on the street and has the power to stop all of this iron and glass.
