Well of course it can. but what do i need to do it?

Yesterday, with Nelly (my rossa) feeling really good and the overheating maybe sorted . . see other post . . . . I had a rush of blood to the head.
what? another one? yes !

My mate has just bought an old MX-5 it weighs about 1000KGs. it has 120HP approx and five gears. standard car. should be nought to sixty in 9.5 seconds

nelly weighs 700kgs and has 80 hp (maybe), 3.4 final drive and four close ratio cooper gears.
kent 600 cam, standard metro 1275 verto clutch , 1.4 inch inlet valves.

i said nelly was faster (one up) nought to ninety.

i drove my mates mx-5 and it certainly feels like my 1.3 could be quicker
what do we think?
is that hairdressers car gonna poop all over the smallest car or is little nelly gonna woop its ass?

thank you for your thoughts.

fortunately the next time we can legally get an answer will be oulton park at some point in the future. giving me time to mod nelly if required.

Should be possible

Back when I First got a Coupe I did my first track day at 17 at castle combe in april, passed my test in january With my 998 in my Coupe I managed to keep one at bay and give it a really hard time, they had to take to the escape road on the chicane when they tried to out brake me

so Certianly around a track you should give it some problems.

West

nelly weighs 700kgs

Are you sure

Just a thought but it might be worth getting the car on the weigh bridge if you can , as I'm thinking that 700kg is a little bit (I could be wrong ) optimistic side for a Rossa.

Top Tip get as much out of the car as possible (Sorry suck eggs and all ) and when you think you have finished, go back and stare at it again for a few more hours and then take off what you missed first time

Then as far as extra power goes it's a matter of how deep your pockets are.

yes indeed.
700kgs is optimistic.

ive removed everything
no spare tyre no roll cage no tools
new radiator is aluminium and lighter

very roughly a 700 kg car with 70 hp will do 0-60 in ten seconds

with 90 hp then it should be do-able in nine seconds??
me have close ratio box & 3.4 final drive.

the showdown between nelly and the mx5 has been put off until soon . .

ive got 13inch alloys with 165/65 tyres which are fine for road use.
to out drag the mx5 i need 90 hp and maybe 12 inch wheels with 165/60 tyres.
its about 8% less rolling diameter than the 13inch wheels and much easier
than changing my final drive.

im tempted to get a set of 12inch wheels with 165/60 tyres
and fit them before meeting the hairdresser's car

what do we think??

thanks for your help.

You might be interested in this thread http://www.gtmdrivers.com/forum/rossa-mk11-weight-saving-t352.html

thanks for that link im having a good read of it now.



gotta lose weight !!

i had use of a 1800cc mx5 for all of june this year.
not a new one. about ten years old.
now that ive got my nelly all sorted with crazy six inch ram pipes and 256 kent cam - i can express an opinion:
when i put my foot down in top gear in both cars at 40mph my nelly is quicker.
torque to weight ratio is better in my gtm than the mx5.
when you get to my age the INSTANT low rev punch that an ancient carbed "a" series gives
is much more fun than high rev horsepower.
i love mx5s - great cars. (by the way they have a very long inlet tract and a helmholtz resonator thingy.) long rams pipes and resonators are the way forward. . . .

i think a WELL SORTED 1300 rossa would stay with a standard 1600 mx5 at oulton park . . . but the mx5 is easier to control at the limit. ( ive been round oulton park in an mx5 and its a great track ) but i think an 1800 mx5 would lose a 1300 rossa round oulton park.

gtm rossas rock. if you are building one - stay with the project - every issue can get fixed.

my nelly may be scruffy but small children trip over when they see her - "what was that?" they say. my manchester mates have seen this happening and tell my this is a good thing. im not arguing with my mates.