Meh. Been done.

That is a user error

You trust a computer to transport you around every time you get in a plane. They’re all fully fly-by-wire nowadays, and on autopilot from a few seconds after takeoff to a few seconds before touchdown. And the recorded number of crashes where the computer was at fault is zero.

That’s one of the less advertised benefits of electric drive: perfect traction control. If your tyre manufacturer advises that maximum traction is achieved at 5% slip, just dial 5% slip into the software and away you go. As opposed to ICE traction control, which has to mess around with throttle and brake modulation.

Topical on oppo an hour or so ago: Plymouth Cricket = Hillman Avenger. Compare and contrast:

Absolutely nothing on the XJR, which uses the same Merc transmission as you’ll see on an AMG E55. Regular XJ8s use a ZF transmission which is prone to failure of the A clutch drum. Regular XJ8s also have troublesome VVT, which isn’t fitted on the S/C engine.

Extra points for the screen name

+

Well that’s me sorted for desktops for about the next thousand years!

Stalwart sneers at your pathetic Australian trickle

Or at the other extreme, this.

Every farm needs a tractor. And a pickup.

I was at least that happy in a V8 one a week or so back. Wonderful beasts, 80s Mercedes at its best.

It certainly is.

Just looked it up, and unfortunately, no. IVA requires the car to be tested against current emissions regs, which these won’t come within a mile of passing. Kit cars have it a bit easier because the applicable regs are those in force at the date the donor car was built, but for a new build - even to an old design -…

IVA still requires testing for compliance to emissions regs. You can get away with it for kit cars as they test it against the regs in force at the date of manufacture of the donor car, but for a new build like this, it’d need to meet current regs. Which a 60s-faithful engine won’t.

They may well not be road legal because of racecar bits like cages, but the situation in the UK used to be (dunno if it still is, I haven’t been involved in that industry for a number of years) that continuation production got “grandfathered in” on safety regs.

And you’ve left yourself just enough in the bank for a couple of pulleys for the X308. Adds bugger all hp, but it brings in the torque a lot lower, and gives a big hike in midrange go, which these aren’t shy of in the first place.

I can’t speak to the bananas story (apart from observing that it’s a known way to quiet down transmissions for a quick sale!), but my college room-mate’s girlfriend ran a 2CV for years, and never managed to get it through her head that the red light with the little oil can on it doesn’t mean “Top up the oil next time…

Well Merc are the new road car engine supplier to Aston, so an “Aston” F1 car with a Merc engine would make a lot of marketing sense.