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The latest version of the
hugely popular and accomplished Dax Rush is the all Sierra-based De Dion model.
Designed for constructional simplicity and single-donor convenience, as well as
wider affordability, it still bears the hallmarks of quality and performance
ability that characterise the Dax range.
In the wake of the VW
Beetle, the Ford Cortina became the staple mechanical diet of the majority of
kit cars. The components were solid, strong, cheap and available, and there
have been some excellent performers built on the residue of Ford's lacklustre
saloon. In recent times the drastically reduced availability or Cortina donors
has seen manufacturers transferring allegiance to its successor, the Sierra.
There has been an advantage, too, in that the Sierra has added the refinement
of independent rear suspension.
But for the Dax Rush, standard Sierra
parts didn't suit its IRS car in a manner that permitted an all Sierra-based
car. Reluctant to dumb-down its accomplished sports car star, the company has
created a new model that fits the bill to perfection; The Dax Rush De Dion.
Though very similar to its sister models, the Rush De Dion features a number of
novel features aimed at simplifying its construction as well as making it
significantly more affordable.
That's not because quality of design or
manufacture have been compromised but more because the mechanical installations
have been designed in such a way as to utilise standard Sierra parts
throughout. At the front, instead of retaining the Sierra's lower track control
arm and anti-roll bar and fitting an upper rocking-arm, Dax has created a
dedicated double wishbone installation that clamps the standard stub-axle. This
is sourced allowed the track to be widened to increase stability and reduce
body roll.
One component that doesn't come with the Sierra is the
steering rack. This is sourced from the Mk2 Escort and gives 2.5 turns lock to
lock for fast tiller work. At the back, Dax's double wishbone suspension is a
proven design but requires special wishbones and uprights as well as acting as
a bar to the donor's generally standard drum rear brakes. The solution has been
to design a De Dion installation that is built up with the standard Sierra
componentry and which allows a choice of disc or drum brakes depending on the
choice of engine and power output. Ever conscious of weight, the sierra's heavy
semi-trailing arms, coil springs and installation carrier have been
discarded.
The differential has been mounted directly to the chassis.
Behind it runs the De Dion tube mounted to the chassis via two lower trailing
arms, an upper A-frame and the coilspring damper units. At either end the De
Dion tube carries laser-cut plates to accept your choice of disc or drum brakes
depending on the specification of the donor car or the power output of your
chosen engine. The De Dion model offers a significantly cheaper route to
getting a car on the road but, such is the Rush's ability, the engine options
go from a basic 1600cc four-cylinder through to the company's favoured Cosworth
turbo and Rover V8. However, such ambitious installations are hardly the basis
of a budget build.
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Dax has thought of that, too,
and has created a special economy kit designated the Rush de Dion LX. This kit
retains exactly the same chassis, double wishbone and De Dion suspension but is
aimed at completion using the donor car's 2-litre OHC engine and gearbox to
achieve a high quality sportscar with sufficient performance to warrant the
fast road-tag. Again, there's no reduction in quality, just in specification.
Instead of three-piece alloys the LX has one-piece units.
It uses the
standard drum rear brakes instead of discs but it's all more than capable of
handling the output of a fast-road 2-litre OHC and comes with the undeniable
attraction of offering an on-the-road price around the £6000 mark. It may
be cheaper on the pocket but Dax's engineering ability has ensured it still
feels a million dollars on the road. The ride quality of the De Dion car is
sublime. It just wafts you along whilst still displaying the intimate feel you
need to press on with confidence.
On that score the OHC engine reacts
well to mild tuning which combines with the car's light weight to create a
power-to-weight ratio that's well in excess of anything a flash GTi can offer.
Rather than a strict budget design, the Dax Rush De Dion represents a new
design that just happens to be cheaper than its peers whilst retaining every
ounce of the justifiably famous Dax quality of design, manufacture and road
ability. |
