The original build plate
Meet the new engine
This is just evil
Cool? Yes, but arranging the driveline and front suspension is going to take some thoughtful engineering.
Now that we have the Berzerkeley back at Denny Crabill’s garage, it’s time to assess exactly what we’ve got, and what we can do with it.
What we’ve got is a car that would weigh around 800 lb. if it were complete with it’s 30 HP 492cc Excelsior aircooled engine. It’s a rather small 10’ 3” of fiberglass bodywork reinforced with aluminum bulkheads, and steel subframes for the drivetrain, front and rear suspensions. The wheelbase is a short 70”, with the front and rear tracks at 42”.
We want a fast little car, even with these tiny dimensions, so Denny located a slightly used but Challenge budget-friendly 140 HP 750 cc Suzuki GSX-R drivetrain that was only a few minutes from his house.
Publisher Tim Suddard stopped in to work on the Berzerkeley for a couple of days on his way to the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix, and together we tried out a few engine locations to see what would work best. After a lot of deliberations, discussion, measuring, cutting, and test fitting, we arrived at a front-mid engine drivetrain location and a monoposto seating arrangement.
Cool? Yes, but arranging the driveline and front suspension is going to take some thoughtful engineering.
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