View single post by Mark Rosenbaum
 Posted: 04-21-2005 07:03 am
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Mark Rosenbaum



Joined: 03-12-2005
Location: Kingman, Arizona USA
Posts: 532
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Fortunately, the world of JH ownership is not divided into just the 'purist' and 'sports rodder' camps.  If it were, there'd be very few of the things on the road.

Personally, I like the 907 engine.  It's quaint, quirky, and quite possibly the most exotic piece of machinery I'll ever own.  A lot of its features were commonly found only on Formula cars when I was growing up, and I guess I was an impressionable sort back then.  Quite frankly, my first look at the engine is what convinced me to buy a JH instead of something more conventional such as an Austin Healey, Cobra replica, or kit car.

Does my fondness for the 907 mean that I think people who stick big hulking V8s into tiny little cars should be frowned at?  Certainly not, if the job was done safely and soundly.  If there weren't a place for that sort of thing, people wouldn't have been doing it for the past several generations.  I've done it myself.  But it's not something I'd be inclined to do again, for I've learned that I value brute acceleration less than balance, handling, and free space in the engine bay.

So -- when you replace the 907 engine with a Chevy V8 you gain in some areas, and lose in others.  Is the car better as a result?  Worse?  It's your car, you tell me.