The Trials Car engine is a 1600cc VW, runs no cooling, headers, Minnow Fish carburettor, Single port heads, 10.5:1 compression ratio, mild porting around the inlet ports, Piranha Electronic Ignition, 5.2kg flywheel, Ceramic clutch and long advance curve in the distributor.

Although VW engines are probably all past their use-by date, the best thing about them is their light weight. At 65kg all up it is much lighter than any Jap engine I've come across. Sometimes it is an advantage to have a relatively high engine, as a bit of weight transfer can help. In the main a low centre of gravity helps handling though and although I envy the 130 hp of the Toyota 4AG I've yet to be beaten by one on a long term basis.

Fuel is drawn up through a hole in this arm (red arrow) via a tapered groove on the surface of the float chamber (yellow arrow) At the top of the arm is a grub screw which is used to adjust the full throttle fuel flow. As the arm moves it also forces fuel into the venturi and acts as an accelerator pump. There is a plate that separates this chamber from the actual float chamber. This has a reed valve in it to prevent all the fuel from moving away from the arm. Next Back