--- In stratosreplicaclub@yahoogroups.com, "styx4567" <martin@b...>
wrote:

> finding a donor engine is the problem I think.... The issue may be
> what CA sourced engine is suitable for the kit if, say, hawk could
> do the mountings.

Both of the primary engine options on the Hawk are easy enough to
source in the USA. They're somewhat rare, compared to newer Japanese
or American engines, but they are still common enough that they can
be found without too much difficulty.

The "base" engine is the 2-liter Lancia Beta engine. Granted, they
stopped importing Betas in 1982, but enough of them were imported
before that so supply isn't a problem. Keep in mind that there is
very little demand for Lancia Betas, and it's possible to find good,
low mileage fuel injected cars for about $1000. There are also
numerous suppliers around the world that specialize in the Fiat /
Lancia Twincam engine, so performance enhancement isn't a problem.
Getting a hot twincam past California emissions may be a problem, but
even a bone stock fuel injected 2-liter from an 82 Beta or Zagato
makes 120 horsepower, and will pass emissions without difficulty.
120 doesn't sound like a lot, but a 4-cylinder Hawk only weighs about
1800 pounds. That's a better power to weight ratio than many
sportscars through the early '90's.

If you can find an older engine that's emissions exempt, you can get
170 horsepower with racing cams and dual carburetors, or over 200
with turbo or supercharging.

The "standard optional" engine is the 3.0 liter Alfa Romeo 164
engine. 12 valve versions of this engine are easy enough to get a
hold of, if a little expensive. Figure something on the order of
$3000 for an engine out of a junk yard. The 164L engine gives about
the same amount of power as the original Ferrari Dino engine (190
HP), and more torque. As a result, v-6 replicas are quicker than the
genuine article. If you can find a 164S (210 HP), you'll be about 20
horsepower up on a Dino.

About the only Alfa engine that's really hard to find is the 24 valve
version from the 94-95 164Q. That's 230 HP, but they only imported
about 700 of them.

Hawk also does engine mountings for Ferrari Dino and 328 engines, so
you can try one of those if you've got deep pockets. Otherwise,
there are a few Honda engined Hawks in the UK and Japan. I think
Hawk Cars may be able to supply the mountings directly from the
factory, or perhaps put you in touch with their Japanese subsidiary.

If all else fails, Hawk cars will work with customers to develop a
custom configuration, but you need to supply most of the dimensional
data, and it wouldn't be cheap. It might be less expensive to go
with the slightly harder to find Alfa or Beta engine.

Scott