Jalopnik's "Gelded Thunder"

[JackMcCornack]

Interesting article based on a joke photo of a Honda in-line four in a Z06 Corvette.

This Corvette With A Honda Four-Banger Is Sadly Not Real

The author (Jalopnik staff writer Jason Torchinsky) says he loves the idea of small engines swaps in sports cars, but there are hints in the text that he's not that big a fan ("...I'd like to see an automotive subculture obsessed with cramming the smallest, feeblest engines they can into the most impressive, powerful cars they can find...culminating in the pinnacle of the genre, a Briggs and Stratton 1 cylinder lawn tractor engine in a Veyron...neutered supercars...I think this subculture should be called Gelders.")

I've encountered a lot of guys who equate horsepower with masculinity, but if there's going to be a slang term for ecomodded sports cars I'd sure like something more subtle than "Gelders".

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by JackMcCornack

The author (Jalopnik staff writer Jason Torchinsky) says he loves the idea of small engines swaps in sports cars

Since he's quite obsessed with old air-cooled Volkswagens and other cars based around the Beetle engine, such as the Brazilian Puma GT, it doesn't really surprise me.

"...I'd like to see an automotive subculture obsessed with cramming the smallest, feeblest engines they can into the most impressive, powerful cars they can find...culminating in the pinnacle of the genre, a Briggs and Stratton 1 cylinder lawn tractor engine in a Veyron...neutered supercars...I think this subculture should be called Gelders."

Not sure at which point it would make sense to get so extreme into the usage of small engines, but the aerodynamics of certain sportcars combined with a modest drivetrain might lead to good results efficiency-wise while keeping a reasonable overall performance. BTW when I was 13 I believed it would be cool to fit a motorcycle engine between 250 to 500cc into a small car that would normally rely on a 4-cyl 1.0L engine...

I've encountered a lot of guys who equate horsepower with masculinity

Carroll Shelby used to say that horsepower sells cars while the torque wins races. But anyway, in my country due to the displacement-based taxation, some cars with 1.0L engine and a relatively high horsepower rating compared to their Euro and Argentinian counterparts with 1.2L and 1.4L engines end up getting worse mileage figures since they have to be revved higher and backed by shorter gearing. But anyway, it's always worth to remember the Lotus Seven, which would usually have an impressive performance compared to fancier rides on a track even though it relied mostly in small engines.

[bandit86]

I always wanted a corvette. Don't know what is put into it. A 2.2 kubota diesel might sound good

[19bonestock88]

I think that as good as the EPA mileage is in the C7 corvette, I'd love to see how it would do with a V6... Now, most people would lean toward the 3.6 from the Camaro, but I'd love to see the 4.3 from the Silverado... Why? The 3.6 makes less torque, and needs to rev higher to make it...

[bandit86]

Well if you want to get creative, I always wanted to try putting a Harley v twin into a car. It would sound semi-decent for a corvette. Plenty of torque.

[Fingie]

I'd like to cram a four-banger into a big pickup or a van and run dual gearboxes, maybe even some kind of freakish-type 5-speed manual behind a 3-4 gear automatic gearbox setup

[ECO-AKJ]

Originally Posted by 19bonestock88

I think that as good as the EPA mileage is in the C7 corvette, I'd love to see how it would do with a V6... Now, most people would lean toward the 3.6 from the Camaro, but I'd love to see the 4.3 from the Silverado... Why? The 3.6 makes less torque, and needs to rev higher to make it...

Harley Davidson powered Ford Festiva

Listen to This Ford Festiva Running a 1,340cc V-Twin Harley Davidson Engine!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqXErDkOXyc

[Fingie]

that. is. cool.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

It may seem odd at first, but a V-Twin into a car doesn't sound so bad at all. But maybe instead of a Harley-Davidson which is quite outdated I would also consider something from Euro or Jap manufacturers. Another motorcycle engine that I like is the flat-twin from BMW.

[Fingie]

it's a cool engine. My aunt's husbands parents have a BMW motorcycle.