Stupid idea of the month: Poor man's Aston Martin?

Approximately 3400lbs and between 380-420hp depending on the trim.

Approximately 2300-2400lbs and starts at 95hp due to the wittle 2.0L SOHC lump of Audi shteel und aluminium :)

With the addition of one of these:

brings it up to between 250-470hp depending on which variant I choose/can find.

I'm thinking this should be doable for a reasonable amount of money. Assuming I can sell the Shelby for a reasonable price and I can pick up the motor and drivetrain components I need to start this.

What say you about my potential Audi Martin? LOL

Then again, I've been pining for another X-1/9, especially one powered by a spare 2.2 turbo drivetrain, since I gave up on my project much too early last time.

How's that work?

Is there a less-than-hateful way to mate the big-ass Audi lump to the P-car's torque tube? Will the torque tube and transaxle stand up to the power?

I believe the 924 bellhousing shares the same pattern as many of the 4.2 V8's. The Torque tube and transaxles have lived long lives behind more torque from Chevy V8s. Do it. Document it.

(I haven't seen enough documentation to be brave enough to try it myself.

Or, go with a proven Gen3 smallblock: a cammed aluminum 5.3 would be great fun.

Yup ^

There's a nutjob on motorgeek.com building a 4.2L powered Rabbit using a 944 torque tube and transaxle. Don't think he's gotten it running though.

The Audi transaxle is the current "bell of the ball" for the Lamborghini and GT40 folks. The 915-based transaxle I currently have works just fine as well and I'm not a drag racer and tend to be very easy on transaxles.

I've even seen a 944 with an Audi 4.2 set in the engine bay. The issue was that the stock hood wouldn't close. Not insurmountable with appropriate motor mount manipulation, etc. The aluminium oil pan needs to be modified, etc.

Sounds like fun! I have that V8 (in my S4) and I love the motor.

The 400+ hp versions are all (I think?) direct injection, are you planning on doing that?

What are you going to control it with? I know how complex the factory Audi computer is, and I hate to think what it would take to make it happy in a 944. Megasquirt? I'm not sure if that's up to the job or not.

Keeping the DBW throttle or going to a cable? Intake cam VVT control?

Meh. The whole point of an Aston is to look and sound good. While an Audi V8 924/944 sounds like fun, it's just not Aston material, not even "poor man's".

I think the real answer would be a very good looking car that needs an engine swap to sound good. Like the Prowler thread, only not a Prowler.

I can't think of any recent heartbreakingly beautiful cars that need transplants though (at least in an Aston sense).

Yeah, don't know yet. Would probably go with the older version from the original Audi V8, not as much power but potentially easier swap to perform.

I could possibly add a pair of hair dryers if I stopped messing my shorts ;)

Yeah, dolled up and swapped jag is more of a poor man's Aston. Swapped p-car is its own kind of cool. :D

It was more the similarity in the way the cars look and how they match up terms of their layout. Combined with the addition of a V8 that is modern and fairly nice sounding, that is t yet another Chebby swap (I respect them, but they don't excite me unless I'm driving them)

At least when it comes to my car, especially with appropriate body tweaks to improve its looks (which I want to do anyway), but I wouldn't try to take on the signature grill or anything since that is cheesy as hell.

Javelin wrote: Meh. The whole point of an Aston is to look and sound good. While an Audi V8 924/944 sounds like fun, it's just not Aston material, not even "poor man's". I think the real answer would be a very good looking car that needs an engine swap to sound good. Like the Prowler thread, only not a Prowler. I can't think of any recent heartbreakingly beautiful cars that need transplants though (at least in an Aston sense).

What? You don't think my 924 Carerra is beautiful? This from the man who thinks a Mazda5 can be considered a "Millenium Falcon" and autocrosses a Javelin

No, I see where you're coming from though. I was looking at my car at a recent Cars & Coffee where there were some old and new Astons and I realized that my car wasn't much different other than perhaps outright beauty as it is very German in its design. I figure a modern Euro V8 and some design improvements to soften the harder German edges a bit would help make it more of the Grand Tourer the Astons are.

Turboswede,

I think it's a great idea. I think of the entire 924/944 line as Audis anyway (not hating, just sayin') so you'd be keeping it in the family with that engine. And they seem to be really good engines, and compact. I think the 924/944 line is really ripe for engine swaps, as they are great chassis in need of more power.

David

In reply to turboswede:

You misunderstand my good sir. I think the 924/944 are gorgeous cars, heck I owned one! (I even think they look better than the 911 when I'm not at PCA meetings). It just doesn't scream "poor man's Aston" to me.

I racked my brain all night trying to think of gorgeous cars that needed motor help, and I kept coming up with pretty, but not Aston like, cars (Subaru 2.5RS, FD RX-7, NB Miata, etc).

Look at it like this, your wife/girlfriend loves how the Aston looks. She thinks the 924/944 is just another car.

(In my case she also now thinks that a black hole exists in our driveway because she won't even look towards the Javelin...)

My idea of a poor mans Aston is.

This:

Plus This:

What does the Audi v8 weigh? More or less than an aluminum GM LS engine? A 944/v8 swap is on my project car bucket list (pretty far down, but on the list non the less). For simplicity sake I would stick with the GM engine, and possibly go with a 180 crank to make it sound more exotic. Maybe by the time that I get around to that project the 180 cranks won't cost more than an engine

I'll just leave this here...

http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/classic-cars/my-db7-is-for-sale/67054/page1/

Ian F wrote: I'll just leave this here... http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/classic-cars/my-db7-is-for-sale/67054/page1/

Dick.

Honestly, for that much money I think we'd rather buy an Elise and we can't afford that either :(

Sub 10k all day and a lsx kit exists.

HappyAndy wrote: What does the Audi v8 weigh? More or less than an aluminum GM LS engine? A 944/v8 swap is on my project car bucket list (pretty far down, but on the list non the less). For simplicity sake I would stick with the GM engine, and possibly go with a 180* crank to make it sound more exotic. Maybe by the time that I get around to that project the 180* cranks won't cost more than an engine

Just make 180 headers, same result.

turboswede wrote:

Ian F wrote: I'll just leave this here... http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/classic-cars/my-db7-is-for-sale/67054/page1/

Dick. Honestly, for that much money I think we'd rather buy an Elise and we can't afford that either :(

Maybe... but the local Lotus dealer in NJ is also Steel Wings - a reknowned Aston Martin shop, so I get to see them side by side with regularity. In fact, there is a cruise-in tonight in town and since it's a nice day, I'm certain there will be a good selection of both to view.

Dollar for dollar - I'll take the DB7 every day of the week and twice on Sunday. Unfortunately, wile I could in theory afford a $30K car, it would have to be my every day driver and I'm not sure I could deal with A-M maintenance at the 30K+ mile/year I'm doing right now.

In reply to MrJoshua:

Yep - Andy said as much in his recent CMS article about cars near the bottom of the curve to buy now.

I wouldn't give a rat's ass about if it was a poor man's Aston Martin. As long as it makes you happy, burns rubber, goes fast and looks cool...thats what matters most right?

In reply to 92dxman:

Absolutely agree. Cool swap idea.

Poor man's Aston, hrm, maybe an early SC400 with a manual trans? There's various coil-over suspension packages for them, so if a guy loved tuning and playing with springs and such, I think the handling/ride compromise should be figured out over time. These cars can sound nice, look decent, have nice interiors...

Yours sounds better than the official answer.