My Son is desperate to know the power and torque of my recently acquired 68 S1.5 It has a 9:1 compression ration with twin Strombergs.
Looking through the websites and literature it look like it could be anything from 265 hp to 165hp. I assume the 165hp figure relates to 8:1 engines with Strombergs?

Also, does anybody knw why the US spec cars had a final drive ratio of 3.5:1 compared to European cars with 3.07:1?

Right now my car indicates 5500 rpm at only 80mph. Clearly a Tachometer fault which I will add to the winter project list.

Thanks

Simon
68 E 1.5

Submitted by NE52-32043 on Wed, 09/07/2005 - 11:31

The only way to really know the power your car is producing is to take it to a shop that has a dyno. The reported statistics are highly unreliable, especially those that were measured as far back as 1968.

I agree with David, either remove or wire open the secondary butterflies and you'll notice a nice improvement in performance. Even better, get a set of triple SU's for the car, they really kick it up a notch.

And get the tach serviced by Palo Alto, Nissinger or one of the other reputable shops that do them. You need to know what your engine is doing to avoid damaging things.

Steve Weinstein
'70 XKE FHC, '69 XKE OTS

Submitted by DavidBarnes71@… on Wed, 08/31/2005 - 22:12

I have a copy of Autocar magazine article Feb 29 1968 "E-TYPE to American Specification". It has pictures of the Stromberg carb. type engine with the cross over pipe at the rear of the engine. It says 245 bhp @ 5500 RPM. It also says top speed 123 mph @ 5500 rpm for a 2+2 with a 3:54 rear end. It says 0-60 in 8.3 sec. vs. 7.4 in 1966 and 0-100 in 22.6 vs. 19.4 in 1966. If not already done you might remove the second set of butterflies in the intake manifold and just leave the ones in the carbs. Made a BIG improvement in the acceleration for my car. I also had big tach error when I bought my car. Palo Alto Speedometer fixed it and made the face look like new for $125 in 2000. No problems since. Hope this helps.

David Barnes 68 FHC