Cheap "collectible?" Gassaver vehicles

[rh77]

Hows about the MG-B or Midget?

I know you'll have to work on it all week to drive it on the weekends, but that's tradition, righto?

[Silveredwings]

Originally Posted by rh77

Hows about the MG-B or Midget?

I know you'll have to work on it all week to drive it on the weekends, but that's tradition, righto?

I don't know about the Spridgets but I recall the MGB was nearly 2800 lb in its chrome bumper days (you don't find many of those these days). BTW, when they hit it with the ugly stick and added the rubber bumpers, they also raised it higher off the ground.

[OdieTurbo]

[QUOTE=The Toecutter;46986]Triumph Spitfire. You an pick them up in relatively good condition for a few grand, but a fully restored one can fetch about $6-8k.
[QUOTE]

Toecutter, I love the Spitfire's as much as you, I had 2 of them! A 1965 Mark II and a 1979 1500. I don't remember what they got for mileage, but I was fixing them more than I was driving them.

Then again, I guess that's saving gas

[kickflipjr]

I always liked the Fiat 500. They are going to re-release it (but it will not be in America).


And the new version

[SVOboy]

I've sat in a 500 before!

[kickflipjr]

Originally Posted by SVOboy

I've sat in a 500 before!

Cool. My grandpap owed one many years ago.

Bring it stateside!!!

Yeah I wish. They do make it with a 1.4L twin cam engine (almost enough power for America).

[The Toecutter]

Toecutter, I love the Spitfire's as much as you, I had 2 of them! A 1965 Mark II and a 1979 1500. I don't remember what they got for mileage, but I was fixing them more than I was driving them.

Then again, I guess that's saving gas

I've seen people who claim they get over 40 mpg with them with gentle driving conditions, but usually in the 35 mpg or so territory.

While they leave a lot to be desired insofar as speed is concerned, the later models handle like crack! Smallblock V8s do them a lot of justice and 25+ mpg is still achievable with such a radical modification.

I had to look because I used to have a Spitfire and I KNOW that thing was a featherweight compared to my 2500 lb Tempo. Spitfires pretty much equal MGBs. I would have guessed them to weigh even less!

Depending on which model, they can weigh as low as about 1,600 lbs for your Mk Is or as high as about 2,000 lbs for your Mk IVs/1500s.

Personally, I favor the idea of building a hardtop onto one as was done with the ADU1B LeMans Spitfires and shoehorning a chipped VW TDI engine into it. You could just do a GT6 like what i have, but that's a lot of additional weight and it has a lot of unaero features such as rain gutters.

[GasSavers_Lincoln]

Does anyone make an adapter to attach a Honda engine to a rwd transmission?
A Civic VX engine in a Triumph or MG would be fun and good on gas.

[The Toecutter]

Oh man, a Civic VX engine in a 1,600-1,700 lb Spitfire Mk I or II? Judging by power to weight ratio, that'd do 0-60 mph < 7 seconds and maybe even get better mpg than a Civic VX!

Oh, the fun to be had with such a car...

[Bill in Houston]

That would be too cool. Orrr, put the VX engine in the back of the Karmann Ghia...