Engine Punk

Gareth entered the 2018 Camel Classic and is seen here in his Marin V8 with Roger Hancock's buggy and event scrutineer Adrian Booth Gareth White’s Marlin runs a Rover V8 and its custom zorst means you usually hear it before you see it.  Marlin Roadsters are typically based on either Triumph or Marina components and evolved over a long production run from 1979 until the present day with the drivetrain out of BMW 3-series. Along the way, the Marlin Roadster also used Ford Cortinas and Sierras as donors, growing slightly in the process to accommodate the wider track. Not so many V8s were built, however. Most common seem to be the Marina B series variety and with the back axle from a Marina van they make tough trials irons for Class 7. They’re nimble enough for the twisty bits and have a reasonable power to weight ratio. They are also very robust. Marlins don’t need much modification to be competitive in Class 7 but they usually sport 14 inch wheels and twin spare wheels and external...

With a wider track and longer wheelbase this car looked planted and certainly had presence. (Photo : Hot Car) This car appeared in Hot Car magazine in 1980(?) long before I got my first Imp. My original copy went the way of most things but I managed to get hold of another recently because this car made such an imp ression on me (groan). Well, wouldn't it you at such a tender age? It's cropped up in various Impish discussions with friends of mine over the years but probably does not survive. At least, nobody in the Imp Club knows (or will admit to knowing) about it. Bob Baxter adapted a VW variant box  to fit (Photo : Hot Car) It was built by Bob Baxter who was in the motor trade in Deganwy, North Wales. He was able to mix and match a fascinating variety of parts to create this car and finding some of them today would take some doing. Nowadays, you might find some even better parts but the choices were sound and the ensemble sound. The engine was of course a Rove...

This car is something of an enigma. Clearly an Imp Special Saloon, none of my Impish friends can identify what it is. It could be a Maguire Imp or a Davrian Imp but doesn't look quite like either. This is a very old photograph, taken at the same event where I first encountered Kermit (VT No. 101) That was at Tregrehan hillclimb in 1984 (I think). Was this speed hillclimb Imp a track refugee built by a known racing car specialist or purposely made at home to take to the hills? The photo is a little damaged as it was stuck to the back of another print and my patience in peeling it off gradually evaporated as I saw what was portrayed. I would say that it's been narrowed in the greenhouse area and has a centrally mounted single seat. There were many Imp Special Saloon 1000cc racers backalong and they were often pitted against Mini Special Saloons. Neither variety had much in common with production saloons and the formula was a delightful free-for-all. However, I thin...

This Land Rover looked normal but smelt different. It sounded like any V8 ought to. I was in Wales recently and experienced probably the wettest weather on holiday that I've ever known. However, the Abergavenny Show still went ahead and sheltering under the trees next to the traction engines I found this wood burning Land Rover 101. In the back is a slow wood burning stove designed to produce a steady supply of syngas, a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen that can then used for combustion in a conventional petrol engine. This vehicle is a work in progress under continuous development. I spoke briefly to the owner who explained the general principles and pointed me to wood gas resources on the internet . It seems that many people in the US are exploring gasifiers as their - er - gas prices go up and in a land where pickups are common the bulk of the gas generating equipment isn't such a problem. This is a close up of the gasifier in the back of the Land Rover. ...

The Kayne Special III finds grip from the line at Werrington This machine caught my eye at Werrington Hillclimb. It's the Kayne Special, actually the last of a series of 3 built by John Cooper (not the one who did the Minis but another John Cooper whose world famous among MG owners)  using MGB components and this one had a Rover V8. It was originally built in 1983 as a tow car with a slushbox for the other Kayne Specials but when drivers were allowed to drive more than one car at meetings John changed to a manual box and got serious with it. Looking and sounding good, this Kayne Special has MGB IFS and semi-elliptic leaf springs It's been sold on now and sports a comprehensive roll cage which spoils its clean lines for me. So who ever heard of a hillclimb car rolling? Remember that Renault 5 Turbo in an earlier post about a meeting at Werrington? As I see more and more Locost Caterfields with cages like this, my eyes are becoming used to them but a traditionally ...