Citroen Visa GTi 16v Sprint & Hillclimb car

The time has come to part with my Citroen Visa GTi sprint and hillclimb car. This car was originally built for Group N rallying using a non-sunroof shell with an OE spec 115bhp 1580cc engine. When I bought the car in May 2001 it hadn't been used for a few years. The car for those who don't know was a bit of a hybrid. The front end is identical to that of its 205 GTi half sister. Same 1.6 115bhp engine, subframe, brakes, anti roll bar and suspension. The rear uses the earlier setup from the Talbot Samba and Peugeot 104 which is a pair of fully independant trailing arms with coil overs and anti roll bar as opposed to the torsion bars on the 205

I rebuilt the car and used it a couple of times in 2002 before acquiring a BX 16 Valve donor car for the 1.9 Mi16 engine which it now has. I got this up and running three months later and did two more sprints enjoying the extra power before sadly having to leave the car in my garage for two years due to a lack of finances. Over the winter of 2004 I started an almost complete rebuild from the shell up which you can see below in the photo. The 2005 season went well with the only problems being a dead starter motor and having to recrimp a couple of cables. I ended up 5th in the Sevenoaks and District Motor Club Speed League Championship.

Over the 2005 winter more extensive modifications were done to the car. A 1.6 205 gearbox was fitted to lower the ratios, replacement driveshafts were put in at this time. Compelte new rear brakes were fitted. Custom springs were made up by D.Faulkner based on calculations from the cars weight, intended use, 205 tarmac rally spec options and so on which improved the handling along with stiffer rear shocks. A new custom frame was made up for the drivers seat to lower it down further and backwards. Fiesta XR2 wheels were sourced as they are wider than the stock GTi alloys and these were ran at events throughout the year with Dunlop cut rally slicks. The 2006 season went even better than 2005 with me taking 2 class wins at Debden and some very high overall placings beating vastly quicker (911 GT3's etc!) and more powerful cars such as 21st out of 94 at Debden and 28th out of 121 at Longcross. I ended up 3rd overall in the 7oaks Speed League Championship.

The car was rolling roaded at Sanspeed in SE London where it made 142bhp and 113ft/lb at the wheels which other than a dyno, is the only accurate measurement you can get. Using David Bakers (Renowned Peugeot/Citroen engine builder) forumales from his site http://www.pumaracing.co.uk/rrvisit2.htm this calculates to estimated flywheel figures of 168bhp @ 6700rpm and 137ft/lb @ 5150rpm with a very flat torque curve. The standard figures for the engine are 160 & 133 although its rare to find a standard one that makes over 155bhp. The distributor has never been tweaked for the latest 99 Octane Super Unleaded fuels either so this should gain a couple of bhp . The car was weighed at 790kg at Snetteron in 2005 on their weighbridge. A road spec one weighs 870kg without a roll cage so you can see the lightening that has been done. This gives it a power to weight ratio of around 213bhp/ton which is vastly more than most of the new breed of hot hatches out there!

For 2007 further modifications were carried out, different brake setup and most importantly a Quaife limited slip differential was added. One race old Formula Renault slicks were purchased and I took 3 class wins out of 7 events placing 11th and 19th overall at two.

Over those three years it has driven to every event I have done, competed then driven home. Events like Abingdon and Longleat are a 260 mile round trip plus the competing itself. It has done about 3000 miles each year on the road plus the competition time. The engine uses no oil or water and runs great. I unfortunately need to sell it in order to just run one car for road and competition as I cannot afford the cost of 2 anymore and it has been sat in my garage for 2 years now so its about time someone else had the pleasure of using it. I have removed and checked most of the suspension and refitted, general check over, changed the sump to a XU10 with an extended oil pick up so it carries more oil to further protect the bottom end and then took it for an MOT which it passed a couple of weeks back after a few niggles first time round all caused due to lack of use so has over 11 months MOT. It is currently Sorned so would need picking up with a trailer or paying for me to tax it.

Results can be seen here http://www.visagti.com/sprints.html

I competed with an in car video camera at a number of events. Here is a class win at Debden in the wet (4 class wins in a row there!) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vtVi2NqA6I  and Lydden Hill http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mfhqlE8WAw

Specification

Shell
Fully stich welded non-sunroof Visa shell
6 point roll cage bolted in to custom made welded floor points
Drivers and passengers (not currently fitted) bolt in door bars
Front and rear strut braces
~790kg

Engine
1905cc 16v Peugeot/Citroen Mi16 XU9J4
Mounted at correct angle with full length inlet manifold and running 16v ECU and wiring
Standard bottom end
Peugeot Sport works baffled sump plate with XU10 deeper sump and extended oil pickup
HiFlow Heads Stage 2 flowed and ported cylinder head
Piper Fast Road 264 duration Camshafts
K&N Induction kit with feed from cold air box
1.6 205 GTi BE3 gearbox rebuilt a few thousand miles ago. Approx in gear speeds@7200 of 33,59,80,102,126 mph
Quaife limited slip differential / LSD
OMP Paddle clutch plate
BX 16 Valve exhaust manifold into one foot of BX downpipe (internally split), Visa centre pipe into OMP Group N 50mm rear silencer. 96db@4500rpm
Full Baker BBM Group N engine mount kit
BX 16 Valve radiator mounted further forward and lower than standard to allow full length inlet manifold
Slim very high output custom fan connected up to a manual switch on the side of the dash
168bhp@6700rpm & 137ft/lb@5150rpm
~213bhp/ton

Suspension
Spax front shock absorbers
KYB Gas rear shock absorbers
D Faulkner springs 180lb Front, 145lb Rear
Standard front and rear anti roll bars (front currently removed)

Wheels
4 Ford XR2 13" alloys with MSA List 1B road legal Yokohama A048R 175/60/R13 medium compound tyres
4 Ford XR2 13" alloys with Michelin Forumula Renault slicks. Kept in the dark, 2 spare ones included
1 standard Visa GTi alloy with budget road tyre carried as spare road tyre to events

Brakes
Front - 1.6 205/Visa GTi hubs and standard rebuilt calipers with standard discs and Mintex 1155 pads
Rear - Standard Visa GTi drums (more than enough due to no weight!)
Goodridge braided hoses all round
Standard brake servo
Recent full flush through. System works well and pulls dead straight with rear compensators correctly adjusted

Interior (if you can call it that)
Standard dash, dials, centre console retaining original heater/blower (2kg so left it in!)
Everything else fully stripped out
Mota Lita 3 spoke red steering wheel on adapted boss
Internal fuel/ignition cut off switch (external pull cut out as well)
Custom made drivers seat subframe (adjustable forwards and back using seat mount)
Blue sparco bucket seat
4 point harness
Passenger, both rear doors and boot lid substationally cut down leaving mainly only the outer skin. Rear doors down to 7kg from 16kg!
Perspex windows fitted to passenger door, both rears and boot lid
Drivers door currently standard with glass and winder


Its been a rally car all its life and the underneath especially has taken a few cosmetic knocks. There are a couple of small dents on the rear right quarter panel and across the front above the windscreen. There is no underseal so the underneath is a bit messy but would wirebrush off, it is solid and stiff as anything due to the cage and stich welding. If you jack it up on the front jacking point the rear lifts on the same side as much as the front. A standard GTi will not do this at all! Up close it is not the most pleasant sight, a quick rub down and blow over would transform it but my priority was always speed and competing, looks don't win you trophies at sprints!

There are less than 20 of these left in the UK. I have only ever heard of two more 16v ones, one in France and one in Hungary. With very little modifiying this could be used for stage rallying. The speedo is not connected but I do have a BX one and cables that could be fitted (Visa one is half digital). It has been used for a couple of trackdays where it ran faultlessly. There are a few small jobs I would do before competing again. It really needs a new petrol cap or filler neck, I ended up using emergency caps as they sealed better. The exhaust blows and is low at the front. Another BX 16v downpipe will be included, suggestion is to cut it off shorter then weld on a tighter bend into a new straight section to the rear box. 30 minute job for an exhaust centre and it would cure the blow and give more ground clearance. Better wearing rear shoes would be advisable if used for trackdays due to the rear self adjusters being French and not self adjusting! The sump was being typically French and leaking slightly since refitting but appears to have stopped but may need redoing.

I will include a few spares such as spare brakes, bits of bodykit, new clutch, second seat with belts and there are lots of other bits that can be negotiated afterwards. I am near Hastings on the coast in East Sussex. The car is currently Mot'd and insured but Sorned. It has been started and ran every 2 weeks. You are advised to come and look at it and it can be started and inspected in any way you wish. It will need a trailer to transport it unless you pay me the extra up front to tax it.