If you wanted to make this Alfa on a challenge budget- how would you.

This. I keep thinking about this. I know we've had mid engine swaps done with some success (and some that required changes to the safety rules after) but if you were to attempt such shenanigans on a challenge budget, how would you? I'm only thinking about this (mostly) idly- because I've always loved the idea of pulling up in something that has no business having an engine where it has an engine. Would you buy something BOF and move the engine? Would you buy two of something and put the front half in the back? What would you use? 

My strategy would be:

1. start with a car that has enough room behind the driver for an engine. Like a wagon, or something like that. saves work trying to make it fit.

2. cheap carbureted V8, mounted longitudinally, with a solid axle from a truck. this could lead to a very short driveshaft though, so i'm not sure about the safety ramifications.

3. weld a bunch of tubes into a subframe to hold the rear axle and suspension and engine. this may require lots of work and add lots of weight though.

An alternate approach would be:

1. same as above.

2. take entire transverse engine and suspension and subframe from a FWD car, put in back of wagon. like an LS4, or a Lincoln Continental FWD V8. these are mostly fuel-injected, so bring computer from that car along and use just enough to power the engine. results in confusing dual-ECU system though.

3. weld up subframe as needed. weld some stuff and do what it takes to make the wheels no longer steer so you don't have unwanted four wheel steering.

i'm sure there's other ways to go about it though. personally I would do a Ford Escort Wagon with a V8 in the back, or a Ford Festiva with a flat four hanging out behind the rear axle like a Beetle.

Intrepid R/T would be my first thought. 250 hp isn't too terrible if you lighten the hell out of the rest of the car.

In reply to Grizz :

Funny I always liked the look of the Intrepid especially the later ones.

In reply to Mndsm :

what's funny is that I was looking at FB mktplace today for 164s and then wishing I had $34k+ for this below.  Plus all 164s in the US came with the Busso according to WIKI.

In reply to nutherjrfan :

It was the first longitudinal fwd that came to mind that was fairly cheap to get your hands on.The people I've known who've had them have always liked them though.

I'm actually mind building similar. I keep going to the VW/Audi transaxles and either the 1.8T or the 2.5 +T.

Stampie said:

I'm actually mind building similar. I keep going to the VW/Audi transaxles and either the 1.8T or the 2.5 +T.

Early Jetta would look pretty cool like this. 

IIRC, back in the 80's or 90's, someone in Australia moved the GTV6 engine to the rear.  Somehow just putting the transaxle that was already in the car on the back of the engine.  Since Milanos still can be found with under a challenge budget, you could do the same with that car.

Alfa certainly spent a whole lot on that "164" project to get a car they couldn't run anywhere

In reply to TurnerX19 :

Yeah but it looks cool. 

alfadriver said:

IIRC, back in the 80's or 90's, someone in Australia moved the GTV6 engine to the rear.  Somehow just putting the transaxle that was already in the car on the back of the engine.  Since Milanos still can be found with under a challenge budget, you could do the same with that car.

I do like me some milano. I blame that on Jeremy Clarkson 

Ford ZX2 with a Zetec SVT using a Kennedy adapter and a flipped air cooled beetle transaxle so the engine is mounted midship. I have no idea if it would actually fit, however.

6 cylinder Subaru of some sort.

Hot hatch with a 2nd subframe in the back. 

Many of them already have RWD applications. 

Car already has the space needed. 

Mid mount Subaru, fwd trans, as much aluminum and carbon fiber as i could stomach making, booooost. 

I'm thinking take something with either a supercharged 3800 or a northstar. And rearrange it under a 1st gen Saturn SL. Box flares might be required. Doing this with something with a longitudinal transaxle would be cooler though.

I'd get a $500 fwd v6 something and put it in the back of something else.

Just missed a family friend's 08ish Nissan Maxima that would have been perfect. $600 was what they got for it. 

The big issue is if you NEED manual trans. Then it becomes much harder (but the formula still applies).

what about an LS4 fiero? or a J swapped MR2

In reply to Mndsm :

Interesting fact, the car he used in that episode was actually a nice car that someone had been daily driving that they tricked into letting them use it with no liability for what happened to it.  I believe the owner got it back and fixed it though.

Patrick said:

Mid mount Subaru, fwd trans, as much aluminum and carbon fiber as i could stomach making, booooost. 

The only problem with that idea is that the FWD Subaru transmissions are crap. None of them will take much power. 

The AWD applications with the rear outputs blanked out would be much better. But that will leave the tailpiece hanging out the rear bumper of most cars (like the Wreck Racing Insight). 

That leaves you with Porsche transaxles and adapter plates. Which are pricey. 

Yep. I’ve tried. 

In reply to Daylan C :

For whatever reason, a W-body with a supercharged 3800 was the first thing that came to my mind. Just for the silliness of it. Keep it stock looking on the outside, tint the hell out of the windows, quiet exhaust with cutouts, and have the best sleeper ever.

In reply to Furious_E :

Yeah thinking about it, keeping the w-body would be nicer to deal with The firewall between you and the engine in the SL would leave very little room for the driver.

Top Gear article with more pics.

What about a SHOGun?  Although, you would not be the first challenger with the replica Shogun.