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Back in the eighties Turbo Technics made a name for themselves with sexy conversions for mainstream cars. They converted thousands of Capris, Escorts, Fiestas, Golfs etc, before moving into the higher value sector with upgrades to Range Rovers, Jaguars etc. All high profile work which got the punters excited.
Then the manufacturers caught up with the game. Ford started selling the RS Turbos, VW increased engine sizes and efficiency and within a few years the humble four pots in hot hatches were pushing out far more serious levels of power. By the late eighties, a recession coupled with spiraling insurance costs (particularly for modified cars) cut a swathe through the conversion market.
Turbo Technics shifted the focus of their business to the replacement turbo business. This area had grown as the other market shrank, with the manufacturers now fitting turbo units to more new cars and also with the increasing popularity of turbo diesels.
So TT grew and adapted to meet the rapidly evolving market, also making replacement units for many of the popular imported Japanese models as well as making their own equipment to balance the turbos. All good for business, but well out of the spotlight as far as the fast car brigade were concerned.
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Then, three years ago, their partner company in Denmark started some research into a new type of supercharger. Until now, superchargers have been large and crude, forcing air into the engine by being driven off the crankshaft. The size of the components involved resulted in inefficiencies as the power required to turn the charger was sapped from the engine to start with.
TT's partner, Rotrex had developed a prototype that was highly geared, small and lightweight. An innovative drive mechanism produces large rotational speeds from small inputs. Better still, unlike a turbo charger, because its directly driven, there's no lag. You put your foot down and the boost is there in an instant.
So with a neat concept and a few prototypes Turbo Technics were left with the dilemma of what sort of showcase engine to use to demonstrate the new invention.
About that time, TT received what is for them a frequent request. "Will you bolt a turbo onto an MGF?" they were asked by SP Performance. The opportunity was taken to use the supercharger instead. SP wanted to sell hot MGF's, TT wanted a showcase for their new product.
Development continued and the supercharger unit was successfully fitted to the Rover K series engine with changes to the engine were kept to a minimum, with only the con-rods being exchanged for shorter ones to decrease the compression ratio slightly. The demise of SP Performance left TT pondering about how to market the product. A few conversations with well known characters in the Lotus Elise community, left them in no doubt that there was a market for the product. And without any formal launch they had orders coming in and backing up. Word of mouth is a powerful marketing tool!
Now the order books are very healthy and TT are having to move to larger premises to cope with their growing business.
We left the factory in Northampton, very impressed with the whole operation. TT aren't back in the conversion market again as we'd originally thought. They are happily bringing grins to the faces of many Elise owners, but more importantly they are proving a fantastic product - a product which is likely to quietly revolutionise the world of forced induction systems.
Turbo Technics obviously remain tight lipped about who they're working with, but the market for this product isn't just limited to the motor industry. Keep an eye on 'em. They're back in the spotlight...
 The installation is
very neat and extremely compact, with all items fitting within the
original confines of the engine bay.
A different inlet manifold is used, an intercooler and separate oil filtration system are added and the con rods replaced for shorter items. And of course the charger is fitted. Extra fueling is provided by two supplementary injectors controlled by an additional ECU. This allows the original Lotus ECU to remain unchanged. There's no special service schedule either.
Power is up to 190bhp when installed on the the standard 1.8 K Series. More importantly the torque is up from 121lb/ft to 170lb/ft at 5000rpm. Enough to dash to 60mph in 4.6 seconds. Installation on the VVC engine takes power up to 215bhp and torque to 185lb/ft. No performance stats are available for this conversion, but it's sure to make it one of the quickest cars on the road. Coupled with that famous Lotus chassis it is a dream combination. The disappearance of SP Performance leaves the door open for TT to pick up where SP left off. So MGF's could be offered the same treatment next year, along with 340R's, Caterhams in due course and.... oh just form an orderly queue will you! |
For pricing details and more technical data visit www.turbotechnics.com/elise.htm
