123-Ignition distributor for A7

[Steve kay]

Naturally I think that fitting any electronics to ones Seven is an offence against nature.

However, to reply to what 123 Bluetooth achieves I can move to the subject of my modern. For those of us with a 2CV or similar, the basic 123 ignition was a gift from Elysium, as anyone who tried to reach, let alone adjust the original ignition buried at the fore end of that flat twin will know. Earlier this year, in preparation for the Clee Hills Trial, mine went to the esteemed 2CV strangler, Pete Sparrow, for what was intended to be a full service to keep the engine ready for a day's high revving at low road speed up the side of quarries and Salopian hills. This little job ended up with new barrels, pistons, camshaft, crankshaft and half the crankcase replaced! Oh well the fun of sport. Whilst he was at it, Pete persuaded me that with all the other work, he should fit the Bluetooth 123 ignition, as fitted to 2CV racers. The ability to tune the ignition has been very obvious, and for trialling very welcome. The curve on my machine is all about torque. Despite now being 650cc, it is certainly no faster  flat out. However, the torque for such a small engine is significantly increased, making a noticeable difference pulling on hills, and being able to pull at lower revs.

I certainly do not think that this should be covertly fitted on any car taking part in VSCC events. However, if I was trialling a Seven on MCC or ATCT events I would certainly now fit 123 Bluetooth.

[Nick Salmon]

Sorry, I don't think anyone considered your question to be stupid. Sometimes valid questions provoke some ribbing and banter but there is usually an answer in there somewhere. Genuine question to you - why would you want to fit one when a rebuilt original distributor costs less than half what you would spend and does the job perfectly for decades?

[Paul N-M]

Fit a programmable dizzy if that suits you. Obviously you will have to put in an advance curve however it may take a bit of work to optimise. As you will have gone to the expence you will want to make the most of it so possibly a session on a rolling road (sorry more expence) will be best.
In the end if I had a near standard engine I would go fo a fully rebuilt std points unit. If I did VSCC etc events likewise due to rules.
It is probably overkill though, many have fitted electronic units but with mixed reliability. See previous threads, dizzy's seem to be a hot topic on this forum.
For me a properly rebuilt points unit is the way to go. Emphasis on properly!

[Chris KC]

It isn't a stupid question at all. I'm a little doubtful of its value as a replacement for existing hardware, but the ability to easily experiment with different advance curves gives it considerable potential as a tuning tool.