What’s inside? Casa Performance Lambretta Twin Details & NAMING COMPETITION

Give their baby a name and win €200!

By now, everyone not living in the depths of Borneo will be aware of the new Casa Performance Twin engine. Social media was awash with live coverage of the first public running of their prototype engine as a highlight of Scooter Center’s excellent show at the weekend (more about that tomorrow).

OK, so we all are aware that this new twin sounds fantastic and looks amazing in full CNC-machined billet glory. Here at SLUK we’ve known about this project from its inception five years ago, not just the external obvious specifications, but also what’s inside and why it has evolved the way it has.

I’ve been promised the first ride on the prototype, when it’s fitted to a chassis and ready to turn a wheel. We’ll bring you a full low-down on the project then, but for now here’s a taster…

NAME THE TWIN AND WIN

The big reveal for the twin is very early in the development cycle for this engine. The prototype runs but there is still a great deal to sort. One of the missing parts is a name for their twin, and a matching logo to suit.

One SLUK reader can potentially have the honour of creating both the name and logo.

• The name suggestions MUST be made in the comments on the SLUK website below this post NOT on shares via social media
• The competition is ONLY for those leaving comments below this article
• Each name suggestion should be accompanied by a logo idea sent via email to editorial@scooterlab.uk – These can be hand-drawn rough ideas or carefully-drawn artworks; that’s up to you and your talent
• If Casa Performance choose to use your naming suggestion then you will be presented with a voucher to the value of €200 to spend on Casa Performance parts and a goodie bag of SLUK Merchandise

Naming Tips

For a name and logo to be suitable they must not use the name, naming system (i.e. racetrack names) or trademark of another engine/scooter/kit manufacturer.

Small print

• Limited to five name suggestions per person ONLY in the SLUK comments section
• All name suggestions should be accompanied by a logo idea sent via email together with your contact details
• Entries close 30/09/2022
• Should Casa Performance choose to use one of these suggestions then a winner will be announced in the first week of October 2022
• Should more than one person suggest a name then only the first submission in the comments section will be judged to be the winner
• If Casa performance judge than none of suggestions are suitable then they reserve the right to choose their own alternative name and there will be no winner

Ideally; the suggested name should reflect the qualities that Casa Performance envisage for this engine; such as speed and power, or alternatively its technical characteristics (twin cylinder, CNC-machined, gear-driven). Equally; it could just be a great name. Think outside the box…

Want to know the details?

To help give you a bit more inspiration for the naming ceremony we’d better take a good look at what makes this engine so special. This isn’t just another twin cylinder Lambretta engine by any stretch of the imagination.

Inlets feed smoothly in above the crankshaft, not aimed directly at it.

The concept is a CNC-produced vertically-split casing designed to take two water-cooled kart-derived cylinders. Unlike most water-cooled Lambretta conversions, this one does not need an external or electric water pump. The water pump is built into the casing.

A belt-driven water pump impeller is built into the casing

For the prototype, the 125cc cylinders are supplied by Cesena-based Grand Prix karting specialist Motori Seven. In GP spec each one of these cylinders can produce 48hp (i.e. 96hp total), working from 6,000 to 14,000rpm, but the cylinder variant chosen by Casa performance has slightly lower port timings for a wider spread of power. The target output (using slightly smaller carbs and reedblocks) for the 250cc twin is 70-75hp. In any sensible world, even on the racetrack, that should be more than plenty.

This is not a sensible world; particularly at the moment. Someone is bound to want to put this engine on the street. There are bigger-bore cylinder options available and Casa Performance may even make their own cylinders dedicated to the twin aimed more at road use than race.

VIDEO: First public run of the Casa Performance Twin at the Scooter Center show

Bore: 54mm
Stroke: 54.5mm
Capacity: 250cc
Cylinders: Motori Seven
Carbs: VHST 28
Ignition: Currently HPI – another system will be needed for road use.
Exhausts: Custom-made by 2L Tech using Motori Seven cone layouts
Crankshaft: CP design, made by Ellezeta
Clutch: Casa Performance Powermaster, modified crownwheel
Gearbox: Casa Performance Cyclone 5-speed

Start with a big block of aluminium…

When will it arrive?

Currently the lads still have to get this engine on the dyno, let alone the road. The main hold-up being the routing of the test exhausts; which makes it impossible to fit a tyre, let alone bolt the engine to a chassis.

The plan is to have it road-worthy in the next month or so and then to progress development over the coming year. The hard work is not yet complete by any stretch of the imagination, so don’t expect to hand over a wad of cash and get a twin in the post the following day. This will be a slow-burner, with the plan being to ride one from Rimini to next year’s Euro-Lambretta in Peterborough as a test of endurance. If it’s anywhere near as vibration-free as other 2-stroke parallel twins I’ve tried then it will be a wonderfully smooth journey with a glorious soundtrack.

Gear driven primary system is a requirement of the crankshaft and cylinder width

What is inside?

If you listen carefully to the audio of the test firing in Koln then you should be able to detect something unusual about this engine. There’s an unfamiliar background noise from the motor that comes from the specific technical solutions made in the transmission.

In order to locate the carbs and reedvalves deep and wide enough to clear the frame and run the crankshaft sat centrally to the frame, it meant that there was no longer a clear run to drive the gearbox by chain. Instead, the CP Twin uses a row of gears driving a modified crownwheel through a Casa Performance 7-plate clutch. The clutch features an inbuilt cush-drive. This was important because there was no space for one on the crankshaft.

The water pump sits under the engine driven by a belt from the flywheel

What will I need to sell?

What’s the going rate for a kidney?

At the moment the plan for this engine is a small batch of engines, each costing something north of €15,000. That’s a lot of money but then again so much of the engine is artisan-created that it doesn’t seem unreasonable either.

If you wanted to add some upgrade options to a high-end car then you’d pay the same for some bits of carbon fibre trim, or even for Tesla to remotely turn on additional range and performance that was already hidden in your car’s software. Instead, this will be big money spent on physical parts that you can see, feel, hear and ultimately use.

CNC rear wheel and external disc brake

It will also go to pay for the many years of time it has taken designing and redesigning prototypes in CAD just to get to the point of one physical engine that howled in the hall at Motor World. It was clear from the emotion of Lorenzo and Mickey (who was almost in tears after the demonstration) quite how much this project means to them. They are true petrol-heads who’ve created a beautiful baby that screams loud and farts blue smoke. Proud fathers.

This project is not likely to be a great money-spinner for Casa Performance if it remains small-run and artisan-produced. Quite simply, the development time and engineering cost to make a few of these cannot be recouped on a small batch; but that was never the point. This was a project built entirely for the love of 2-strokes and the challenge of doing it. If a few people around the globe share that passion and are willing to pay to support the project then all the better. It’s a work of art…

What’s the alternative?

Far more likely to be a big seller is Casa Performance’s other creation: a thumping big-bore, long-stroke 333cc air-cooled monster cylinder kit for the CasaCase called the Sledgehammer.

Crankcase reed inlet permits maximum fin area for cooling the cylinder

First prototype of the Sledgehammer kit

This is a custom-made touring K.I.S.S (Keep It Simple Stupid) solution intended to produce heaps of torque at low rpm with decent fuel economy. It might not be the howling twin engine that grabs the headlines, but if it ticks all the intended boxes of being fast, reliable and simple to fit as a bolt-in or part-built solution, then it’s what many people need. The target is 30hp+ at very low revs with a box pipe.

More on the Sledgehammer another time…

Text, image and video: Sticky
Additional images: Casa Performance