Factory Five Project 818

[Series8217]

Factory Five Project 818: http://www.factoryfive.com/kits/project-818/

The name comes from the 818 kg / 1800 lb finished weight.

Grassroots Motorsports is getting one as soon as they come out (maybe one of the first kits) and will be doing a buildup. If you haven't subscribed, do so now!

It's midengine 2wd and the donor car is a Subaru Impreza (base or WRX, not STI**). It uses suspension, drivetrain, interior parts, etc. They have a test mule running, and I think the bodywork is almost done. The kits are supposed to be available at the end of this year or next year.

** The drivetrain parts are apparently too different to work with one kit, but you could maybe modify it to work.

[The Dark Side of Will]

Naturally, I already want to try one with a VAG W8 engine...

[The Dark Side of Will]

With a W8 and this transmission, the axle to accessory drive distance might be short enough to squeeze in for the Scooby 4...

[Series8217]

What transmission is that?

[The Dark Side of Will]

It's a new Audi transmission. I think it's the 01J or 01T. I'm having trouble finding good pics.
I lifted these pics from EngineMan's Audi V8 swap thread on Pfiffle.

The diff arrangement moves the axle centerline closer to the back of the engine in order to reduce the engine's overhang in front of the axle. It also helps make longitudinal mid-engine drivelines more compact.

[Series8217]

What does the clutch look like? I'm having trouble seeing how a conventional pressure plate is going to clear that, especially with a dual mass flywheel. It doesn't look like the input shaft protrudes very far.

[The Dark Side of Will]

My guess is that the flywheel has a "two tiered" shape. The first tier is the starter ring gear, then it's narrow to clear the axle, then wide again to bolt up the clutch.
I @$$ume the axle is inserted after the transmission is installed to the engine.

Note how deep the bellhousing is in the upper photo. The perspective of the lower photo makes it hard to see the component relationships accurately.

[crzyone]

Not sure why you would want an 8cyl in the car? The whole purpose of the car is to be light weight. Why throw off the weight balance and low center of gravity?

I'd personally get a JDM EJ20 and boost it to about 300-350hp and kill Vettes and Vipers around the track.

The only engine I can see as better and probably just as short as the EJ engines is a 13B rotary. Still keep the low center of gravity and have a responsive 400whp out of a small GT35.

[The Dark Side of Will]

Anything that can be done well with 2 litres can be done better with 4

The Rotaries actually do not have low CG's... look at where the output shaft is compared to the crankshaft of a piston engine. That's one of the things that makes V8 RX-7's possible... even though the T56 is a bulky transmission compared to the RX-7 gearbox, the RX-7 trans tunnel is deep because the transmission comes off the engine relatively high. The T56 sits lower in the tunnel and fits even though it's much larger than the RX-7 box.

[crzyone]

Because the rotary doesn't have big heads hanging off it up high, I'd say it's CG is still better than any V engine. Plus with custom mounts, you can hang the engine just low enough so it's not quite the lowest part of the car. Rotary oil pans are very shallow.

Edit-
Can always go N/A 13b and make about 250-275whp while being reliable. Would be super responsive and light weight. Would drink fuel like crazy though...