87 CSX # X11 Fresh Pictures

[Joe Anderson]

Brought the Prototype CSX home from storage last week.

Was really needing some fresh oil,and a major clean-up.

Shelby sent the car to Lotus in 1988 to receive the 16 valve Prototype engine.

While in England,the car received some extra UK lights,and many other upgrades..

When the evaluation process was over in England,they sent X11 back to ( Shelby's Whittier Dyno Building ).

According to recently found pictures,it sat at the Dyno Building until being sold at the ( 1994 Shelby Garage Sale )



Picture not found

Picture not found

Picture not found

Picture not found

[Vigo]

Very cool, thanks for posting!

[glhs727]

when are you going to give it a bath ?? LOL! can't wait to see the clean pictures!

[5DIGITS]

Brought the Prototype CSX home from storage last week.

Was really needing some fresh oil,and a major clean-up.

Shelby sent the car to Lotus in 1988 to receive the 16 valve Prototype engine.

While in England,the car received some extra UK lights,and many other upgrades..

When the evaluation process was over in England,they sent X11 back to ( Shelby's Whittier Dyno Building ).

According to recently found pictures,it sat at the Dyno Building until being sold at the ( 1994 Shelby Garage Sale ).

Looks good, Joe !!
I personally like the patina look - it retains the look of it's time.

A few helpful tidbits after coming to know one of the Lotus engineers that was assigned to the facility in England where these cars were done.

Although Shelby referred to all of them as prototypes regardless of their nature or use, X11 was a production vehicle with an early prototype 16V engine and referred to as a development vehicle or "mule" vehicle.
These cars differed from the externally skinned prototypes (Cindy's car, the Bonzai blue CSX, Barry's prototype Lancer, etc..) on purpose, by using a current production vehicle and look that supported inconspicuous development.
In other words, they could, can, and still to this day are inconspicuously driven on the road and many are used on development trips for hot and cold climate testing, along with the ability to accomplish altitude testing .
This makes them a rare breed, well respected, and worth taking pride in.

The first two cars were built in a small corner of the facility, while the rest of the building was mocked up to duplicate a portion of a GM ZR1 Corvette 32 valve V-8 build area.
Module patch harnesses were built and the original controller was replaced by a hand built unit with a unique early development DIS driver electronics that later evolved into the SBEC2a/b.
At the same time, the induction plumbing and fabricated air boxes were fitted into the cars along with some limited instrumentation to monitor the first phases of in vehicle software, calibration, electrical, and engine development.
Although, upstream development had already occurred at Chrysler and Shelby's facility which supported having something to start with, while the support team was in England.

Unless changed over the years, your car should have the better early development casting head which features thicker port walls and thicker (machined) coolant bosses around the upper freeze plugs.
These are easily identified due to the machined surface around the freeze plug and the absence of the two air-box bosses located at the rear of the head.
Because there were many block iterations used during early development, your block could be an 88 T-I, an 88 T-II unit with an epoxied front block breather, or the later revision 88 T-II with the T-III block breather cast in.
In nearly all cases they will still have the distributor hole machined because they were 'full-run' units, and ran the complete manufacturing line machining process.

In any case, the development cars were and still are the unique ones and are afforded the same respect and pride in owning them.

I hope this helps and keep us posted on your progress - Enjoy.

[Joe Anderson]

When I crawled under it yesterday for a oil change,all the rear block numbers were blocked off by mounted engine parts.Would love to know what the engine is from,and the internal parts list. Someone said that Shelby offered 300 horsepower 16 valve engines in his performance catalog,and wondered if some off these engines made it into the test cars. Hate to tear it apart and measure,but its a huge mystery that no one knows?
It does have a copper head gasket.
I do know the A568 transmission has " 00014 ' stamped on the top boss,no other numbers . The spot on the block boss ( under airbox ) has no stamped numbers. The head boss by the timing belt has a stamp of ( Number 4 ),and was told that it has solid lifters instead of hydrollic if that means anything.
Really need both Cindy and 5Digits in my driveway for thier combined knowledge of the 16 valve cars. Thanks for the write-up 5DIGITS

[Reaper1]

Very neat! Thanks for sharing!

[5DIGITS]

When I crawled under it yesterday for a oil change,all the rear block numbers were blocked off by mounted engine parts.Would love to know what the engine is from,and the internal parts list. Someone said that Shelby offered 300 horsepower 16 valve engines in his performance catalog,and wondered if some off these engines made it into the test cars. Hate to tear it apart and measure,but its a huge mystery that no one knows? It does have a copper head gasket. I do know the A568 transmission has " 00014 ' stamped on the top boss,no other numbers . The spot on the block boss ( under airbox ) has no stamped numbers. The head boss by the timing belt has a stamp of ( Number 4 ),and was told that it has solid lifters instead of hydrollic if that means anything. Really need both Cindy and 5Digits in my driveway for thier combined knowledge of the 16 valve cars. Thanks for the write-up 5DIGITS

No problem and anytime, Joe.

The engine internals are 88' T-II crank, rods, without balance shafts.
The pistons options were limited with some having modified T-II's but most were the early 'strut-less' Mahle forged pistons.
Being such an early development vehicle, its purpose was to test production-intent engine-hardware, software, calibrations, electrical/harness development and provide general vehicle drive-ability tests/evaluations.
Therefore, production-intent engine components and the latest electrical systems (for the time) would be in use, in your case.
If your curious, put a bore-scope in a plug hole to confirm the piston version and look in the oil fill hole/remove a valve cover to view the rockers.
The solid lifter assembly described below differs significantly from a production rocker and is easily identified.

There were plans for a 300HP (as Shelby advertised) and an anticipated "all out" 600HP package.
Unfortunately, the high output Shelby catalog package was much like the old 2.2 turbo header, which means if it was ordered - you'd wait for nothing to arrive.
The 600HP system was a hypothetical long range output target and that system was system slated for solid lifters, high lift cams, unique valve springs, high compression pistons, large(er) upgraded turbo, Indy/GTU styled intercooler, and a few other supporting items.
Both did receive limited dyno development (more so the 300 system) but Chrysler engineering support was beginning to thin and get pulled away.
In fact, by that time there was more development happening at Highland Park on those related packages then there was at the Shelby facility.
But like so many other DC/MP offerings, if either were closer to reality and deliverable they would have been duplicated after Shelby's departure and offered in the DC/MP catalog for the later 91-93 production model years.
Instead, they simply fell off the plate.

As a side note:
Whats rarely ever discussed about the Lotus system is that it was originally an entire engine.
By the time the "bean counters" got involved it was whittled down to an upper end/induction system bolt-on, with a supporting piston.
This is the main reason the valve train was so inappropriately matched with the 2.2's RPM capability (both mechanically and electronically) but was well suited for the higher revving complete Lotus engine system.
Even though the final system was simplified down to an upgrade kit, the cam lift, duration, and spring rates were left as planned for the Lotus and the 2.2 output suffered as a result.
This is worth mentioning because had these issues been addressed, something resembling a 300HP system would have been far closer to reality.


Thanks

[Joe Anderson]

5DIGITS,

Do you have any pictures of what the 16 Valve Solid Lifters look like,so I can compare to mine ?
Overall whats different about them,and do they need to be adjusted over time ?

[5DIGITS]

5DIGITS,

Do you have any pictures of what the 16 Valve Solid Lifters look like,so I can compare to mine ?
Overall whats different about them,and do they need to be adjusted over time ?

Without question, if you look in the oil fill hole or pull the valve cover without ever seeing them before - you'll know.
Adjusters - yes and most definitely you'd hear them if they have not been adjusted.
Picture - I don't think I do but I will check, after I finally accomplish getting rid of most of my stuff.

[2.216VTurbo]

Without question, if you look in the oil fill hole or pull the valve cover without ever seeing them before - you'll know.
Picture - I don't think I do but I will check, after I finally accomplish getting rid of most of my stuff.

It *is* an accomplishement! The stuff you own ends up owning you. Brad Pitt said that in "Fight Club" but I didn't identify with it until my divorce when a 25+ year collection(I had/have slight hoarding tendancies when it comes to auto parts) of turbo Dodge parts had to either go away or be moved to a new location. Lean is mean, it's better to have just what you need and maybe a few spares

[5DIGITS]

It *is* an accomplishement! The stuff you own ends up owning you. Brad Pitt said that in "Fight Club" but I didn't identify with it until my divorce when a 25+ year collection(I had/have slight hoarding tendancies when it comes to auto parts) of turbo Dodge parts had to either go away or be moved to a new location. Lean is mean, it's better to have just what you need and maybe a few spares

Good example and well said - It will be nice to have things thinned out and finding more enjoyment, with less.

[BadAssPerformance]

Thanks for sharing Joe! Good info 5DIGITS!

[banger68]

Awesome car ... what could have been.