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2 years ago I talked to Turner BMW about their race cars and asked what they used for a tranny. Their smaller one (sorry don’t remember the class, but I think it was M3 based), had a “slush box”, not a dual clutch. Asked why, they said that for that car they are durable, cheap, parts are readily available and easy to repair and almost as fast as a dual clutch (close enough it didn’t make a difference). Probably the same ZF as in the Alfa.
For most good slush box paddle shift should be just fine unless you want the performance for track driving. I did a bit of research on the most notable cars with DCT and rather interesting what I found. It seems Audi's S Tronic was developed with Borg Warner. BMW evidently uses Getrag design, and Porsche is ZF (not the slush box). As in engine all these companies has variants for different applications. Audi has one for transverse mount. I have no idea if the upcoming MINI GP's is a slush box or not.
All are similar in principle and implementation in that there are two concentric input shafts each driven by one of the two clutches that operate in ping pong fashion.
While I am aware R56 rear glass ends before the curve, I had not noticed the vertical spoiler until now. I agree that must be done to improve aero. Rounded abruptly ending tail design cause a lot of turbulence in the wakes. You are better off chopped it off like the AMC Gremlin.
image credit Wikipedia
The wing spoiler is larger also. My hog needs a butt hogwash constantly but fortunately being white does not show as bad.
After the salt water from our last snow storm a few days ago dried on our base Cooper, there was a perfect line of no-salt to salt-covered. Forward of this line was no salt, rearward there was salt The line was at a slight diagonal from vertical and perfectly followed the bend in the glass about 2.5” from the end glass at the boot. This is about the same place as the vertical spoilers on that Gen II MINI. My guess is this line I see is where the air boundary layer separated from the the rear quarter panel glass as it tried to go around to the back of the car. I wonder if putting vertical spoilers there on our Base Coooper would actually do anything?
It's difficult to find good movie scenes with the modern MINI, even the Italian Job remake ain't that great as compared to the countless scores of classic Mini in the movies...
...the other day I came across a rather beautiful short film about a 1750 GTV and I enjoyed watching it,
and it also gave me hope that youth isn't wasted on the young...
I love watching GTV/GTA videos and I totally regret not buying an old 2000 GTV back when I had the chance for $5,000 back in the 90's, now they're finally being appreciated for what they are and are commanding high prices.
By the way,
the Nopper Shorts channel is very fun to watch!
I love watching GTV/GTA videos and I totally regret not buying an old 2000 GTV back when I had the chance for $5,000 back in the 90's, now they're finally being appreciated for what they are and are commanding high prices.
By the way,
the Nopper Shorts channel is very fun to watch!
Sorry for the late reply. I was out getting some local culture last nite that discourages mobile fone use.
Thanks for sharing the video. It goes show how often we are so inadequate with our modern cars. Love watching that constant gear rowing on these ancient primitive drivetrains to stay in the narrow power band with the equally primitive 5 speed box that isn't even a doggy box.
The Alfa emblem has to be one of the best taking a historic coat of arms and modernized it without bastardizing it. Evidently the little stick man's fate wasn't as bleak as I thought in the mouth of the snake/dragon. Rather than being swallowed by the serpent he was in the process of being reborn, as a new and improved man.
Here is something up your alley - a rally queen with one of the most iconic engines. Yes, it has a dog box that isn't even sequential. Lancia has been less than a shell of badge engineering after its former glory days.
It's difficult to find good movie scenes with the modern MINI, even the Italian Job remake ain't that great as compared to the countless scores of classic Mini in the movies...
...the other day I came across a rather beautiful short film about a 1750 GTV and I enjoyed watching it,
and it also gave me hope that youth isn't wasted on the young...
...most young people these days don't seem to care anything about cars.
The video seems to be by the father and son company Balocco Classics that specialize in modernizing alfa's in the Netherlands that I had come across before. One classic Alfa for me is the Giulia Super and I am not sure if I have the name right as the company's lineup was a mess and there are many Giulia including the G in the GTV.
Although I always cite the 1969 Alfa 1750 GTV as my dream car, I only do so because it is attainable and within my grasp --- my real trueblue dreamcar is a Stratos Stradale but I know that it is beyond my reach and don't daydream about it
LOL https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1974-lancia-stratos/
... but man, in my book the Stratos is nearly a perfect design.
Back in the day I had a Sega Saturn game system with steering wheel and I played Sega Rally like no tomorrow!
Re:
the Alfa biscione:
Here's one of my favorite t-shirts...
It seems a long way from spring here in the Pacific Northwest. Desire is covered in snow, and to protect her from herself she is in curfew. To lessen some winter blue I have been shopping - when the going gets tough, the tough goes shopping.
my brother's Alfa Milano that has a V6; you can barely see the little man in the serpent's jaw
he is a worst packrat than me
safety is top and I invested in a half dozen of this safety cone; they meet MUTCD specifications whatever that mean but they are certainly heavy and sturdy; the one on the left is sun-bleached
The end is near, or the beginning is near? I prefer to think of the latter - another fresh and thrilling track driving season to learn new tricks and hone old tricks for both me and Desire the Mini hog, and the bad Porsche.
Emails have been trickling in for HPDE events in the PNW regions. I begun marking the calendar for the year of the hog. I need to devise a coding scheme to discern different organizers as well as the locations. Strangely Portland BMW Club is visibly absent. It has been hosting events for decades at PIR. I would be more selective which event to sign up. Safety and organization of the organizers are first considerations. Bad traffic and drivers are to be avoided.
event calendar for the year of the hog
For me it would be crunch time in April to get Desire's problem sorted out. The racing brake pads are still not here due to back order.
I have liked the Wilwood Poly H or Poly B pads. Seem to be always available through Todd. Just a thought so you don’t miss that first day.
We are starting around here soon too (mid-April). But considering we have had snow in late April in the last couple of years, I think I’ll pass on April and start in May...
I ordered those pads back in early Feb so should be here soon. I will keep the Poly H and B in mind should I need to scramble. We been having the most frigid Feb and Mar that seems old man winter like Oregon too. Last season I didn't start until late May. The nice thing with the club days are I can sign up very close to the day.
So, things have been complicated the keep the R50 and mod the hell out of it or get a Miata ND RF.
RMW has crate engines now or at least now listed on his website. I am sure that he could do a R50 engine for about the same price as the R53 engine. These are the 1.62l engines, fully built and ready to be dropped in then tuned. Including me sourcing all the parts for a 6-speed swap would now be significantly less than a new car. And thanks to our lovely government and the tax break for the rich; tax penalty for the middle class and the house needing more work, building the R50 may be what I do.
Still on the fence on this one.
Posting from the road without wheel and very bandwidth limited, so please forgive the poor quality. I took ample photos of any cars that are interesting. I am also using another mac which strangely would not let me downsize the exporting photos.
02-23-2019, 11:45 AM
. And it has a lot common with our Mini's that is being an aero-dysfunctional 
. 
