pinchvalve
pinchvalve GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
7/29/19 6:58 a.m.

Think about it, the GM parts catalog is soon to offer a mid-engine drivetrain with GM reliability and serviceability. The market for mid-engine resto-mods is about to boom! 

pinchvalve
pinchvalve GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
7/29/19 7:02 a.m.

pinchvalve
pinchvalve GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
7/29/19 7:04 a.m.

pinchvalve
pinchvalve GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
7/29/19 7:05 a.m.

pinchvalve
pinchvalve GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
7/29/19 7:06 a.m.

pinchvalve
pinchvalve GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
7/29/19 7:08 a.m.

OK, I snuck a Viper prototype in there...

TurnerX19
TurnerX19 HalfDork
7/29/19 7:16 a.m.

The Alpine A110 illustrated above is not mid engined. I has the engine hanging off the rear of the transaxle just like the Renault R8 with which it shares all of the mechanism. And the value has already bloomed far above "buy it now" territoryangry Looks like I bought my X1/9 well 15 years agosmiley Will we see fake Corvette kits for Fieros? That is the real question! 

Ian F
Ian F MegaDork
7/29/19 8:07 a.m.

I don't see how the C8 engine/trans could fit into any of the cars pictured without major surgery that would move the passenger compartment too far forward. These cars are mostly transverse or rear engine.

Now something like a 917 or Superformance GTR kit, on the other hand... Assuming GM offers a stand-alone harness for the transmission, something like that could be interesting. A car with the same power but without the weight adding constraints of a production car.

Donebrokeit
Donebrokeit SuperDork
7/29/19 8:09 a.m.

The Lotus Esprit came with a V8, correct?

Ian F
Ian F MegaDork
7/29/19 8:21 a.m.

In reply to Donebrokeit :

It did. A very small one.

Maybe a V8 version of this...

GameboyRMH
GameboyRMH GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
7/29/19 8:37 a.m.

Many of these cars wouldn't survive a C8 powertrain being put into them, if they could even fit. The X1/9 or Europa would be quickly torn apart by that kind of power and the AW11 and Lotus Esprit wouldn't be far behind. Using a C8 transaxle with some kind of lower-powered engine (maybe a more pedestrian LS variant) in an Esprit could work, but it would be a shame to switch away from an H-pattern in that car.

Robbie
Robbie UltimaDork
7/29/19 8:57 a.m.

Don't we already have the FWD LS engine that nobody wants?

TurnerX19
TurnerX19 HalfDork
7/29/19 12:10 p.m.

I was thinking about collector values relative to mid engines from the original post, not engine swap options. Of all pictured only the Corvair and the Esprit are large enough to hold the bulk of a longitudinal V8. SofaKing extended the wheelbase of his Europa to fit an LS and a driver.

Appleseed
Appleseed MegaDork
7/29/19 12:20 p.m.
Robbie said:

Don't we already have the FWD LS engine that nobody wants?

We already have a FWD LS that transverse transmissions can't handle. 

TopNoodles
TopNoodles Reader
7/29/19 1:00 p.m.

I'm just waiting for the Flyin Miata mid engine conversion.

nderwater
nderwater UltimaDork
7/29/19 2:41 p.m.

bluej
bluej UberDork
7/29/19 3:26 p.m.

Exomotive needs to do a new chassis that uses the mioter running bits, but set up for a mid engine drivetrain..

Gingerbeardman
Gingerbeardman Reader
7/30/19 2:29 a.m.

In reply to pinchvalve :

If you had included a De Tomaso Pantera you would've nailed my history of ownership...

Knurled.
Knurled. GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
7/30/19 5:37 a.m.
nderwater said:

Rear engined, not mid engined...

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