Westfield Mega S2000 article

[JohnCh]

Complete Kit Car just tested the new S2000 powered Westfield which leverages a lot of the engineering changes introduced in the factory-only built Sport Turbo. They really seem to like it. (PDF here)

 

As an aside, I know of three Westfields in the US that have been running that engine for years, but only one in the UK. Perhaps the colonies should take credit for this idea

 

-John

[westy turbo]

Thanks for sharing!

[RGTorque]

reminds me of an ultralite...

[Bruce K]

Complete Kit Car just tested the new S2000 powered Westfield which leverages a lot of the engineering changes introduced in the factory-only built Sport Turbo. They really seem to like it. (PDF here)

 

As an aside, I know of three Westfields in the US that have been running that engine for years, but only one in the UK. Perhaps the colonies should take credit for this idea

 

-John

Wow! it's like they arrived at idea of a WCM Ultralite S2K, only about 13 years later! Right down to the Toyo Proxes rubber, aftermarket ECU, power-bulge hood, dual windscreens, big brakes and all. I guess they wanted to differentiate the look at least a little, so they nicked the Brunton Stalker hood scoop. Kudos for originality! Kidding aside, the engineering looks sound and the car is beautiful, with some neat aero and other subtle refinements of the classic Seven shape.

[JohnCh]

Let's see, Westfield introduced that hoodscoop to their line with the V-8 powered SEIght in '91, and the double bubble aeroscreen on the FW400 in '98, followed a year later as an aeroscreen option for the SE range. Oh yeah, and they also added IRS and the widebody to the options list in '88. So when exactly did the Ultralite and Stalker come to market? :jester:

 

-John

[Mondo]

Yeah, but they don't make a tilt up hood... and my car is really really shiny;)

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[JohnCh]

Um...actually they do Although to be fair that option was only introduced a few years ago with the FW body (the car in the article has the FW tub, but SEiW bonnet for added clearance). As for shiny, well, you've got me there.

 

Seriously though, I simply thought some folks would be interested that Westfield has added another engine option to their range. Certainly didn't mean to stir up the Ultralite community. Although now that I know how easy it is... :jester:

 

-John

[Bruce K]

Let's see, Westfield introduced that hoodscoop to their line with the V-8 powered SEIght in '91, and the double bubble aeroscreen on the FW400 in '98, followed a year later as an aeroscreen option for the SE range. Oh yeah, and they also added IRS and the widebody to the options list in '88. So when exactly did the Ultralite and Stalker come to market? :jester:

 

-John

Of course, you are correct. There is nothing new under the sun, and imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. The father is the child of the man, and Wordsworth was probably inspired by the prophet Isaiah when he wrote that. Actually, the primary intent of my comments was to flatter Loren a bit, for the terrific cars he builds and all the help he provides to the Seven community. But he certainly beat Westfield to the punch regarding the S2000 drivetrain!

[Croc]

I have to say that it was an interesting article and very complimentary on how Westfield finally has got its quality act together. No longer is there the stigma of driving a canoe. For a marque that does not have much meaningful representation in the US other than a few good forum participants (JohnCH/Hank/etc) it is nice to see some positive news from the media posted in the forum.

 

That said, I do prefer the regular Westfield Birkin SV rear end styling treatment that they copied from Caterham who copied it from Colin Chapman's seven rear end. Ultralite was a little late to the copying party - did they use a post office van as a rear end model like Colin Chapman did? :jester: Its all ok anyway as we all drive a bunch of fakes - some (owners?) better looking than others.

 

Mind you, I am not a fan of the Westfield WTF body style which has a droopy rear end - like someone melted the fiberglass rear end with a hairdryer?

[JohnCh]

Bruce, that’s not entirely true either. Although I agree that Loren is great asset to the community and has done some amazing things with the Ultralite, the company was founded by Brian Anderson, with whom I spent some time on USA2005. It might surprise you to learn that when Brian was designing the car, he had a number of conversations with Rob Robertson, another Texan, who at the time was the US Westfield distributor. Rob was toying with building an S2000-powered Westfield for his own use, and had test fitted the engine into a SEight chassis. He shared some dimensions and other info on that project with Brian who was approaching the Utralite’s design from his hot rod background. Brian ended up with something very unique, and was the first to introduce a commercially available S2000-powered se7en. And as already noted, Loren has built upon that, creating some blindingly fast cars.

 

Now I was also going to ask if we could get back on topic, but then along came Croc... :jester:

[Croc]

Sorry John - its a slow day here in the office while I am picking the new interior designs and finishes for my private jet that was paid for with my low tax rate at the expense of CA taxpayers.....oh...wrong thread...this should be in the political arguments section! :jester:

 

 

Seriously John - thanks for being a good brand ambassador for Westfield - the UK factory should pay you for the free publicity you provide or at least establish a US distributor.

[JohnCh]

There is a US distributor. In fact he's a paying site sponsor (see the rotating banner at the top of the page). As for paying me...that's a damn good idea. Interested in becoming my agent? Might be beer money in it for you.

 

-John

[Croc]

There is a distributor? I only ever see Stalkers advertised at the top of my screen?

 

Still I think they should pay you as you are the only one visible from where I sit.

[JohnCh]

Hit refresh and then check again. It should alternate between Stalker and Westfield.

 

-John

[DeanG]

There is a distributor? I only ever see Stalkers advertised at the top of my screen?

Obviously not paying enough.

[Croc]

Hit refresh and then check again. It should alternate between Stalker and Westfield.

 

-John

 

I hit refresh 10 times and Westfield comes up only twice, Stalkers every other time. I guess it is like Dean says - Westfield dont pay enough!

[JohnCh]

Or if they are paying the same as Stalker, then they are paying too much!

 

-John

[manik]

Yeah, who do I pay to make that come up more often?

 

As the North American importer and dealer for Westfield, and an advertiser on this forum, I generally stay out of the comments, as I'm perhaps a bit biased.

 

What I will comment on is the Westfield engineering and design aspect of their cars. Westfield invested over £500,000 to develop the Sport Turbo car, which is sold primarily to EU clients as a turnkey vehicle. Westfield completed extensive design testing (putting more than 20,000 miles on their test vehicle prior to being awarded the EU certification).

 

The FW bodywork (which is optional depending on the kit) was originally designed as part of the FW400 car. The FW400 was designed by Martin Ogilvie (google is your friend) and was WAY advanced for it's time. Likely too far advanced, but that is topic for another thread.

 

http://www.manikllc.com/images/Westfield_Aerodynamic_Testing.jpg

 

I can comment on the Westfield SEiGHT - developed to use a Rover V8 engine way back in 1991. Zetecs, Duratecs (I4 and V6 mind you), Volvo, Honda, Mazda and Suzuki to name but a few. The Honda S2000 is yet another incarnation - one I will agree is long overdue!

 

While Westfield did initially produce a duplicate of a Lotus Seven Series 3 car (much to Caterham's dismay), Westfield have consistently produced more and more advanced vehicles than another other component manufacturer. Period.

 

Have you taken a look at their iRacer or the street version of their electric vehicle (e-Sport for those keeping track)?

 

 

Tom McClintock

 

p.s. John, your check is in the mail.

Edited March 12, 2013 by manik
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[Mondo]

I think one of the things everyone here likes is that there's pretty much a car for every person. From Locost to direct Lotus heritage.... to each their own. It's all good.

 

I took this thread as just a little ribbing, all in good fun. Nothing mean spirited. I'm sure that Westfield is an awesome ride.

 

 

 

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[rnr]

While I do like the S2000 motor in a Seven I have to wonder about the timing of launching a kit a few years after the relatively rare donor car (compared to say a Miata or Focus) has gone out of production. When I cracked the block in my S2K it took a bit of hunting around to find a decent replacement engine. If I was to ever build a Seven from scratch I would do a Duratech or go all out for an LS V8. The easy availability of engines and parts make them the obvious choice IMHO.