Biggest Car - Smallest Engine

[Father Ted]

I know of the BX with the 1.1 engine for the Greek market, I remember Cavaliers and Sierras with 1.3 push rod donkeys, but what else out there was there / is there with a tiny engine for a big car to make motoring a misery?

[kinkersaab]

I've never driven one, but the latest vovlo s80 and v7o's come with a 1.6 diesel..... sounds grim but i expect in reality they wont be THAt bad.

[DSdriver]

Ford Consuls had some ridiculously small underpowered engines in their "el cheapo" models

[hennabm]

Capri 1.3 with Kent pushrod engine.

 

Now that would set the road on fire

[Negative Creep]

Not a massive car but the mk.2 Golf came with a 1050cc engine

[RoadworkUK]

Renault Trafic could be had with the 1397cc lump...

[RedSparrow]

1.3 Marinas and Montegos. Always seemed a lot of car for a 1.3 a-series to drag around.

 

But for me the winner has to be the Barkas vans/trucks.

1 litre 2-stroke powered. Although from what I read they were surprisingly not that sluggish. Would love a camper van version.

[Pete-M]

Mk1 Granada 1.7? That's never gonna be a ball of fire.

Mk2 Transit with the 1.6 Kent LC engine?

 

I've had the urge to bring a Barkas back from Czech for a good few years now.

[Negative Creep]

1.3 Marinas and Montegos. Always seemed a lot of car for a 1.3 a-series to drag around.

Isn't the 1.3 supposed to handle better than the 1.7, due to lower weight over the front axle?

[trigger]

Two that instantly spring into my mind are the Victor FE 1600 saloon AND estate! .

 

1971 Vauxhall Victor 1.6 FD by Trigger's Retro Road Tests!, on Flickr

 

and the Cortina 1300.

 

1972 Ford Cortina 1300 L Mk3 by Trigger's Retro Road Tests!, on Flickr

[RedSparrow]

1.3 Marinas and Montegos. Always seemed a lot of car for a 1.3 a-series to drag around.

Isn't the 1.3 supposed to handle better than the 1.7, due to lower weight over the front axle?

 

Marina you mean? Yes it probably does handle better, but I cant imagine it was that fast!

[andrew e]

Is there not a 1.4 Superb out now?

[dollywobbler]

Standard Atlas van - originally 948cc, Renault Estafette van - 845cc!

 

Morris Cowley - 1200cc rather than the Oxford II's 1489cc.

[Guest]

I allways wondered how bad the rare Peugeot 405 1360cc style model was.

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

Wasn't there a 1-litre Allegro as well?

 

The Greek market got some interesting 'specials' throughout the 1980s and the first half of the 90s, as did the Italian one. Here are a few examples apart from the BX- some of them were mostly intended for Greece and Italy but have been available in other markets:

Fiat Regata 1.1

Ford Escort mk3 and mk4 1.1

Fiat Tempra 1.4

R21 1.4

VW Passat 1.3/1.4 (alright, there's a Passat 1.4 currently in production but that's got a turbo and whatnot)

VW Jetta 1050

Seat Malaga/Gredos 1.2

 

Miserable, borderline dangerous heaps the lot of them. My dad's 1.1 Escort was burning loads of oil after only about 50k, because you kept having to floor it if you wanted to make any kind of semi-safe progress.

[carlo]

Peugeot did a 1.4 405 for about 6 months in 1992 but only sold about 10. I saw one up for sale last year.

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

That one was also a Greek market special, timed to coincide with a massive scrappage scheme there in 1992. I have no idea as to why they bothered selling them elsewhere.

[RedSparrow]

Oh yeah a mate at 6th form had a 1.1 Escort, completely gutless.

The 1.1 4-door Fiesta mk3 I had was fine with just me in it but I remember with any more than 1 person it was a nightmare. 5 of us in it once (4 doors remember, so it seemed to be designed to take 5 people...) and it hardly moved and the exhaust would often scrape on the ground. Mind you, one of my mates was a rather large lass...

[Futuramic]

From a modern perspective I can't imagine the Audi A6 1.8T is great. I know it's turbocharged but still; it's massive and heavy so such a powerplant is disproportionate.

 

The Eagle Quest conversions, six door limousines based on Carlton chassis, were available as 2 litre 8 valve automatics. That must have been horrendous. If it counts as a normal car that is.

[dollywobbler]

Just remembered another one. Apparently you could order a Marina diesel in export markets - that had the 1489cc B-Series! That must be pretty horrific.

[Guest Len H]

I think the 1.4 405 would have been acceptable, they aren't a heavy car and the TU3 is pokey.

 

Found some stats online:

 

1993 Peugeot 405 1.4 GL

Information Summary

 

What body style?: sedan/saloon

How long?: 4407 mm

How wide?: 1692 mm

How heavy?: 970 kg

What size engine?: 1360 cc

How many cylinders?: Inline 4

How powerful?: 76 PS / 75 bhp / 55.9 kW @ 5800 rpm

How much torque?: 115.0 Nm / 85 ft.lb / 11.7 kgm @ 3400 rpm

How quick? (Metric): 0-100 km/h in 13.20 seconds

How fast?: 165 km/h / 103 mph

 

970kg!

[cort16]

1.2 Fiat Bravo couldn't have been much fun.

[barefoot]

I know you all hate them, but how about the VW splitscreen samba van with 7 seats & 1200cc?

[cort16]

Anyone any experience of the weapon that is the Rover 211?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1999-S-Rover-211-1-1i-8v-47-000-miles-/320720587652?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item4aac6fcb84

[Owain-328i]

How about the BMW e34 518i. 1.8 8v with 115bhp....... Grim.

[theorganist]

I remember a friend of mine driving a 1.3 Cavalier and he was surprised how quick it was. He reckoned it seemed faster than a 1.6 Sierra. A lecturer I knew had a 1.3 Montego and she thought that was pretty quick too!

 

They seem more prevalent on the continent I have seen several 1.3 litre Ford Taunus on Leboncoin including some in higher trim levels!

[cort16]

That is grim. The 520's are slow and they've got 35more bhp.

[simmo]

1.6 Mark 2 Granada (Pinto) not sold in the UK but in the Autodata Tech book.

[RedSparrow]

Anyone any experience of the weapon that is the Rover 211?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1999-S-Rover-211-1-1i-8v-47-000-miles-/320720587652?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item4aac6fcb84

 

Didn't even know about these!

I bet they're fucking abysmal. Still, most of the old giffers who bought them probably never went over 28mph anyway.

[ChinaTom]

1.4 litre Skoda Superb. Sounds bad, goes OK'ish