[Vwdiesel] project car

[James Hansen]

Just thinking out loud so to speak.
I would value some opinions.

I've recently discovered a car called the ariel atom.
there's a youtube video that is reasonably impressive, even if it's 
mostly showing head shots of the dumbass test driver with no lid or 
visor , just wearing sunglasses that are most likely a glass lens that 
would remove the eye should a pebble hit at speed.

500kg, 300hp supercharged vtec.  It's stupid scary fast, looks like fun.
Now the manufacturer makes it all available as a kit-ish car in the USA 
from what I can understand so far, but it's really just a go-cart/sand 
rail dune buggy with a good motor, designed with proper suspension, and 
really, a little overpriced for what you get. It's open, really open.

I've looked at it a lot, salivated, and wondered just how useful it 
would be to stick a TDI in it. At 49k usd I can do a lot of fabricating.


I can build the chassis, no trouble. There are powertrains out there 
easy enough to get, heck, yard the one out of the Jetta for that matter 
:-) Control arms, stuff like that is readily available, suspension 
geometry isn't even that hard, I have a couple programs to figure out 
spring rates and the like...

I really want to build this silly thing.  I been lusting after a cobra 
kit, but this looks like it has waaay more fun potential, and is a dry 
and warm weather car too.

Stock, it has an i-Vtec honda with a civicS gearbox.  Anyone know 
weights of this stuff, and how it will compare to a TDI with a standard 
gearbox?

The 300hp factory version makes 250ftlb
I'm thinking a massaged tdi should carry it along nicely, but would need 
waaay taller gears a clutch, and a torsen differential.
hmmm.
I can build a nice reliable tdi that gets 150hp with 250ft-lb torque.

Tell me why I shouldn't do this.
:-)
-James