Dr John I wasn't aware of Hasbeen's love for the R8 Gordini so thanks for heads up. I have only ridden in a standard R8 as a kid and was impressed with it, as was my Dad who was driving it at the time, so the Gordini configuration would be very special. Having seen what performance my mechanic extracted from his little Dauphine Gordini I'm guessing they can be tweaked quite a bit. A Renault engine was used in the 1966-75 Lotus Europa which indicates room for development. Quote: A tuned, 78-horsepower version of the 1,470cc four-cylinder engine as used in the front-wheel-drive Renault 16 sedan, as well as that car's four-speed transaxle. Since the French vehicle had the gearbox placed in front of it, Lotus had to rotate it 180 degrees and then make some modifications. (another little DREAM CAR)