Norman's onto a winner at Aintree - Champion Newspapers
Norman's onto a winner at Aintree - Champion Newspapers
Norman's onto a winner at Aintree - Champion Newspapers
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The <strong>Champion</strong> • Wednesday 11 April 2012<br />
CMB<br />
Visit us @ www.ChampNews.com • 35<br />
THERE are a gre<strong>at</strong> many new<br />
motors on the way l<strong>at</strong>er this<br />
year. Most of which, a<br />
mechanic m<strong>at</strong>e of mine<br />
reckons, he can easily outrun.<br />
In a Metro.<br />
Yes, you read th<strong>at</strong> right; in a<br />
garage out in the fl<strong>at</strong>lands of<br />
West Lancashire work is<br />
underway on turning wh<strong>at</strong><br />
was a knackered Rover 100,<br />
the Metro’s final fling before<br />
poor crash test results killed<br />
it off, into a bit of a supercar<br />
in min<strong>at</strong>ure. I know you’re<br />
probably smirking now, but<br />
I’m looking forward to seeing<br />
it as much as I am the new<br />
3–Series or the Toyota<br />
GT–86. Because it promises,<br />
for less than you’d think, to<br />
give ‘em both a bit of a run<br />
for their money.<br />
The recipe’s a surprisingly<br />
simple one; take a Metro,<br />
making sure it’s one of the<br />
l<strong>at</strong>er ones, remove the Rover<br />
K–Series you’ll find under its<br />
square–rigged bonnet, and<br />
then beef up the brakes and<br />
suspension. Wh<strong>at</strong> you then<br />
do is fill the hole you’ve<br />
MOTORS<br />
Speedy Metro made<br />
to rival new motors<br />
cre<strong>at</strong>ed with the much<br />
me<strong>at</strong>ier powerplant from an<br />
MGF or a Lotus Elise, which –<br />
because it’s still a K–Series<br />
engine – will slot in perfectly.<br />
All you need to do then is<br />
finish it all off by fitting a roll<br />
cage and decor<strong>at</strong>ing it with a<br />
nifty paint job of your choice.<br />
The end result might sound<br />
faintly ridiculous but<br />
consider this; the finished<br />
Metro will offer up<br />
somewhere in the region of<br />
180bhp in something th<strong>at</strong><br />
weighs about the same as a<br />
packet of crisps. Th<strong>at</strong> means<br />
the final product will offer up<br />
abetterpowertoweightr<strong>at</strong>io<br />
than a Porsche Boxster S,<br />
which in turn means it should<br />
be seriously quick.<br />
Easily rapid enough to lose<br />
Tell us wh<strong>at</strong> you think!<br />
editor@champnews.com<br />
the pub bet with said car’s<br />
owner to find something<br />
th<strong>at</strong>’ll offer the same sort of<br />
punch for anything like the<br />
same sort of money. I’ve<br />
honestly racked my brains to<br />
find a secondhand<br />
performance car bargain<br />
th<strong>at</strong>’d outrun the modified<br />
Metro, and I can’t think of<br />
anything.<br />
A secondhand hot h<strong>at</strong>ch<br />
wouldn’t offer the same sort<br />
of pace, while you’d struggle<br />
to get a slingshot sports car,<br />
like a C<strong>at</strong>erham, without it<br />
costing three or four times<br />
wh<strong>at</strong> the Metro cost. As much<br />
as I’m a bit of a cynic when it<br />
comes to modifying cars, I<br />
honestly can’t think of<br />
anything th<strong>at</strong>’d m<strong>at</strong>ch the<br />
muscular Metro. If you can<br />
think of one, by all means let<br />
me know. Only serious<br />
petrolheads need apply!<br />
I look forward to reporting<br />
l<strong>at</strong>er this year whether a<br />
Rover 100 th<strong>at</strong>’s more Brands<br />
H<strong>at</strong>ch than hot h<strong>at</strong>ch is as<br />
bonkers as it sounds. W<strong>at</strong>ch<br />
this space...<br />
All New Ford Focus<br />
Zetec 5 Door<br />
£ 0.00<br />
ADVANCED PAYMENT<br />
Lancashire Ford<br />
Hayfield Road, Ormskirk, Lancashire, L39 1NZ<br />
01695 573 911<br />
www.lancashireford.co.uk<br />
Galaxy Zetec<br />
£ 1095.00<br />
ADVANCED PAYMENT<br />
Lancashire Ford<br />
1106219<br />
C3<br />
1107838