The V8 Owners Forum -

Hi guys

Have any of you seen the project in development to break the ring record using an MG and a seriously re-worked rover v8 - using lotus cylinder heads - custom 4.0 crank (flat plane) - twin charged cooled turbo - braced block etc.

Is in practical performance car this month and last - not yet finished but one hell of a project!!! Sometimes you really have to take your hat off!

Will put some pictures from the mag on later!

Has anybody else seen it?? Pel - they may end up breathing down your neck for the fastest MG;-)

Give us a link DJ !!

Eagerly waiting for pics

Keep an eye out Thursday this week for next edition, it should explain how he has converted 2 lotus 907 twin cam heads and bolted them on, same bore spacing apparently! Awesome stuff.

That looks like an exciting project for sure. I wonder what other internal mods will be needed to the engine for the 1000hp target ??

If the publishers of PPC are reading - I am sorry for this breach of IP - but we are very grateful for articles like this that we are passionate about.

I am also a long term subscriber:-)

I love the products of people with big ideas and deep pockets!!

Hi
this idea was on British V8 forum in the states some years ago, I don't think they got it running though. 1000 bhp out of 4 litres on a rover bottom end even with a pair of turbos I don't think the bottom end will hold out and 10k revs may be possible for a few seconds but for it to be usable there is more to it than just a flat plane crank like ballancer shafts. . . As with more and more power claims for rovers at the moment I have the urge to call the donkey sanctuary and report another case of cruelty
best regards
Mike

kiwicar wrote:Hi
... but for it to be usable there is more to it than just a flat plane crank like ballancer shafts. . . As with more and more power claims for rovers at the moment I have the urge to call the donkey sanctuary and report another case of cruelty
best regards
Mike

I wondered about that as I read what they were doing. I know nothing about balance shafts RE flat plane cranks etc, but could they not utilize the old camshaft location to have a balance shaft, or do they have to be in a specific location or one per bank or something? Would they also be limited as to crank stroke without balance shafts?

I sometimes pondered why an OHC conversion was never engineered by BMW or whoever for a production RV8. Just assumed the basic block design wasn't good enough to bother?

If they have the skills and the money, why not. A waste of both IMO. Even if they do manage 1000bhp, and manage to get it to hold together for more than a few minutes on full chat, the MGB aerodynamics, never mind the chassis, aren't going to allow it anywhere near the 'ring record, even with a truck load of aero bolted on.

They would do well to aim for a solid, lower power rating and better control/application of that power. Baffles me why some people think slinging in a 1000bhp engine is going to make a record breaker in anything. Just look at the Hennessey cars - fast in a straight line but not much else.

Looks and reads like an expensive penis-pub-project.

Like most PPC "projects" these are just started to get some good copy and then get quietly binned then they realise they have run out of gaffa tape and bodging skills.

Having said that, there is a 900BHP twin turbo RV8 down at Beaulieu in the MG land speed record car. Had a big pair of Garrett turbo's on it:

Mike
The main caps are custom billet
The block is heavily braced with 3 inch thin I steel plate in the valley.
The sump is a custom billet item that will actually be stressed and an part of the structural integrity of the bottom end.

That with lighter internals and I think the power figures are possible - a lot of though in this setup has gone into that. Look what pel manages with a basically standard bottom end - all be it for short periods and at lower RPM.

The aerodynamics are get heavily studied and the space frame design leaves not a lot of MG left. I think it is great as it shows the essence of why we bugger about with all this in the first place:-)

Will never happen.

Charlies 27L rover still hasn't managed 200mph - or even 100mph for that matter and he's the most talented out of the lot.