hi,
as above,
have a notion for one but know nothing about them,
what like are they?
what can/goes wrong with them?
how quick?
how well do they handle?
value?

cheers colin

 

i personally think they are overpriced for what they are; depends on what your expectations are and what you consider to be quick

 

ive drove a few and i really liked how it drove and handled.

 

i love them, lad i know bought a brand new one back in the day, wasnt the quickest car in the world, but handled really well, and they dont half look the part. interior is really nice aswel. discs and pads aint cheap, and there prone top stone chips on the flared arches.

 

I've had two, they are quite good fun, very different to drive from a normal 1.7 puma.

Not very fast which is a shame, and very low geared, awfull on the motorway due to low gearing and terrible suspension, which is good for track but useless on the road.

I took one of them on a track day with my integra type R and our Spec C Impreza so three very good cars together to compare. The Puma handles really well, stiff, roll free chassis, but needs an lsd for the slower corners, and not powerfull enough could cope with much more than 150.

Integra Type R was quicker round the track and better all round car.

Things to look out for

disks and callipers are expensive, noisy brakes = a rebuild soon
paintwork - the paint is terrible, was done by tickford, have seen them crazed/faded/easily stonechipped etc
alloys probably need a refurb get very corroded

 

An LSD was an option when new wasn't it?

 

Correct, only about 7o odd sold with them. Sure I read that somewhere...

 

I think for the money they seem to go for there a bloody lovely car, cant see them going down in value to be honest.Something a bit different and has the rarety factor,Id have one.

This one seems a bargain

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1986889.htm

 

£250 option when new for the lsd.

80 had them fitted from the tickford factory, now quite a few of us have had them fitted.

.

i wont comment as im biased as ive owned mine for 5 years and wouldnt change it for the world. ive driven alot of faster cars and still would not change it, the fun i can have in my frp i have never managed to match in another car.

all i will add is that there is a big big difference to a 4.5-5k car than a 7-8k car.

ive seen some 4.5k cars recently as i have an involvement with the rpoc and some are becoming absolute dogs now, i know i could sell mine for 8k easy but then ive spent over 15k on it renewing every nut and bolt etc and respray etcand it never ends to keep them looking mint is a very hard task as they really do attract stonechips with the wide arches, hence why some look blue and white lol.

i think anyone that has driven one knows why they are special as it really is not all about speed, drive one hard down some twistys and id put money on it that you would stop at the end with a big smile on your face.

plus you never get bored of the pops and bangs on over run ..

get one you will love it and theres only around 350 out of the 500 left now so you wont see many about.

recent one of mine from duxford, where i managed to win best in show out of 49 of us there .





one from my last trackday in it ( dont worry i moved to the isle of man for 2 years hence the plates to match my car frp241 .)



one i like from the ring





and you really never get bored with how well these stop you, ive never once had brake fade even after a full on track day






alan.

 

ye seen a couple about the 4 1/2 grand,
just think something appealing about them,
what bhp they got?
how slow/quick are they?

looks great alan,lovely looking motor,
ye think they would be good fun,much go wrong with them?
just wondering if be as funfilled as the cossie,
cheers colin

 

if your worried already about how fast they are i dont think there really the car for you lol.

153 bhp and 7.8 to 60, so not that bad but no cossie etc.

but they handle so well and alot of faster cars wont keep up around the corners on track etc but they will go past on the straights you just have to carry alot more speed through the corner and make it harder on the straights .

they rev to 7150 as they have a different map to the standard puma which tops out at 6750.

and anytime you lift off the throttle they pop and bang .

they go over the 123 mph stated as well





to be honest id look at a few as im not just saying it theirs a reason why they go for 4.5k although that one above is a car i know of and isnt a bad one he just really does need a quick sale.


bear in mind, ford now stock no parts, pumabuild have alot of the parts that were left but there is alot of things that cannot be got anymore and quite a bit that will be quite hard to get remade in the future etc.

parts are expensive, an exhaust system will cost you 1k etc, and brakes are very expensive, so buying a cheap one can often end up being a false economy as you could end up spending a couple of grand making it look ok again.


have a look at the price of body panels to get an idea and theres not tons left.

http://pumabuild.co.uk/catalog/index...6d13c9ac09ec22

http://pumabuild.co.uk/catalog/index.php?cPath=43


also if the cambelt has been changed which it should be every 5 years ask who by as there are only a few frp cam timing tools in existence and if there not timed with the correct tool or using the standard puma tool you will be well down on power, i know as mine was and now ive invested in a tool for the future for the club etc.

theres more than a few about running around timed up wrong.

if you do need a hand finding one just let me know

alan .

 

i think they are cracking but as mentioned just lack a few extra ponies
another 50 bhp then they would be spot on imo

 

Big al yours looks like a lovely example and can see these cars being worth good money in years to come if looked after, you wouldnt want to have a bump in one thats for sure cos can imagine as you have already said , parts can be very hard to get.

 

thankyou jamie.

ive now banned it from track my last day was bedford and it got obliterated with stonechips so after that i decided to have a full windows out respray at a cost of 2.5k so its like brand new at the moment, just a few bits of upkeep to do over the winter as its only my weekend car,

i drive it hard everytime i drive it but im also trying to keep it in tip top condition now as ill never sell it as it means to much to me and ive spent far too much on it over the last 5 years to ever think about that, plus its got great sentimental values to me for certain reasons, so 241 will be staying with me and id love to still be driving it to shows in 20 years time .

so im just going to use it every now and then and enjoy it.

alan .

 

IIRC Harvey Gibbs did some development work on these for Ford

 

i know ahmed bayjoo helped develop the inlet manifold, tried a few different ones out etc.

 

Love these cars,always fancied one myself.
As above 80 fitted with optional LSD.
Alcon front brake calipers have no dust seals and require overhaul and is expensive,discs over £200 each for genuine items,exhaust 1k again for original item,panels very expensive and scarce,exhaust manifolds rot and arches and front bumper,tip of bonnet are prone to stone chips.If u want one don't be put off a they are a lovely looking car plus they make wicked pops and bangs when u lift of the throttle,excellent handling car but it is no cossie,just bear this in mind.
Thanks.Lee.

 

had one a few years back, i bought it for about 7k had it for a few years and sold it for the same, they dont seem to lose money, as said if it was 200bhp i would never have sold it ever, nothing handles as well for the money, set up is awesome, brakes etc.
interior is good (apart from alcantara wear)
i wouldnt recommend a 4.5k car really as you would expect to be paying for worn parts etc, but i wouldnt be paying over 7k for one either, 7k will get you a mint example, under 50k miles with no work needed, but no lsd depending if you want to track it.
the FRP's that are 7k plus have been up for sale for ages and will continue to be so.

 

i keep having a craving for one of these, and strapping a set of jenveys on, just to make a racket!