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.

The mixture is discharged through the holes you can see on the top, and the corresponding holes on the other side of the shaft. The top holes act as air correction jets, and fuel only comes out the top side at fairly high throttle openings. The small grub screw on the side allows adjustment of the butterfly & hence mixture control. Back