To most, a P100 pick-up is simply an
old truck to cart stuff around in - but not when it’s packing a twin-turbo V6
with serious potential.
The story of Ray Boyland and his frankly
mad P100 began less than a year ago. And its origins were very, very different
to the end product you see here today - this low, mean, and quite mental,
twin-turbo, Cosworth V6-powered pick-up. You see, Ray has generally always
preferred Fords of the more classically shaped variety, and the original idea
was actually based around fitting a Cosworth 24v V6 into an old Anglia 100E
shell.
"I got stuck into the build quite
well, moved the bulkhead-back a couple of inches, fabricated a few parts, and
basically had the 24v motor roughly mounted for mocking- up," recalls Ray.
So why the sudden change of direction? Well, Ray has Top Boss Performance front
man, Fitzroy Pinnock, to thank for that. Or, more precisely, a new variant of
the successful 24v twin-turbo conversion he already offered.
Twin
Turbo P100 - Storm Brewing
Storm chaser
Ray explains, "I got chatting to Fitz
about doing some of the engine tuning work, and we ended up discussing a load
of turbo and supercharger options! He told me about a new-spec 500-plus-bhp,
twin-turbo conversion he was developing (called the 'Storm') and l put my name
down to have the first one!" Top Boss have been tuning the 24v
Cossie V6 for years, and they've become well known for their turbocharger
conversions. But as Fitz correctly points out, "Everyone has different
criteria and no one engine can do everything everyone wants."
That's why Top Boss have developed
different levels of turbo conversion. The latest, the 'Storm' engine (so-called
because it sounds like a raging thunder storm when it comes on boost), is a
'big turbo' conversion, and features a pair of blowers based on the Garrett
T3/4 series which are good for around 400bhp each!
Twin
Turbo P100 from the back
To complement this the internals are all swapped
for forged goodies to handle the increased abuse, the sump system is heavily
modified to incorporate the additional oil control the turbos require, the
heads have been substantially tweaked, and there are a choice of cam profiles
available dependent upon what you want.
For example, as Ray is sticking to RWD he
can afford to fit some slightly more aggressive cam profiles, as they don't
need to be quite as progressive as those fitted to engines with delicate 4x4
systems to protect.
Ray's engine is the first 'Storm' motor
fitted to a customer's car. The smaller turbo 'Tornado' engines have been
around for a while (so-called because they sound like little tornados when they
rapidly spool-up) but this big turbo set-up is expected to produce big numbers.
In fact, on a running-in map it's making 370bhp at less than 1-bar boost, and
Fitz expects to see this comfortably above 500bhp once everything is dialed in
correctly.
However, cramming such a powerful (not to
mention torquey) motor into a car which celebrates its 60th birthday this year
does tend to pose a few problems. Not least of which is the strength and
rigidity of the shell.
After some careful examination it was
decided for safety reasons that the tired Anglia shell was never going to be
man enough to contain the fury of over 500 horses and the sort of torque levels
God uses when he jump-starts new planets!
Overnight the 100E project was shelved, and
Ray was faced with the task of finding a shell sturdy enough to keep the
'Storm' engine in check. "The obvious choice was a Sierra, but I wanted
something a bit different," shrugs Ray.
Then he saw this P100 on eBay, and as the
car was local Ray went round to view it. Good job too - it had only covered 32k
miles, was absolutely solid without a spot of rust, and was basically in mint
condition! Needless to say, it went home with Ray.
