Anybody out there with experience autocrossing a fiero? - Page 3 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

waybomb · #31 12-03-2007, 09:18 PM

Do an 88- much better suspension to start with. Then pull the 6 and put in a 355 all aluminum long block. Make it all as light as you can. Upgrade the brakes to the biggest you can afford.

t walgamuth · #32 12-03-2007, 11:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Howitzer

What about a Maserati Biturbo?

"The Biturbo zips to 60 mph in 6.8 seconds and reaches 100 mph in only 21.4 seconds, covering the quarter mile in 15.3 seconds at 91 mph in the process. ... [It] will actually run with a Ferrari 308 Quattrovalvole up to about 90 mph. Above 100, the Maserati's bluff shape attenuates its acceleration considerably, finally arresting it at 125 mph." -- Car and Driver, April 1984

The only car with a worse propensity to catch fire than a fiero!

Oh, yeah, I forgot Lotuses.

Tom W

t walgamuth · #33 12-03-2007, 11:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by waybomb

Do an 88- much better suspension to start with. Then pull the 6 and put in a 355 all aluminum long block. Make it all as light as you can. Upgrade the brakes to the biggest you can afford.

All good ideas but not in the relm of LOW BUDGET projects.

Maybe next year or the year after if I manage to sell some of the expensive things that I own and am trying to sell!

Tom W

Medmech · #34 12-03-2007, 11:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by t walgamuth

The only car with a worse propensity to catch fire than a fiero!

Oh, yeah, I forgot Lotuses.

Tom W

I did not know that the Bi's caught fire, I do know that they were prone to every thing else. I have thought about a Bi or Qport to play with but I here that it is less than rewarding.

PaulC · #35 12-03-2007, 11:27 PM

Triumph GT6?

t walgamuth · #36 12-04-2007, 01:06 AM

no more interesting but crappy quality brit cars for me. those gt sixes are cool looking though.

I am actually now that you mention it not sure the biturbos did catch fire, but in any case I think most folks wished they would if they didn't they were so unreliable. They were handsome cars though and I understand pretty quick in their day.....when they were running.

Tom W

PaulC · #37 12-04-2007, 01:11 AM

Early C4 Corvette with tuned port injection? Plenty of cosmetically ratty ones out there for four-figure prices; excellent weight distribution; wide stock tire footprint; excellent aftermarket support for the suspension and drivetrain. Stay away from the '84's, as while they possessed the stiffest factory suspensions, the cross-fire fuel injection is performance limited and doesn't have good aftermarket support. 1985 has the tuned port injection, but no ABS brakes.

PaulC · #38 12-04-2007, 01:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by t walgamuth

no more interesting but crappy quality brit cars for me. those gt sixes are cool looking though.

I am actually now that you mention it not sure the biturbos did catch fire, but in any case I think most folks wished they would if they didn't they were so unreliable. They were handsome cars though and I understand pretty quick in their day.....when they were running.

Tom W

Courtesy of the New York Times:

Rust in Peace
With Twin Turbos, Double the Trouble

Sports Car Market
1989 Maserati Biturbo Spyder

By ROB SASS
Published: September 3, 2006

WHAT WAS IT? The Maserati Biturbo was sold in the United States in 1984-89, first as a boxy four-seat coupe and later as a convertible.

AND THE POINT WAS? The Biturbo, a sharp departure from the sleek sports cars that once rivaled Ferraris, was Maserati’s shot at becoming a volume manufacturer. The car represented an attempt to marry Italian style and verve, epitomized by the company’s trident emblem, with the practical appeal of BMW’s 3 Series. With a twin-turbo V-6, the car was quick, but its handling was suspect, and its temperamental mechanical systems could not compare with the solidly reliable BMW’s. Biturbos rusted with a vengeance, cooked their turbochargers and broke timing belts with dire consequences. The plush leather interior was less durable than some revolving-door Italian governments.

THE ADS SAID: “The most exciting and totally new Maserati anyone can remember.” The Biturbo is now the Maserati that anyone who cares about the marque would like to forget.

THE CRITICS SAID: Michael Sheehan, a broker in Newport Beach, Calif., who specializes in sales of Italian sports cars, said: “The best use for any Biturbo is as a parts car to keep others going. Unfortunately, that only perpetuates the madness.” Of the 10 or so Biturbos on display at the Concorso Italiano last month in Seaside, Calif., two remained long after the show had ended, their hoods up, unable to be driven away.

TOTAL RECALL: The 1984-85 models were recalled because the exhaust emissions system could set the car on fire.

WHAT’S IT WORTH? Convertibles can occasionally bring $11,000 to $12,000. Coupes are not so lucky; prices are stuck in the three-figure range. A drivable, cosmetically decent example sold for $950 at a auction in Fort McDowell, Ariz., in January 2004.

t walgamuth · #39 12-04-2007, 01:37 AM

so they did burn!

I thought so.

Tom W

LUVMBDiesels · #40 12-04-2007, 08:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by t walgamuth

no more interesting but crappy quality brit cars for me. those gt sixes are cool looking though.

I am actually now that you mention it not sure the biturbos did catch fire, but in any case I think most folks wished they would if they didn't they were so unreliable. They were handsome cars though and I understand pretty quick in their day.....when they were running.

Tom W

Back in the day I used to go to Lime Rock, Ct to watch the SCCA races. The only thing SLOWER than theTriumphs were the MGBs

Everybody else (RX7s, Jag XKs,Vettes, Lancias, Alphas, Volvo P1800s, etc) lapped them

Hey what about an old Volvo P1800? Or a Lanica? Way cool and you don't see dozens of them

Medmech · #41 12-04-2007, 09:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by t walgamuth

so they did burn!

I thought so.

Tom W

I have no doubt that they did, to relieve yourself of the problem........remove the exaust

t walgamuth · #42 12-04-2007, 09:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LUVMBDiesels

Back in the day I used to go to Lime Rock, Ct to watch the SCCA races. The only thing SLOWER than theTriumphs were the MGBs

Everybody else (RX7s, Jag XKs,Vettes, Lancias, Alphas, Volvo P1800s, etc) lapped them

Hey what about an old Volvo P1800? Or a Lanica? Way cool and you don't see dozens of them

No, the volvo would not be remotely competitive and the lancias are actually fiats. The more I think about it the more I think maybe I should stick with my benz and figure out a way to get a lsd in it.

Tom W

thorsen · #43 12-04-2007, 12:36 PM

Why don't you connect the parking brake cable to the end of the sway bar. When the body rolls, it will pull the emergency brake for that side, dragging the wheel and creating a mechanical version of traction control.

cscmc1 · #44 12-04-2007, 02:37 PM

Here you go, Tom:

http://indianapolis.craigslist.org/pts/463291441.html

It's in your neck of the woods. Drop a Buick V-8 in and go!

I dig the GT6's. They (and the TR6) are among the most reliable of the Britmobiles as far as I'm concerned. My '76 TR6 never left me stranded, believe it or not, and took me to Florida and back one summer w/o so much as a hiccup. Of course, I was much younger and much more carefree then, too, but it was a FUN car!