Norman's onto a winner at Aintree - Champion Newspapers

The Champion • Wednesday 11 April 2012
CMB
Visit us @ www.ChampNews.com • 35
THERE are a great many new
motors on the way later this
year. Most of which, a
mechanic mate of mine
reckons, he can easily outrun.
In a Metro.
Yes, you read that right; in a
garage out in the flatlands of
West Lancashire work is
underway on turning what
was a knackered Rover 100,
the Metro’s final fling before
poor crash test results killed
it off, into a bit of a supercar
in minature. I know you’re
probably smirking now, but
I’m looking forward to seeing
it as much as I am the new
3–Series or the Toyota
GT–86. Because it promises,
for less than you’d think, to
give ‘em both a bit of a run
for their money.
The recipe’s a surprisingly
simple one; take a Metro,
making sure it’s one of the
later ones, remove the Rover
K–Series you’ll find under its
square–rigged bonnet, and
then beef up the brakes and
suspension. What you then
do is fill the hole you’ve
MOTORS
Speedy Metro made
to rival new motors
created with the much
meatier powerplant from an
MGF or a Lotus Elise, which –
because it’s still a K–Series
engine – will slot in perfectly.
All you need to do then is
finish it all off by fitting a roll
cage and decorating it with a
nifty paint job of your choice.
The end result might sound
faintly ridiculous but
consider this; the finished
Metro will offer up
somewhere in the region of
180bhp in something that
weighs about the same as a
packet of crisps. That means
the final product will offer up
abetterpowertoweightratio
than a Porsche Boxster S,
which in turn means it should
be seriously quick.
Easily rapid enough to lose
Tell us what you think!
editor@champnews.com
the pub bet with said car’s
owner to find something
that’ll offer the same sort of
punch for anything like the
same sort of money. I’ve
honestly racked my brains to
find a secondhand
performance car bargain
that’d outrun the modified
Metro, and I can’t think of
anything.
A secondhand hot hatch
wouldn’t offer the same sort
of pace, while you’d struggle
to get a slingshot sports car,
like a Caterham, without it
costing three or four times
what the Metro cost. As much
as I’m a bit of a cynic when it
comes to modifying cars, I
honestly can’t think of
anything that’d match the
muscular Metro. If you can
think of one, by all means let
me know. Only serious
petrolheads need apply!
I look forward to reporting
later this year whether a
Rover 100 that’s more Brands
Hatch than hot hatch is as
bonkers as it sounds. Watch
this space...
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