I wanted a Lotus 7 of some sort so I started looked at the classified hoping to find a Westfield for sensible money that possibly needed some TLC. These seemed to be very thin on the ground in my neck of the woods. After searching the Autotrader and the kit car mags I decided that may be I should have a go at building one myself. I was lacking in build space but if I moved all the crap out of the garage maybe it was possible?… I bought a shed, moved the crap out. (My car didn't even get asked if it minded still being out in the rain) But which kit???
I had visited Westfield a couple of years ago the last time I had this kit car idea but buying a house put the idea on the back burner (too right). I knew the kit was good quality one (if a little more expensive than some) so I arranged a visit and a test drive (Lots of scared noises - ooooh it felt very fast). I came away with a good impression of the vehicle but the attitude seemed to be "here we are, we're great, take it or leave it" - I looked else where. I liked the price of the Sylva product but the car looked a bit "Blue Peter ish", I had read about Tiger, liked the look, so I organised a visit.
A long trip down through Lincolnshire to visit Tiger and look over a CAT (It's only 100 miles do you want to come with me? I stupidly agreed….. 3 hours later….). I came away with a good impression of the car and the people… so much more enthusiastic than the Westfield people. This seemed to be what I was after. The full kit came in at about 3K which left plenty of budget for making it a good spec vehicle. So the choice came down to building a hi spec CAT or a low spec Westfield… I went for the Tiger. (He was originally offered our wedding day as a delivery date - I pointed out that this might not be good for his long term survival)
…And Why A Zetec
A plus point about the CAT was that all the mechanics come from a single source… a Ford Sierra. My target was to build a 150bhp machine. To get 150bhp out of the Sierras ageing Pinto lump would mean Twin carbs, fast cams and some porting work along with the general overhaul of the engine. But on searching for a suitable donor Sierra I came across a local breakers with a 2.0litre Zetec engine for sale. A Zetec engine plus twin carbs equals 165bhp, although there is the small matter of a engine management system to consider. The Zetec looked the better option:
- A modern 16 valve engine which didn't look like it had been to the moon and back
- Easily passes the 150bhp target with a wider power band than a tuned Pinto
- But needs an expensive engine management system
The budget was pushed out and the Zetec purchased.
