DeLorean Engine Options.

["therealdmcvegas" <DMCVegas@xxxx>]

Sure, V-4 engines are used in motorcycles, but look at how much LESS 
weight they have to move. It may be a good choice if you're building a cust=
om 
bike, or perhaps even a trike, but not a car. In addition, yes, there are q=
uite a 
few odd-ball motors out there. Unimogs will sometimes have I-5 cylinder 
motors in both flavors of petrol (err, gasoline) and diesel, and even GM ma=
kes 
V-18 diesel motors. But just because they're made, doesn't mean that you'd =

want to use them. Hence why they are used for only custom/specific 
applications. Which is why you typicly don't find them in passenger 
automobiles.

The Audi engines do indeed to be quite interesting, but still not a good ch=
oice 
IMO. 90° V-6 @ 3 litres? You're back where you started with the PRV, but no=
w 
you've got less support. Aside from that, for alomst the same price that yo=
u 
would pay for just simply the engine itself & ECUs, you could have one of 
DMCH's HiPo Conversions. On a side note, the Audi motor does not appear 
to be a PRV cousin. Too bad IMO, as it would have been very facinating to 
convert the B288F, or a Z7X-715 over to a DOHC set up.

Another motor is the Rover V-8 (used by Bob Brandys in his car). A small 
block V8 that appears to fit rather well into the D's engine compartment ma=
kes 
it a rather nice choice! But I haven't really been able to pull that much i=
nfo up 
on the motor stateside over here (although I've not searched that intensly =
to 
be fair). In the UK, it seems to be quite a popular motor, but Stateside, I=
've only 
found info on the Pontiac 215 from back in the early 60's. Perhaps Bob, or =

someone else could provide a bit more info on resources related to this mot=
or.

As far as Japanese engines go, that would be a no there too. VTEC itself is=
 
quite an interesting feature, but is useless for street driving since you h=
ave to 
damn near red-line the engine to activate it. Otherwise, it's just a market=
ing 
ploy. It's the same as back in the 60's when Detroit was measuring BHP of i=
t's 
engines @ the flywheel, with no accessories attached. That isn't a fair 
measurement because after all, no one drives around with no accessories 
attached. And it's the same with VTEC, because no one drives around town 
constantly @ 6K+ RPMs. But, I'm not here to debate marques. Simply put, the=
 
majority of Japanese engines are efficient, and some powerful, but way too =

complicated in both engineering, and installation. VTEC is great for trying=
to 
balance economy, and extra output from a motor, but, our goal here is power=
 
first, economy and emissions 2nd. And the effort and cost involved to insta=
ll 
either a 4 banger, or a V6 into a DeLorean just isn't worth it. This become=
s 
less like a conversion, and more like a "kustomization". It's being done no=
t so 
much because it's more efficient or powerful, but simply because it *can* b=
e 
done.

Now on the flip side of this, the Wankel Rotary is indeed an engine that wo=
uld 
be a good canidate. It's compact, lightweight and damn powerful. It also ha=
s a 
long history of engineering behind it. The new Renesis motor by Mazda is 
indeed a bit low on the torque end, but hey, it's the first version out in =
how 
many years? And no matter what it is, you never, ever want to buy the first=
 
version of anything. Even car reviews have complained about the torque 
problem too. If rotary is something you want, then give it a couple of year=
s, 
and see what improvements they make. But be warned, rotary engines are 
NOT cheap at all! Moreso if you don't have a core motor to exchange when 
trying to buy one from what I've seen. But others can really give you more =
info 
on this conversion process than I can.

Which brings us to the American engines. Now I'm not a "bowtie" person, so =

I've no idea as to the specifics on either the Vortec, or the Grand Nationa=
l 
motors (I must be odd man out here, because I'm from Ford family, versus 
most DeLorean owners who seem to be GM people). But, I can tell you that 
since they are both popular/common motors, and the since the Vortec is used=
 
in so many various applications, that they will have MANY aftermarket 
options, as well as a great deal of resources of both parts and data suppor=
ting 
them. So that, coupled with a few people that have actually completed 
DeLorean-specific conversions related to these motors really makes them a 
good choice.

But in the end, if you're looking to "think outside of the box", and want t=
o have 
a powerful motor in your DeLorean that others consider unconventional, the =

choice is easy. Matter of fact, it's staring you right in the face. The PRV=
! You 
already know it fits, and it keeps with the cars heritage quite nicely! :) =
In 
addition, it has a LONG history, and a large support base behind it (albeit=
not 
in this country). Applications for the motor have included everything from =

commuter cars, to even F1 racing. Some forms of it's dress also include dua=
l 
turbos that pump out 450BHP. Although you'd never need anything quite that =

powerful for the DeLorean.

So if you're looking for a challenge of some sort, consider that the gauntl=
et 
that has been thrown down! After researching things quite a bit, it was the=
 
road that I chose when it came to souping up my car. Once the remainder of =

my restoration is completed, it is the next project that I'll be begining o=
n. And 
believe me, converting over to a dual turbo with EFI shouldn't be a problem=
at 
all. It may have a couple of hurdles and challenges, but it is indeed feasa=
ble.

-Robert
vin 6585 "X"