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Re: Building cars to the FIA specification

To: Patrick Young <ply@rosenet.it>
Subject: Re: Building cars to the FIA specification
From: David Laver <dlaver@ms.com>
Date: Fri, 04 Sep 1998 09:29:08 +0100
> However, while somewhat bureaucratic, the historic registration of cars in
> Oz is amazing. Cars must prove their history beyond reasonable doubt to an
> extent which has not always been the case with FIA papers (MGBs, Lotus XIs
> and I would imagine later Lotus sports cars are all running around with FIA
> papers as I understand it, having started life as much more mundane
> transports (road cars or FF1600 cars) rather than their current
> representation - a Harold Pace alluded to earlier.

Patrick,

To get FIA papers do I need to 'prove' my particular chassis number was raced in
period - or is it enough to prepare it to the original factory published spec
for the model?   My reading of Appendix K (confused, cross eyed etc etc) was the
later.

The exception appeared to be the exceptions for 'prototypes' - modifications
really done in period to the actual car to save people from taking an original
race car and turning it back into a production car.  I guess it also matters for
'historic racing specials' or whatever their term is for hybrids built and raced
in period.

> One thing which they do
> which would not be popular with the FIA or indeed in the UK amongst many
> racers, is the system of making cars use the engines they employed in their
> day. So, whereas if a, say the Crossle 5s* sports car had chassis running
> Dart 2.5 engine, 1600 Ford t/c, Buick 3.5 - then the cars which had these
> engines must maintain a similar block, i.e. unlike the FIA regs, cars cannot
> all have begun life as 1600 Ford t/cs and then be upgraded to the faster
> motors (like all those Lotus XIs which were 1100 endurance cars and are now
> several hundred ccs more powerful and in "sprint" racing specification)...

>From what you say it sounds as if I could brew up an optimal Aurelia spec - the
best bits of each varient.  I might get away with the telescopic shocks on it at
the moment...  Then again I quite fancy the cockpit adjustable lever type if I
could track some down.  Its the wheel and tyre warren that confuses me most.
I'm putting off the repairs to rear wheel arches until I know what needs to fit
unde them.

David


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