Well now, I have more or less decided to go for a new engine after all, but the more I look for information the more confusing it all gets.

Can anybody give me any good details about the FIRE range of engines and their HP marks?

The engine I'm particulary interested in is the 1242CC engine, but it appears as if it comes in a variety of trims, each with different power outputs.

1242cc FIRE with single-point fuel injection producing 58bhp.
1242cc FIRE with multi-point fuel injection producing 73bhp.
1242cc FIRE 16V producing 80bhp.
1242cc FIRE 16V producing 86bhp.

Naturally, the higher the power output, the more interesting the engine is.. In what cars can the 16V models be found? Are they a rare find?

Also, I've heard from different people that the 1242cc engine wouldn't fit under the Panda's bonnet. That strikes me as fairly odd, because when I look at the standard 999cc engine, there's plenty of room at the top. The 1108cc engine fits in there without any problems, and that engine is only a few cm taller. The 1242 may be a bit taller still, but it really shouldn't be that drastically bigger, so it doesn't fit in anymore. Does anyone know exactly how much taller the 1242 is?


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The 1.2 engines are fitted into the Punto&Y bay...I know the 8v type surely enters the Panda front room, but there could be problems with the 16v type because of the twin cam head size[:0].

Passion has neither brands nor models!

La passione non ha nè marche nè modelli!

ISTR, according to Pete (fixitagaintomorrow) the 1242 is 10mm taller than the 1108.

AFAIK the biggest variety of FIRE exist in the Punto, but they're all injection. There are some 1108 carbed UNOs about.

Major factor for choice is if you are currently SPI or carb, but the higher BHP versions are all MPI.
Unless anyone knows different

I now have a model with SPI. How much extra work is it to fit a MPI engine instead of a SPI? I'd really like to stick with fuel injected engines..

Is the PUnto gearbox the same as teh Panda's? Or does it needs to be replaced as well? Heard about 6-speed boxes.. now that wold be interesting

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My understanding is that the fuel pump for MPI delivers a much higher pressure:
SPI is regulated to about 1 Bar by the injector
MPI runs nearer 3 Bar (AFAIK).

There's also the matter of an appropriate ECU:
4 injectors to manage - probably fired in correct (firing) order.

The 6 speed gearbox is a different family, and there's a large queue of Cinq and SEI enthusiasts who want them, which rather pushes the price up to several times what the average Panda is worth[!]