WESTFIELD MEGABUSA

IF LEGO MADE KITS FOR ADULTS

Text and Photos: Reinis Babrovskis

#WHATISACARTOYOU

Average Karen: “Car is an “object” that will transport a person from point A to B with modest amount of comfort and luxury as cheap as possible”;

Petrolhead: “Car will take me from point A to point B in the fastest, loudest and most fun way; comfort and luxury will be ditched for weight reduction, it will make me smile and want to do it over and over again”.

That ladies and gentlemen is what cars mean to different people. If you have to ask why anybody would want to own an open-top single/twin seater sports car with zero comforts, it clearly isn’t the car for you.

#WESTFIELD

“Westfield Sportscars” is a sports car manufacturer located in Kindwinford, England. It was established by Chris Smith in 1982 offering both factory pre-assembled as well as self-build kits for those who really want to be able to say “built not bought”. Inspired by and based mostly on the design of Colin Chapman’s magnificent Lotus Seven, Westfield cars offer some of the most precise, enjoyable and engaging driving experiences on the market. Having no driver’s aids or luxuries of a conventional car, Westfield gives the driver a raw sports car experience.

Whilst Westfield and Caterham share a lot of similarities and many believe they are the same manufacturer (in fact the history tells you of their rivalry and troubles in the 1980s), Westfield are in fact different. Westfield models use a glass fibre body (unlike aluminium in Caterham), independent rear suspension and wider chassis for their models and offer a huge variety of engine specific build packages.

#LIVINGTHEDREAM

When purchasing a brand-new car the manufacturer offers you to customise the car i.e. colour, wheels, optional extras; and admit it, it does feel a bit special, it is like being a bit of project manager and being in charge of the build of your dream car, isn’t it. Westfield, on the other hand, takes it to the next level. Want to build it yourself? Sure, no problem. Choose your “adult Lego kit”, find your engine and please – have fun! If Carlsberg did cars this would be it. It is a dream of any man to sip some beers, listen to their favourite songs, ignore any manuals or instructions and build their own dream car in their garage with their best buds. That is called being a boss and winning in life.

#THESTORY

A number of years ago a friend of Rob’s purchased a Westfield Megabusa and Rob admits: “It was the maddest thing I had seen driven on the road. The same guy then went racing in the NI Seven’s in a Westfield Megablade and I knew that I would have to get one too. However, after scouring the Internet it became apparent that there are a lot of different kit cars out there and most of them are put together amateur at best! So I decided I would build one from scratch and placed an order with Westfield for a Megablade kit”

#THEPERFECTBUILD

Rob; however, didn’t want majority of the parts as he knew they would be replaced and ordered only half of the “adult lego” kit - the chassis, bodywork, roll cage and brakes. Being a true man Rob did the sensible thing and got rid of the manual immediately and took it to the Internet instead, endlessly researching how to build the perfect Westfield.

It took three years to build and procure all of the parts, which included quite a bit of custom suspension parts, and lots of carbon fibre but the end result was flawless. Westfields are typically built for a road or track; however, Rob wanted to build a car that can perform on both. This meant it was a double edged sword; it had to meet IVA regulations to get road registered, but also had to perform perfectly on the track.

Having seen and driven quite a few Westfields and Caterhams I can assure you this car is spectacular in every aspect. The attention to detail is mind blowing. If this would be displayed at SEMA it would feel at home. Every component and screw (that is not carbon) is shinier than the chain on Lil Pump’s neck. And what is more impressive – it wasn’t built by a tuning garage or somebody who does it for a living. This was built by true love and passion for cars by somebody who just wanted a dream car.

The car was finally IVA’d in 2015 having failed a few times due to bike engine emissions before. Rob adds: “The car was an absolute riot to drive and something completely new to me, with a 929cc Honda Fireblade engine putting out 130bhp how could I ever need any more power?! ” This exact spec was used by the Northern Ireland’s Westfield/Lotus 7/Caterham championship “NI Sevens” and was ideal for chosen build and allowed Rob to enter the cup if he ever felt like it. So first track day was booked and… disaster struck. The engine blew up on the final session and put the car back in the shed for the rebuild. Cars are fun eh?

Following this Rob had changes in his circumstances and plan to go racing was probably not going to materialise, so he took the opportunity to rebuild the car with the engine it deserved: a Generation 2 Hayabusa bike engine. All stars lined up and he sourced a low mile engine and a deal was done. The car went through a bit of an overhaul and lots of little teething problems from the original build were ironed out and the new power plant fitted, along with a Quaife ATB and LED headlights.

#THEENDRESULT

The end result was a perfect Westfield Megabusa. The car drives absolutely faultlessly and handles like a Westfield should – precise and raw. If the car doesn’t frighten you, there is something wrong with it.This car has no driver aids and the seating position puts you literally a couple of inches from the ground allowing you to experience the drive to the max. Rob explained: “It is fun on the road, but an animal on the track.

Like all bike engine kit cars, there is very little on a track day that has the pace through the corners and on the straights. It can hold pace with a 997 Turbo and turns more heads on the road than anything else I’ve ever been in.

The highlight of my car ownership was the trip to the Nurburgring in 2019. I was absolutely terrified of the idea of driving this car on the Ring; but from the first corner my terror turned to pure joy and the car really impressed me.”

#EXTERIOR

Rob’s Megabusa’s bodywork is largely standard with the addition of some carbon fibre flared side panels, FIA spec roll cage, front “Naca” duct and some very bright 4-in-1 LED headlights housed within a classic Caterham 5 ¾” shell. It is finished in a beautiful orange paintwork and it looks spectacular.

Only when you take the time and walk around and stare at the car you realise the attention of detail in this build, it is astounishing. We are too used to function over form attitude in race cars, but not here. It may pass for a works factory race car.

#INTERIOR

If the car itself didn't scream race car enough; the interior sure as hell does remind you that you in fact are in a race car - beautiful ignition switches, fire extinguisher, foot rest and carbon. Lots and lots of carbon.

The interior featuring a full carbon fibre Tillett Racing B6 seats, Schroth 6 point harnesses, Momo suede steering wheel and Rapfix ball bearing quick release.. great because you don’t have to locate the wheel onto a splined shaft, just push it on and spin it round until it locates itself! Carbon fibre dash and interior panels, stainless steel handbrake and Caterham R500 switch gear. Stack ST8130 race and road dash system, with dedicated engine wiring loom.

#ENGINEANDTRANSMISSION

Following the catastrophic failure of the first engine, the Megabusa obtained the engine it deserved - a very low mileage generation 2 Hayabusa 1340cc, running a full SBD Motorsport dry sump setup for ultimate reliability.

It also got treated to Jenvey throttle bodies, bigger injectors, flat shifter and auto down blipper, on standalone MBE engine management. On the rolling road tuned by "Holeshot racing" the Megabusa produced a respectable 200bhp, giving a power to weight ratio just shy of 400bhp/ton.

#BRAKESANDTIRES

Fast cars are cool and all, but without the ability to stop they are time bombs. Rob made sure his Megamusa was not only fast off the line, but capable of stopping when needed. Brakes are AP Racing Westfield specific 4 pots combined with aggressive Pagid RS29 pads. Rear brake calipers came from a VW Golf GTI Calipers combined with Ferodo pads. The brake set up both front and rear feature master cylinders (again, AP Racing) connected to a brake bias pedal box with an adjustable in-dash cable for front/rear brake adjustment on the move. Being a light car, it can stop very well with this setup.

#DRIVETRAINANDSUSPENSION

The car is running Protech suspension valved that was set up by "Procomp Motorsport"'; as well as custom rose-jointed wishbones, custom anti-roll bar, anti-bump steer spacers and full geometry setup by "VSM Motorsport" (rally specialists). The car is very neutral and can be driven on very bumpy roads without pulling you across the road into the humps and bumps unlike most kit cars which suffer terribly from incorrect steering angle and horrendous bump steer.

As for the drivetrain: the Busa sprocket is removed and replaced with a 4 bolt flange, connected to a custom Dunning & Fairbank race prop shaft, built with resilient rubber to provide some shock absorption, connected to a 7” Ford Sierra Cosworth differential with a Quaife automatic torque biasing differential inside with a 3:38 ratio, giving 140mph top speed and lightening acceleration through the gears.

#RESUME

We all have our ways with cars - be it comfort, speed, luxury, efficiency - to us, petrolheads, this is the perfect way to live - we build our cars, we suffer failures, we get up and do it again and it makes us happy. This car made Rob happy and he built this perfect car. However, soon after the shoot the car moved to another owner who now I am sure will treat it the same way Rob did - with love.