Science
 Governor blows his top
Streamlining a turbo
Nitrous oxide
Twin-engine dream machine
Governor blows his top
Without a donor gearbox, the Barley Pickers were forced to mess around with their engine fuel management system in an attempt to gain more revs (and more speed). This is a real 'don't try this at home' type of procedure. Their colossal, 16-cylinder, Rolls-Royce marine engine was managed by what is called a governor. This component effectively controls engine revs by reducing the amount of fuel which is injected into the engine as speed increases.
The thinking was that if the governor was 'adjusted' the engine could be forced to receive more fuel and would therefore run faster. Unfortunately, the experiment went wrong and the complete one-tonne monster powerplant leapt to unbelievable revs in a matter of seconds. Belching smoke and roaring with such violence that a Welsh dragon would have run for cover, the out-of-control engine was finally slain by a courageous combination of farmers and Boat Buoys.
Serious damage. When an engine runs at uncontrolled revs, the push-rods and valves which time and permit the function of the engine cannot keep up with the incredibly rapid movement of parts. The engine effectively smashes itself to pieces internally. Oooops.
Streamlining a turbo
The Green Goddesses wanted to cover two areas in their adaptation. Firstly, by adding a polystyrene tail to the car, they hoped to gain a more aerodynamic shape and benefit from a few extra miles per hour. In reality, streamlining – which first became a great style-setter in the 1920s on land speed cars and super trains – has only a limited effect. The true benefit of a dynamic shape is only experienced at very high speeds.
The second addition to the Beatle was an 'air ram' for the turbo. A turbo works by compressing air and forcing it into the engine. This extra volume gives a better burn to the fuel and offers an increase in both power and efficiency. By the time air has been forced through a turbo, it gets quite hot so an intercooler is usually incorporated into the system. The Goddesses were concerned their turbo wasn't working very well, so they added a ducting pipe to force cold air into the engine. Again, in reality this would probably make little difference to their car's performance.
Nitrous oxide
The Megalomaniacs beamed with excitement when they got their hands on a nitrous oxide gas kit. This is the same system you may recognise from the Mad Max films. A punch of a button or the twist of a dial forces a volatile combination of extra fuel and laughing gas into the engine cylinders. The super-heated oxygen then bursts in an incredibly powerful explosion. Provided the engine can handle the sudden forced surge of power, an incredible extra 100hp can easily be realised. This is not for those with twitchy fingers though, only a few seconds at a time can be used, otherwise your engine could go the same way as the Barley Pickers.
Twin-engine dream machine
The Chaos Crew managed to find another Vauxhall Cavalier fuel-injected engine to put into the front (or was it the back?) of their taxi. After a few teething problems with marrying up the respective gearboxes, the dual-engine car proved to be a masterpiece. The timing and performance of the two engines was carefully matched and the end result was an astonishing estimate of 250hp available under the bonnets.
The team experimented with a basic twin-steer system. By having both sets of wheels capable of turning, the car pivots from the centre rather than the front. This should allow the car to corner at higher speeds. Unfortunately for the lads, the only way they could do this was by having two drivers back-to-back and steering the car by shouted commands. After some confusion over who was in charge and which way was the front, it was decided to lock up the rear (or was it the front?) steering and return to a normal set-up. The twin engines of the Chaos Crew won them the day. By employing this system they added loads of extra power and only a little extra weight.
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