I am currently looking to buy a weelend/track car and after reading all the material I can get my hands on the current favourite is the Westfield Megasbusa, but have also heard good things about the Megabird.

Does anyone have one of these or know a lot about them?

The alternative to this I have identified is a used Caterham Superlight R.

All opinions advice would be appreciated.

Also, I am going on a Westfield factory open day visit in a couple of weeks, has anyone been on one and can give me advice on how to get them to let me out on their test track, I have heard stories of them giving you a car, showing you the track and then saying bring it back when you are finished, all FREE!!

 

Not sure where their test track is as factory based on a trading estate!

See and hear cars blasting past my office most days

Richard

 

Don't quite think the 'free track day' is a true story.

I have a megablade, it may only be the baby, but will (and frequently has ) scare anyone ****less. PWR of a Diablo, and pure RWD, no traction control.

Unless you have come from a real performance car (ie not just a hot hatch/cossah/scoob) jumping into a megabusa is not a good idea - you have a better than average chance of killing yourself!!!

A quick drive of one of any BEC will be the most humbling experience of your life, and make you realise you are not half the driver you thought you were

Bloody good fun when you learn what it (and you) can do though

 

http://www.wscc.co.uk

 

Just prior to owning my P1 I had two cars, a 106GTi and a Bike-Engined-Kitcar - a Sylva Striker R1. I did the engine conversion myself (see: http://biketransplant.tripod.com) so I thus know a bit about these cars.

On track these bike-engined cars are awesome and will blitz any normal car when driven properly. Period. Passengering in a blade powered car we did 120mph through the craner curves at Donnington - scoobies were holding us up on some laps doing only 100mph.

However... they are not for the faint hearted and unless you can >really< drive you will not get the most out of them. They have a gross excess of power over weight and very low grip levels compared to a scooby. Where a scooby flatters you and make you look good an extreme kitcar will laugh at you and make you look silly. They bite and they bite hard. I put mine in a field on a test run when I was selling it! And he still bought it!

Ask yourself whether you can stomach such an extreme car for trackdays. They are great when you are there but driving 50miles or so in a car with NO comforts, NO screen, on semi-slick tyres and with the engine howling away at 6000RPM at 60mph (bike engines aren't geared for use in cars) is not for everyone. I hated it. Unless you want to trailer it or your a masochist avoid the bike-engined cars. The Caterham SLR is no better for this either since the fast ones have nasty peaky K-series engines.

IMHO if you want a fun car that you can drive to trackdays and still have tail-happy fun get an elise with a bit of poke in it (not the weezy base ones).

Best bet of course is to try one out - but TRY to keep a strong head. Once you've experienced 0-100 in 8secs even an EVO will feel a bit err... sluggish :-)

Cheers,
Marc

 

I bought a mageblade due to financial reasons over the busa and it proved right. At donno I blew an engine, and it cost me the not to bad sum of 800 quidto get a new one in. The busa well your starting at around 3k for the engine and then itll need a dry sump of around 1k you do the math.

The blade is still bonkers, it accelerates at around the same rate as a busa (with the busa edging forward) up to around 70 then the busa keeps edgine faster and faster away. ( I know as ive done a direct side by side comparison all the way to 120)

If I could afford it id go with the busa, but in the real world where the er are bills and stuff the blade is the better bang for buck – and you’ll pick a nice one up for 10k

In comparison to a Scooby? You cant. Scooby is easy dull and lifeless in comparison, even if you don’t drive the blade fat itll give you more fun as the impression of speed is very intense J

I drive mine on roads almost every night, even in the wet, you have to learn control as hit 7000rpm and the tail will start screaming all over the road and you’ll be introduced to a nice hedge to truck.

I though my scooby was a fun car until I bought the blade.

If your near stoke your welcome to a trip in mine (pic a dry day to see its potential)

 

Could not agree more. My 185bhp VA powered Westie is also mental!!
Highly recommended!!!
Mossman

 

Cheers for the replies everyone.

I guess the 'free trackday' must have been a bit of chinese whispers so I will not be expecting anything like this anymore!

Gary and Marc, I appreciate your comments about the performance of these cars and the need to be able to "drive" in order to get anything out of them and also keep yourself in one piece but I believe I am capable of "driving" these cars. I have driven plenty of seriously quick cars on road and track and am not concerned about my ability to drive one, however I guess I will not truly know until I get the new car . Hopefully my confidence won't be misplaced.

My everyday car before I bought the P1 was a modded Elise which I used for 2 years and had no worries about the impracticality, but I would not consider it as a replacement because even a seriously extreme Elise will not be able to provide the experience I am looking for.

I am not too worried about the impracticality of useing a BEC on the road given that I only intend it for limited road use, i.e. To and from the track and the occassional weekend blast.

Greg, cheers for the link to the WSCC I can see myself having to divide my time between there and Scoobynet from now on

The next issue I have come across in relation to the Westfield is that the depreciation in the first year or so seems to be quite high, especially when compared to the Caterham SLR. For example a new Megabusa with a few extra's will set you back about £26k but I have seen several year old ones going for about £16k, whereas a new SLR was about £27k and used ones all seem to be still over £20k. I guess this is where the Caterham is going to be a fair bit stronger than the Westie.

By the way if anyone wants to by a well looked after 2001 P1 with top quality mods (Brakes and Exhaust) mine can be yours for less than £20k, which I think is a bargain!

 

why a caterfield why not something like an MKindy or MK GT1

http://www.mkengineering.co.uk/

[Edited by dogmaul - 11/13/2002 11:54:26 AM]

 

Sounds like you've done all the thinking required - go for it and have fun!

Dogmaul is right though - there are lots of choices in the area of kits that will all be superb on track.
If it wasn't closed season you could watch the 750MC Bike-engined-cars series. My business partner Alistair has been running in it all year and has done very well in a Fisher Fury Fireblade.
In terms of the best track fun they are often the best race cars.
Cars to look for are:
Fisher Fury
Sylva Striker (now owned by RAW engineering)
Westfield Mega
MK locost
Dax Rush

Caterhams aren't allowed to play as they have their own championship. The Bike-engined-cars lap just as quickly as the SLRs on most circuits though.

Caterhams hold their value like no other kit. They are the BMWs of the kit world ;-)
Westfields are better value, go together nicely and perform great. There are a lot of older ones that are total sheds though so the market sees them overall as "lesser cars". (I don't BTW).
The other makes are cheaper and expect to loose cash. You rarely hear of a kitcar sale making what it cost to build.

If you want to know everything there is to know about bike engined cars checkout the Yahoo Egroup - they are a very friendly lot and have a wealth of knowledge.

http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/bike-engined-cars/

Best of luck,
Marc

 

Thanks marc,

I have just joined the yahoo Group on BEC's.

It looks like a I have plenty of reading to do!

Cheers

Si

 

Its a good list, see you on there

username : BARCODE

 

A Megabusa is 26k now :O

Buy a year old one. 10k will give you enough money to buy a Holeshot Turbo conversion and a big supply of underwear

 

Craig,

The £26k included £23k for a factory built car plus a few extras.

I think the kit comes out at about £19k once you have bought the engine.

By the way, I have had to recently increase my underwear inventory in preparation for the standard one :O so I think the turbo conversion will have to wait

Cheers

Si

[Edited by SiWhite - 11/13/2002 1:57:48 PM]

[Edited by SiWhite - 11/13/2002 1:58:09 PM]

 

you can do a mk for about 6k and then add what ever you want

 

Have had a look at the MK website looks quite interesting, does anyone know how they handle?

 

Have had a look at the MK website. The cars look quite interesting, does anyone know how they handle?

 

well i have driven one and i found it very easy to doughnut it was very good i found but im not the worlds best driver so its hard to tell but it felt very good on the road the cerbera got left behind very quickly. you really need to try one for your self tho not good if you very tall i must say im 6'1" and i was fine

 

simon groom