WESTFIELD MEGABUSA : A ROADLEGAL ROCKET WITH A SUPERBIKE ENGINE, FOCUSED FOR THE TRACK!

Compact, hi-output Japanese superbike engines have enabled the development of a fantastic sports car. The Westfield Megabusa. A hybrid of traditional British sports car heritage with an innovative, race-proven chassis. Lightweight, agile, with devastating ‘supercar beating’ performance on both road and track. How fast? Perception shiftingly.

Produced in England since 1999, the Megabusa is an evolution of the highly developed Westfield lightweight racing chassis, that features extra bracing and a detachable engine mounting frame to make it one of the stiffest and lightest chassis available from Westfield.

THE DESIGN.

Westfield rotates the bike engine 90 degrees to mount longitudinally well behind the front wheels. This creates a front mid-engine design for improved turn-in and allows Westfield to stick the propshaft on the end of the gearbox output shaft – where the cog for the bike’s chain normally sits – to create a cleaner, more reliable installation.

Although extremely light, the Megabusa is still heavier and larger than a bike, and therefore benefits from a reverse gear (some states even require this for registration) - something lacking in the Suzuki Hayabusa. To negate this shortcoming, Westfield has designed a simple, lightweight, inline reverse gearbox that reverses the drivetrain output. Very clever.

The limits of the Megabusa are very high. Lots of rubber relative to mass, a super low center of gravity and a firm, but forgiving twin-wishbone suspension front and rear keeping everything locked to the ground. An Independent Rear Suspension and optional LSD compliment the radical design.

BIKE ENGINE OR CAR ENGINE?

These two power plants have very different driving characteristics in terms of both delivery and handling. By their very nature bike engine and transmission packages are considerably smaller and lighter than their car equivalents, therefore reducing the overall weight of the car. This weight savings results in performance improvements across the board: rapid acceleration thanks to a high power to weight ratio (480bhp/tonne for the Megabusa), impressive levels of agility through the corners courtesy of a low polar moment of inertia, and heart stopping, fade-free braking resulting from brake components designed for cars with three times the weight.

To produce a high specific output from just 1.3-litres it has to rev much higher than a car engine, maximum power (178bhp for the Megabusa) is reached at a heady 9800rpm. Car engines have more torque low down on the rev range making them easier to drive around town and more comfortable when touring. Bike engine cars deliver their biggest thrills when being driven flat out when they are fast, frenetic and uncompromising.

For that reason bike engine cars are more suited to the track than the road and here their sequential gearboxes add another dimension to the performance. Using the bike gearbox and clutch at slow speeds on the road does take a little getting used to as it’s action is not as smooth and easy as that of car engines. Due to their design the life expectancy of a bike unit is shorter than that of a car, but they offer huge performance at a low price. However, as explained it is very different type of performance and you should carefully consider both options before making a final choice. For those whom the unique characteristics of a bike engine car strike all the right chords, nothing else will do. Nothing.

PLACING AN ORDER FOR THE WESTFIELD MEGABUSA

Orders for the Westfield Megabusa are currently being taken. Deposits of 20% are required to secure your name on the production list. If you are interested in purchasing a Westfield kit, please send us an e-mail or call us with your contact information and we will send to you all the necessary details. Please feel free to consult our Westfield Megabusa FAQ to help answer any questions you may have.

MSRP:$21,590, plus applicable freight charges