Carbon said:They're roomy cars for us bigger guys, I'm 6'2" 210 pounds and with the stocl seats I have plenty of room lengthwise, widthwise I feel like the door panels are intrusive, so I did doorcards which are a huge improvement.
Really? I am about the same size (6'2", 205lb) and I didn't fit in that generation MR2 for E36 M3. I couldn't wait to get out of it just cause I was so uncomfortable. My knees were banging into the steering wheel and I felt super claustrophobic.
In reply to D2W :
Agreed, but the point was more in response to how hard they are to make into a track car where you need to have a cage. Nothing structural to attach a cage to on the outboard side of the Elan or the Europa. Lotus pretty much prides itself on being a 4 wheel motorcycle.
In reply to NOHOME :
Much like any car without an outer structural sill (like a 55 Chevy for example). One gets to build an extension out of appropriate sized tubing carry the loads of a cage and a side impact to the steel frame.
Not terribly easy or cheap.
Strange this thread came up. I was wondering this very issue a week or so ago...
I was just thinking about third-gen mister twos the other day. They strike me as pretty undervalued for what you get. Not the prettiest, but I can get around that.
93EXCivic said:The problem with the MR2 seems to me to be you would be better off with starting with Elise if you are spending a bunch of money on the MR2.
WIth the Elise being more expensive, more fragile, and higher maintenance it doesn’t seem like a fair comparison. The mr2 will almost certainly be half the cost or less of a comparable Elise. $20k won’t even get you a salvage title Elise that is very far from track ready. A $20k mr2 spyder would stomp all over a $30k Elise on track and be more likely to make it home afterwards.
I found myself searching CL for MRs. they still go for decent money!
In reply to mad_machine :
Asking prices are all over the map. With only a little hunting you can get a running driving one with no major issues for less than $5k. I've seen 2zz swapped ones with an issue or two for $5k and nice ones for $6500. I've seen stock ones with a small issue or two for $3000. Spyderchat and MR2OC are better sources for realistic pricing than CL. CL will have deals sometimes but most MR2 Spyder sellers on CL seem to think they're worth a ton for some reason. And they are not!!
The later ones (2003+) are worth more. They're less prone to oil burning. But that doesn't matter a lot if you're going to swap it or build the engine up anyway. Whatever you do, do NOT buy an SMT car - unless you plan to swap it and have the parts on hand to do so. The SMT parts are worth a bunch but the cars are kind of crap with the SMT and it's a bit of a maintenance hog. On the plus side an SMT car with issues is super cheap and can quickly zero out with parts sales. I got over $1500 for the SMT parts from my wrecked engine donor, which I paid $1500 for. And that was with me keeping the transmission itself. Huzzah!
I just want a fun to drive commuter car that is good on gas. I have the disco for hauling stuff, so I do not need the extra seats.
Great my work which involves reading and writing contracts has now spilled into my personal life;
The question posed was "lightest from the factory".
Lola, Crossle, Caldwell, Chevron & Ralt made mid engine cars at the Factory. All weighing in around 800-1000lbs. My Novakar F500 is 535lbs less driver.
A couple of D-Sports Racer chassis were in the 760lb range; depending on the state it would be possible to road register one of those.
If you want road legal some of the micro/bubble cars were in around the 500lb mark.
Realistically if you want a radio, heater and A/C I'm not sure there's anything below the 1500lb mark.
Stefan said:alfadriver said:In reply to Stefan :
ye of little faith.
How many modern longitudinal FWD drivetrains do you know of?
Old FWD Audi/odd-ball VW rebrands of Audi's?
Chrysler LH/Prowler? - Electronic Automatic only
Acura Legend? - Electronic Automatic only
2nd-gen Acura Legend, the one with the longitudinal FWD setup, actually was available with both 5 and 6-speed manuals. You can also bolt the bigger C35A out of a RL up to those transmissions.
NickD said:2nd-gen Acura Legend, the one with the longitudinal FWD setup, actually was available with both 5 and 6-speed manuals. You can also bolt the bigger C35A out of a RL up to those transmissions.
If I'm looking for those transmissions on Ebay, what am I searching for? I'm assuming this is the normal "Honda spins backwards" problem for other engines, correct?
Stefan said:How many modern longitudinal FWD drivetrains do you know of?
Old FWD Audi/odd-ball VW rebrands of Audi's?
Chrysler LH/Prowler? - Electronic Automatic only
Acura Legend? - Electronic Automatic only
What about the Saab 900? I’ve always wondered why they weren’t used for swaps like this. Longitudinal, 16v head, turbo, etc. Seems like a good choice.
stroker said:NickD said:2nd-gen Acura Legend, the one with the longitudinal FWD setup, actually was available with both 5 and 6-speed manuals. You can also bolt the bigger C35A out of a RL up to those transmissions.
If I'm looking for those transmissions on Ebay, what am I searching for? I'm assuming this is the normal "Honda spins backwards" problem for other engines, correct?
All 1991-1995s had the 5-speed manual as an option with the 200hp C32A SOHC 3.2L V6. 1994-1995 GS trim level also added a 6-speed manual as an option with the 230hp C32A Type II 3.2L V6. I'm not sure what direction they actually spin, but I would guarantee they spin backwards of other engines. Also keep in mind that the C32A in the Legend shares pretty much nothing with the C32B in the NSX
NickD said:Stefan said:alfadriver said:In reply to Stefan :
ye of little faith.
How many modern longitudinal FWD drivetrains do you know of?
Old FWD Audi/odd-ball VW rebrands of Audi's?
Chrysler LH/Prowler? - Electronic Automatic only
Acura Legend? - Electronic Automatic only
2nd-gen Acura Legend, the one with the longitudinal FWD setup, actually was available with both 5 and 6-speed manuals. You can also bolt the bigger C35A out of a RL up to those transmissions.
What about the Acura Vigor? Didn't that have a longitudinal five cylinder?
what do you consider "modern" the Original Saab 900, which ended production in 92 or 93, used a unique longitudinal setup where the engine was above the transmission. Shame the transmission is so fragile, as it makes for a very compact package and the engine is already set up for boost in the Turbo models
Woody said:NickD said:Stefan said:alfadriver said:In reply to Stefan :
ye of little faith.
How many modern longitudinal FWD drivetrains do you know of?
Old FWD Audi/odd-ball VW rebrands of Audi's?
Chrysler LH/Prowler? - Electronic Automatic only
Acura Legend? - Electronic Automatic only
2nd-gen Acura Legend, the one with the longitudinal FWD setup, actually was available with both 5 and 6-speed manuals. You can also bolt the bigger C35A out of a RL up to those transmissions.
What about the Acura Vigor? Didn't that have a longitudinal five cylinder?
Oh, yeah, I forget about the Vigor. Yes, that had a longitudinal 2.0L and 2.5L inline 5 with available 5-speed. The early Acura TL was also longitudinal FWD with the I5 and V6s, but was auto-only.
NickD said:stroker said:NickD said:2nd-gen Acura Legend, the one with the longitudinal FWD setup, actually was available with both 5 and 6-speed manuals. You can also bolt the bigger C35A out of a RL up to those transmissions.
If I'm looking for those transmissions on Ebay, what am I searching for? I'm assuming this is the normal "Honda spins backwards" problem for other engines, correct?
All 1991-1995s had the 5-speed manual as an option with the 200hp C32A SOHC 3.2L V6. 1994-1995 GS trim level also added a 6-speed manual as an option with the 230hp C32A Type II 3.2L V6. I'm not sure what direction they actually spin, but I would guarantee they spin backwards of other engines. Also keep in mind that the C32A in the Legend shares pretty much nothing with the C32B in the NSX
But what's the designation for the transmission?
In reply to NickD :
All Honda V6s (C, J) spin clockwise (standard direction).
stroker said:NickD said:stroker said:NickD said:2nd-gen Acura Legend, the one with the longitudinal FWD setup, actually was available with both 5 and 6-speed manuals. You can also bolt the bigger C35A out of a RL up to those transmissions.
If I'm looking for those transmissions on Ebay, what am I searching for? I'm assuming this is the normal "Honda spins backwards" problem for other engines, correct?
All 1991-1995s had the 5-speed manual as an option with the 200hp C32A SOHC 3.2L V6. 1994-1995 GS trim level also added a 6-speed manual as an option with the 230hp C32A Type II 3.2L V6. I'm not sure what direction they actually spin, but I would guarantee they spin backwards of other engines. Also keep in mind that the C32A in the Legend shares pretty much nothing with the C32B in the NSX
But what's the designation for the transmission?
Not sure what the actual designation is. Being not a Civic/Integra, information on them is kind of scarce. But they are very distinctive-looking, kinda like a RWD transmission but with no tail shaft or axleshafts out the side. Instead they have an output shaft that faces towards the bellhousing, where the separate front differential bolts on under the oil pan.
Matthew Kennedy said:In reply to NickD :
All Honda V6s (C, J) spin clockwise (standard direction).
I figured, but wasn't certain, considering the C-series is kind of an oddball, with it's weird pushrod valvetrain and side covers. It's strange that Honda used the C-series name for the 1st-gen Legend/Sterling/5th-gen Accord V6 (2.0L/2.5L/2.7L/2.0L Turbo), the 2nd-gen Legend/RL/TL V6 (3.2L/3.5L) and the NSX V6 but there was no commonality between the,.
If you accept front mid-engined (i.e. engine back of the wheel centre line) my old TVR Grantura race car was fairly light down around 1700 - not as good as the various Loti, though.
In reply to NickD :
Well, crap. That won't work for what I had in mind. Looks compact as hell, though...
my TVR Vixen S2 weighed about 1600#s... and a small block Ford V8 could be massaged to fit.....
also considered front mid engined
Cushman............................
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