Saturday, October 16, 2010

The engine has landed!

I picked it up this morning.  It's more compact than I thought it was going to be (that's a good thing) and it's more beautiful than I had imagined.  Thanks to Lenny from Auto-Italia for putting this together (and for laboriously cleaning it for me).  If you ever need Lancia, Fiat, or Maserati Biturbo parts (or a complete car), Lenny is the man.

This 2491cc carburated, twin turbocharged V6 once produced 200 horsepower and came out of a 1986 425 Biturbo (that's the four door version).  It's similar to Franz Sanchez's car in Timothy Dalton's Licence to Kill.


I just went to the hardware store to figure out how I'm going to prop the glass up.  Tomorrow, I'll be hunting down used glass table tops on Craigslist.

8 comments:

  1. EdvinOctober 16, 2010 at 9:36 PM

    Nice! How heavy is it?

    ReplyDelete
  2. MaxichampOctober 16, 2010 at 9:40 PM

    125 pounds/57 kilos.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AlanOctober 16, 2010 at 11:27 PM

    wow, that's light. But it is gutted, right?

    It's a beautiful and quite unusual looking motor. What is the vee angle? The finned castings on the sump are really pretty, as is that lovely script and crackle finish.

    Someday I'm going to get a cheap Corvair motor and do this - I'd love an air- cooled Porsche six but that's a lot more expensive.

    ReplyDelete
  4. MaxichampOctober 17, 2010 at 8:13 AM

    @Alan: I knew you would ask at least one head scratching question.
    1. It is semi-gutted. Much of the innards on top was taken out to lower the center of gravity.
    2. The interwebs sez it's a 90 degree V6 but it does look a bit unusual.
    3. Hopefully, purchasing the glass top will be the next and final purchase/step. It's comparable (or even cheaper) than a coffee table at Pottery Barn, etc.

    ReplyDelete
  5. F1OutsiderOctober 18, 2010 at 7:15 AM

    It looks better than I imagined it would. Finished product should come out great!! Next you should go for the car seat sofa. hehe

    Congrats!

    ReplyDelete
  6. MaxichampOctober 18, 2010 at 7:28 AM

    @F1O: Long time no hear! Are you excited about the Korean GP and its mysterious asphalt track?

    I'm having a semi set back with the glass top. Hope to sort it out by next weekend.

    I'm not gonna push the issue regarding car-related furniture in the living room.

    ReplyDelete
  7. F1OutsiderOctober 18, 2010 at 5:29 PM

    I'm not sure what to expect from Korea... I remember in 08 when I went to see the Canadian GP the drivers were complaining about the asphalt conditions. After the race they open up the track for pedestrians and it looked pretty roughed up. I suppose the Korean GP should be the same.

    Hey, what did you think of the Kobayashi show at Suzuka? Pretty cool stuff!!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. MaxichampOctober 18, 2010 at 6:06 PM

    @F1O: Watching Kobayashi was exciting, except when he passed Heidfeld. I don't think his long term chances at Sauber are so good, as it looks like it will become an all-Mexican squad (not that there's anything wrong with that).

    I am resigned to the inevitability that this will be Heidfeld's last season. Maybe Force India will take him?

    ReplyDelete