I’m pleased to have two articles in the July 2013 Road & Track: a look at a place where the past is fabricated anew, and a test of a car that rises, phoenix-like, from the ashes of crashed Subarus. But the best piece in the magazine probably isn’t mine.
You can find me on pages 20 and 38 of this issue, but before you read my stuff, you’ll want to turn to Colin Comer’s encomium of legendary racing engineer Phil Remington. It’s solid, heart-wrenching stuff. I’m proud to be in a magazine that publishes that kind of work, to put it mildly.
Very good write up on the 818. I do not believe those hp/tq estimates. Based on a 2000 lb vehicle, it should have way better acceleration. A 2002 Z06 will destroy this race car on any track with long straights (given equal tires). 0-100 in 9.9, 100-120 in 5.1? That is a stone. I know the appeal is building it oneself, but it’s got to have more power. More power damnit! Five seconds from 100 mph in a ‘race car’ has got to be 140. Just my .02.
It was 40 degrees when the testing was done… The Hoosiers had almost zero grip. That might account for some of it.
Keep in mind it’s an open car with a protruding roll cage, lots of aero drag when you approach triple digit speeds. It is also worth mentioning that a set of pistons and a bigger turbo with the appropriate supporting modifications will easily produce 400 crank HP without much loss in responsiveness, 500 crank HP if you don’t mind a little lag (I have a 500-crank-HP turbo/built engine setup in my STi; if you buy an entire wrecked WRX donor you can part it out to recoup most of the upgrade cost, if you’re piecing it together to begin with you shouldn’t have much trouble keeping it on budget).
Actually ‘AC’ the F5_818 @ 2012 pd. and 270Hp, is right on the numbers.
My Sevenesque style car @ 1,800pd. and 530Hp, only turns a 2.8 0-60 on DOT Hoosiers, and a few tenths faster @ 2.1/0-60 on warm track and 13″ wide Hoosier road racing slicks . It might be a bit faster with higher final gears(low ratio), as there would be less chance of hazing the tires in the lower gears.
A 3.8/0-60 is quick by any measure.
http://www.060calculator.com/
Oop’s! That should be low gears/high ratio
Um, its a kit car. How many people are going to go through all the trouble to build their own car, and not build up the engine? More HP is so easy to achieve with the Subie platform.
Build yours with as much power as you dare.
With those cost figures and a little help from Subaru in matching the ECU many happy customers will enjoy a legally registerable street vehicle. Assembly can be performed by known independent installers. What else is there with that performance at those numbers. You will need an assembly line.
I wrote my comments, did you get them
Sure did!
Jack,
Enjoyed your track review of the F5 ‘818’. I do find a problem with your Weight comparison of the ‘818’ versus the early NA MX-5. My stock 93′ weighs just over 2,100 pounds, the ‘818’ at 2,012 is near that weight.
My track/street NA weighs under 2,000, and while it doesn’t have the Hp and Torque the ‘818’ has, it does pull over 1.1+ g’s on DOT tires for some pretty dynamic handling. While not as visceral as a Formula car, it is about as much fun as you can have for under $10,000 without wearing personal protection and risking arrest.
Regards….Tre
Can you modify the chassis to fit the Subaru boxer 6?
Better to ask that question here, Ken.
hefactoryfiveforum.com/forumdisplay.php?28-The-New-Factory-Five-818
Oop’s! thefactoryfiveforum.com/forumdisplay.php?28-The-New-Factory-Five-818
Thanks!
Just read an article you wrote for Road and Track- June 2013 “The Ordinary Guy.” As someone whose father had a Datsun Z, and I a 350z now, my 15 month old son shares my love for the car as you do for your 911. Loved the article so looked you up. Just wanted to let you know it was a great piece.
Thank you!
!
My autox E Mod Jeep (400HP 2.0 Turbo - 1,600 lb) with 13″ wide Goodyear R110 slicks (gummy) does 0 to 80mph (2 speed transmission topped out) in about 4.0 seconds ONLY on a hot day on grippy concrete; any other surface or colder ambient temperature will just break traction and spin the tires.
Wait a minute. YOURE the guy with the E Mod Jeep? Mind if I contact you to do a story on it for R&T?
Nice thank you for the great information, thumbs up!