So after a few phone calls and messages I got touch with the owner of the Kit car, John.
Now John had first caught sight of the Ferrari P4 replica on some Sky program in about 2000 and set his heart on one, business was good at the time so he placed his order and the suppliers recommended a R25 turbo as a base was for what he wanted, quick enough and it would brake the bank, sourcing him a 'C' plate car for about a grand which he took home and with help from a neighbour removed the engine and box then returned them to the kit car manufacturer so the chassis mounts could be made.
So just a simple build you'd think,...well I think John wouldn't mind me saying his building is better than his mechanical skills and he had also taken on himself to alter the original NF developments design that had raised the original roofline to give more headroom,.....paying someone to re jig the engine cover and then tackling the roof himself, and now twelve+ years later this is how it sat, with the infamous when I retire story attached to it.........I hope so its a shame 'cos it looks awesome.
To help John ...you understand..... I offered to take the 25T engine off his hands leaving him free to fit a proper crate V8 that would suit the car much more....Oh much more John .....definitely. No seriously John agreed it was more use to me and we agreed a price subject to me being able to get a decent comp reading on all the pots, the car showed 80k with some history ex Renault mechanic apparently and looked spot on compared to the GTA lump, but then in a 25 the engine is protected more and doesn't cook in a plastic box, the heat can soak into the metal shell and dissipate away.
I originally intended cleaning up the engine and bunging it in, but when I went to spin the motor over, after having to fetch the my starter motor as the one on the lump died, I couldn't get hardy any comp out of the pots, dejected I offered him £450 for the lot minus tranny, lump inc turbo, ecu ,loom basically everything that had come out of the 25, John assured me it was sweet twelve years ago and I daren't go any lower so I returned a week later and took it out of the P4 and took it home.
I couldn't just fit it as there was something amiss maybe only sticky rings , but I didn't want to risk it, so off with its heads!
Oh flip, and bigger and willies and boobies,......................will this pain never end?