ONE-OFF FALCON RV8BECAUSE SOMETIMES A KIT OF PARTS IS JUST TOO EASY...
NCF ARCTIC BUILDThe best ever NCF Arctic? Here’s how this Vitara based 4x4 was built
TOT ROD & TRAILERA mini Cobra and way to transport it... all ma e a a o e o e em le
EXPLOSIVE NEW WESTFIELDTURBOCHARGED FORD ECOBOOST... 252BHP... 270LB FTIS THE SPORT 250 THE WESTFIELD YOU’VE BEEN WAITING FOR?
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WHEEL ALIGNMENTHow to set your kit car’s tracking on your driveway at home
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ALSO INSIDE
001 Cover.indd 1 02/09/2016 15:24
October 2016 3
COMMENT EDITOR’S LETTER
www.completekitcar.co.uk
WelcomeWe’re so familiar with the sevenesque form
that it was a surprise, when creating this month’s cover, that the new West� eld Sport 250 looked unusually fresh. Why should it,
when to all intents and purposes it looks just like any other West� eld from the last decade or more?
Perhaps, I wondered, it’s because we haven’t had a Seven-style car on the cover for a while. Cries from readers of there being too many Sevens (and Cobras) have made us sensitive to over-doing them. Even I was surpised that the last time we had a sevenesque roadster on the cover was well over two years ago. It was another West� eld, but rather a di� erent one being electric powered.
Two years ago, that looked like the future – and it still does. � e new Sport 250 is very much now, though. Its Ford Ecoboost engine is the latest in a line of Blue Oval four-pots that have been the staple of kit car power. Sidevalve, Cross� ow, Pinto, Zetec, Duratec... and now Ecoboost have always been popular amongst specialist cars.
It’s not the � rst Ecoboost powered kit car, of course. � e Vortex V2 has already shown us that the package
works well in a kit car. But that doesn’t erode the signi� cance of West� eld now adopting the Ecoboost. � e � gures speak for themselves, with 252bhp and 366lb ft making themselves known... putting its Ford engine forebears in the shade. West� eld has even found a way to keep the car a� ordable. It’s a range-topper, so ‘a� ordable’ is a relative term, but you get the idea.
A few months before that electric West� eld, the cover car was that Mega S2000, a car whose impression is still felt in this o� ce. Stent puts the new car into that context in his � rst drive in this issue.
ADAM WILKINSEditor
@CKCMagazine@CKCMagazine/CKCMagazine
A: BMW Z4. Increasingly cheap where the Z3 is becoming collectable. Great engines and interiors, as ugly as the Z3!
A: Porsche Cayenne Mk1; great engines, good off road, but cursed with the most hideous styling!
A: Perhaps a Bentley Continental replica on a VW Phaeton? Or a Datsun 240Z replica on a Ferrari 250 GTO.
A: An unlikely choice due to already having a GRP body... that unloved roadster the Reliant Scimitar SS1.
IAN STENTRoving Reporter
GARY AXONColumnist
RICHARD HESELTINEColumnist
MARTIN SCOTTContributor
Q:
PICK UPTHE NEXT ISSUE FRIDAY 14 OCTOBER
If you were going to design a bodykit conversion, which donor car would you base it on?
Editor Adam Wilkins
Roving Reporter Ian Stent
Technical Editor John Dickens
Columnists Gary AxonRichard Heseltine
Contributors Jeroen Booij, James Horsley, Ed Morton, Chris Pickering, Peter Rosenthal, Martin Scott
Running Reporters Stuart ruce ones, Jason Burrage, John Clements, Paul Curran, Trevor Crout, Rob Davenhall,Andy Green, Chris Haysom, Ian Jackson,Vivienne Lodge, Ross Maynard, Ed Morton, Jon Page
Race Diarists Ian Chapman,John Pick, Alisdair Suttie,Jack Walton
Graphic Designer Sarah ScrimshawE: [email protected]
Proof Reader Andy Bliss
Advertising Manager Karen O’RiordanT: 0330 1234 885.E: [email protected]
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li e la i e Sell Your Car Fast!W: www.completekitcar.co.uk
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Newsstand Sales Imagine Magazine Sales And Marketing Ltd.E: [email protected]: www.imaginemag.net
Postal AddressPerformance Publishing Ltd, Unit 3 Site 4, Alma Park Road, Alma Park Industrial Estate, Grantham, Lincolnshire NG31 9SE.
THE CKC TEAM
Complete Kit Car is published every four weeks by Performance Publishing Ltd. Sorry, but lack of time prevents us answering technical queries over the phone. We would much prefer you
contact us by email or write, enclosing an SAE for a reply.
hile ever eff ort is made in compiling the editorial and accepting onl bona fi de advertisements in Complete Kit Car, the publisher cannot be held responsible for an eff ects arising therefrom. Freelance features and photographs are submitted at the owner’s risk and, whilst every care is taken, no responsibility for loss or damage can be taken by the publisher or their agents. Copyright Performance Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved. ISS
002 Welcome.indd 3 02/09/2016 09:06
4 October 2016
CONTENTS OCTOBER 2016
www.completekitcar.co.uk
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83
32004 Contents.indd 4 02/09/2016 09:10
October 2016 5www.completekitcar.co.uk
14 KNEBWORTH SHOWOver 20 kit car owners joined us at the Knebworth classic car show. Here’s what we saw.
16 LOTUS FESTIVALSpotting kit form Lotuses at the Lotus Festival... as well as the more modern o� erings from Hethel.
18 SOUTH EAST EVENTSGary Axon went kit car spotting at a number of classic car events in the south east of England.
20 SILVERSTONE CLASSICAmid the priceless historic racers, we found plenty of kit cars at the brilliant Silverstone Classic.
32 WESTFIELD SPORT 250An exclusive � rst drive of the new Ford Ecoboost powered West� eld Sport 250.
38 ROAD TRIP: LE MANS CLASSICPete Edney reports on a convoy of Ferrari replicas making their way to and from Le Sarthe.
44 INTERVIEW: AUTOTUNEChatting to the family behind the longest established kit car still owned by its founders.
50 DJC V-STORM� e Subaru powered V-Storm is back and better than ever. Stent drives it � rst.
56 FALCON RV8Rover V8 power, Haynes Roadster derived chassis... the incredible one-o� Falcon RV8.
62 RACE DIARIESJohn Pick swaps his Adrenaline Murtaya for an MG Metro 6R4... but only temporarily.
68 NCF ARCTIC BUILDMatt Fox-Spencer needed a daily workhorse so built a Suzuki Vitara based NCF Arctic.
76 OUR CARSMartin is forced to � nd innovative ways to keep his ageing Rickman Space Ranger on the road. 83 TOT ROD AND TRAILERPaul Howes built a mini Cobra for his granddaughter – and then a trailer to transport it!
90 RUNNING REPORTSOur Running Reporters have been making good progress over the summer months.
96 DIY WHEEL ALIGNMENTMartin Scott shows you how to set your kit car’s tracking on your driveway at home.
6 NEWSNew cars from MEV and Caterham, and the rest of the industry round-up from the last four weeks.
13 NEW PRODUCTS� e latest kit for you, your car and your garage. Tempted by any of this lot?
24 CLUBS & LIFESTYLETell us what you’ve been doing with your kit car and we’ll tell the world. It all goes on here.
29 MISPLACED ENTHUSIAM: AXONGary welcomes the fact that kit cars are now welcomed at many classic car events.
30 WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?� e weird things we found during our latest rummage through the CKC photo archive.
98 BETWEEN THE LINESRiding a Segway, a rare Mini special and a Reliant Scimitar based Aston replica round o� the issue.
38BUILD
DRIVE
ENJOY
62 24
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004 Contents.indd 5 02/09/2016 15:08
We are now beginning to get the measure of Ford’s chart-topping Ecoboost engine. Developed for use
outside of the company’s regular models by Ford’s performance Ford Racing division, the engine’s loom and management system have been stripped of the paraphernalia needed on a complex production car, so that the turbocharged 2.0-litre engine can be slotted into… well, almost anything! And it seems the rest of the world is loving it. With 250bhp straight out of the box, it’s a performance titan and is �nding its way into seemingly every new niche performance sports car.
If we were in charge of estfield’s model naming department, its latest offering would be the Sport , because there’s onl one wa to describe the performance delivered b its . litre Ford coboost engine…
’elentless. Words and pictures: Ian Stent
RELENTLESSEXCLUSIVE
32 October 2016
032 Westfield 250.indd 32 02/09/2016 11:24
Although a few others in the kit industry have already used the Ecoboost engine, it’s signi�cant when the largest kit car manufacturer in the UK decides to use it for its latest range-topping model. West�eld Sportscars does not, and cannot, simply modify a few bits and bobs and ‘sort of ’ �nd a way of using a new engine. Althoughit’s important to remember that you can stillbuy a basic body/chassis kit from West�eldto use with your old Sierra donor car, thecompany has long focused on o�ering abrand new kit-in-a-box solution. Its ClassicSpecial Edition has every last nut and boltyou need to build a road-ready car withbrand new Ford Zetec engine under the
bonnet. It’s a car speci�cally designed for that engine and gearbox combination, with suspension, brakes and everything else optimised for the package. It’s exactly what CKC Running Reporter, Vivienne Lodge, is currently building in her garage at home.
But for some years it has been a di�erent situation for West�eld when it comes to a range-topping halo model. CKC voted the company’s Honda Type-R powered Mega S2000 the best West�eld we’d ever driven when we reviewed it in 2013. Using a Honda S2000 engine and gearbox solution with 240bhp, the new model was (and remains) exceptional but… West�eld cannot source brand new engines from Honda
WESTFIELD SPORT 250
October 2016 33
coboost engine isn’t a looker, but that won’t bother ou when ou when ou open it up... it’s intense
032 Westfield 250.indd 33 02/09/2016 11:24
EXCLUSIVE
34 October 2016 www.completekitcar.co.uk
on a power graph. While both deliver a similar amount of bhp (Honda 240/Ford 250) from here on everything else is quite distinct. While the Honda’s power comes at 8600rpm, the Ford is done and dusted shortly after 6000rpm. And when it comes to torque �gures, the di�erences are even more dramatic. Where the Honda struggles to muster 160ft lb of grunt, the Ecoboost twists its way to a frankly insane 270ft lb. In real world driving, torque can be king. Time to �nd out.
�e new Sport 250 looks like… virtually every other West�eld! �is example uses the ‘Classic’ front nose with the ‘V8’ bonnet bulge providing vital extra headroom, while out back you’ll �nd the modern FW rear bodywork. It’s a good looking combo, particularly with the optional wide-track front suspension and real carbon front wheelarches.
But there are some subtle features here too, most signi�cantly for the occupants being the taller windscreen (and correspondingly tall side screens). It’s so understated you might not notice it, until you compare and contrast with a regular o�ering. Further options include the Sport Turbo seats along with fancy harnesses, a new digital dash option, a limited slip di�erential out back, West�eld branded front and rear brake calipers, track day dampers and wider 8in rear wheels (visibly dished if you compare them to the fronts). But for all these changes, this is still very much a regular looking West�eld. However, the same cannot be said for the drive!
Hop in and the Sport Turbo seats are as brilliant as I remember. �ey are a £325 upgrade on the spec sheet that you need to tick. �e wider seat harnesses are less exciting and take longer to fasten than the regular option, but if you are considering
and cannot therefore o�er a brand new comprehensive kit package. Instead, it has o�ered the Mega S2000 as a complete kit (or basic starter kit), less the vital internal organs. In reality, this is unlikely to be a deal breaker for most CKC readers who are used to sourcing parts. But it you are a potential customer who’s looking for something brand new, with the back-up of a factory warranty and have perhaps been considering products from alternative manufacturers (maybe based in the Crawley area of the UK?), then it might be a problem. �e West�eld Sport 250 is the company’s answer.
Packaging a modern turbocharged, previously transverse located engine into a rear-wheel drive sevenesque kit car isn’t easy, but thankfully West�eld already has previous form in this area. Its Small Series Type Approved Sport Turbo uses a modern 1.6-litre Vauxhall turbo engine, so much of the experience learned here has been transferred across to the Sport 250. It means West�eld understands the intercooler demands, the heat management requirements, and how to utilise a Mazda MX-5 gearbox to transfer power to the back wheels. At £24,999 for a complete kit (a more basic kit package is likely to follow), the Sport 250 is a big step up from the Classic Special Edition, but the factory reckons the premium over a similar spec (with a second-hand engine) Honda based Mega S2000 is only around £2000. What’s more, sourcing your own used Ecoboost engine is something West�eld will be looking to accommodate in due course, bringing the price di�erential down even further.
�e arguments relating to turbo versus naturally aspirated will rage on, and the di�erences between the Honda and Ford solutions are particularly stark when viewed
Above: New AIM digital dash unit opens with estfield logo before reverting to a well designed display.
Right: 4-pot calipers and vented discs scrub off speed with assurance.
Left: Driving position is excellent.
Whether you prefer a Type R or the latest Ford Ecoboost matters not one jot… both work magni�cently under the bonnet of a West�eld
032 Westfield 250.indd 34 02/09/2016 15:42
October 2016 35www.completekitcar.co.uk
regular track days they could prove useful. With the engine �red, the new AIMS digital dash unit comes up with a large West�eld logo before settling into one of two di�erent dash con�gurations. It’s a unit I like, as it remains easy to read and tells you all you need to know at a glance. I’d like to see it sunk into the dash rather than attached to the surface though (something the careful builder could easily achieve).
�e noise of the Ecoboost at tickover is a deep, slightly breathless burble that is familiar to any turbocharged installation. But from the moment you move o� from a standstill you are now in Ecoboost land… a place where whooshes, whistles and chunters are a constant and loud companion, whether pootling through town or pressing on through the lanes. It was the same with our recent drive of the mid-engined Vortex V2, only now the sounds are coming from ahead and engulf you as they wash back over the car… crikey it’s vocal!
Detractors of the turbo philosophy inevitably point to the laggy way power is delivered… press the throttle, wait for the revs to build and then bang, it’s all delivered in one tricky-to-control whoosh of bhp. But that’s not the way the Ecoboost goes about its work. Power builds swiftly from less than 2000rpm, dialling out almost any sensation of turbo lag. Instead, what you need to watch is the mountainous torque delivery. A wall of twisting grunt is also unleashed from less than 2000rpm, building to a tsunami of heavyweight hitting power just 1000 revs later… it’s all done by 3000rpm. What that means in real terms is that when combined with the 250bhp power delivery, the West�eld Sport 250 has an almost unhinged level of overtaking ability. �is isn’t a car where you need to be careful with gear selection to get the best from it. In third, fourth or �fth gear you can be out and past anything seemingly instantaneously… no delay, no build-up, no messing. But you
Sport Turbo seat upgrade worth ever penn . ulk harnesses worth it for track da users.
WESTFIELD SPORT 250
032 Westfield 250.indd 35 02/09/2016 09:20
EXCLUSIVE
www.completekitcar.co.uk
ENGINE AS TESTED: 2.0-litre Ford Ecoboost, 252bhp, 270ft lbENGINE OPTIONS: Only the 2.0-litre is currently an option within the Ecoboost
e t e Westfi eld es e t e
engine options. CHASSIS: Multi-tubular spaceframe chassis.SUSPENSION: Double wishbones, outboard Protech coil-over dampers, cast alloy uprights.STEERING: Westfi eld rack and column.BRAKES: Front – 4-pot calipers and vented discs. Rear – calipers with solid discs, handbrake facility, no servo.PRICE: £24,999 inclusive VAT as complete brand new kit.CONTACT: Westfi eld Sportscars, Kingswinford, West Midlands DY6 8XF. T: 01384 400077. E s les estfi eldsportscars.co.uk W estfi eldsportscars.co.uk
TECH SPEC need to be on your game. � e Sport 250 weighs next to nothing and even with super sticky R888R Toyo rubber on each corner the laws of physics are plainly evident. Get too carefree with the throttle and a free lesson in the art of drifting will be yours. But this isn’t a di� cult car to drive. You just need to recalibrate your right foot usage… and then the Sport 250 is an extraordinary tool.
Massive sledgehammer acceleration is a given, but so too the familiar traits that we loved so much with the game-changing Mega S2000 – there’s prodigious grip from the rubber, taught handling, predictable weighty steering and superlative gear changes through the Mazda transmission (surely the best inline transmission currently on the market?). If I’m being picky, then the ride feels a tad � rm over slow speed bumps and the steering could be a little more feelsome… both could be down to the new Toyo R888R rubber which West� eld is using for the � rst time.
Having a windscreen on a car shouldn’t be signi� cant, but with few other manufacturers within this sector bothering with one, it’s worth emphasising just how relaxing it is to drive a car with a full screen. Along with well-designed side screens, wind bu� eting it largely banished, which allows you to concentrate on piloting this rocketship. What’s more, there is the obvious safety advantage of having laminated glass in front of you should a stone � y up from the car in front – I like that. Most tellingly, West� eld has � tted a screen to this car because it knows most of its customers end up going this way. � ere’s a lesson there for others.
But experiencing the new Sport 250 is certainly not de� ned by its practicality, the sophistication of the ride, e� ciency of
the brakes or anything else… other than the engine. As we are now beginning to realise, Ford’s latest engine is a bit of an animal. While its power and torque are undoubtedly headline grabbing, it’s the character of this turbocharged loony that really makes a statement. It’s an attention-seeking adolescent that demands centre stage at every moment. � ere is no mute button with an Ecoboost under the bonnet. It is, as I suggested in the introduction, relentless.
Compared to the Mega S2000, potential West� eld customers have two utterly di� erent and intriguing options to choose from. In one corner is the visually pretty, naturally aspirated, stratospheric revving Honda Type R while opposite it is the
visually challenged, torque creating, forced induction spectacle of the thoroughly modern Ford Ecoboost. � ere’s no question there’s a place for both, on the amusement scale each scores an emphatic 10. But it’s rather like comparing the � nest classical music with the experience of being at Glastonbury, of analogue versus digital. While I adore my vinyl, I wouldn’t be without Spotify…
All of which means there are no losers in this game, only winners. West� eld now has both options covered (and can vitally o� er the previously elusive complete kit-in-a-box option). So whether you prefer a Type R or the latest Ford Ecoboost doesn’t matter… both work magni� cently under the bonnet of a West� eld. n
Below: atest demo uses a mixture of bod work options. F rear works particularl well.
Power graph shows the earl deliver of power and mountain of tor ue… Add the two together for big fun.
36 October 2016
WESTFIELD SPORT 250
032 Westfield 250.indd 36 02/09/2016 16:11
