If you owned.....
Discussion
.....your own car manufacturing company, what would you call it and what sort of cars would you produce?
Me first, i would call the company "MechExzel" short for "Mechanische Exzellenz" which in English means "Mechanical Excellence" obviously..
The cars i would produce would be aimed mainly at the filthy rich, 1000hp+ technology wrapped hyper cars set to rival the likes of Bugatti but with price tags of a tenner less at all times. But for fun sakes i would produce rear wheel drive fiat 500 sized hatchbacks with build quality that would excel that of the highest end BMW and outrun any rally inspired Subaru or Mitsy.
Me first, i would call the company "MechExzel" short for "Mechanische Exzellenz" which in English means "Mechanical Excellence" obviously..
The cars i would produce would be aimed mainly at the filthy rich, 1000hp+ technology wrapped hyper cars set to rival the likes of Bugatti but with price tags of a tenner less at all times. But for fun sakes i would produce rear wheel drive fiat 500 sized hatchbacks with build quality that would excel that of the highest end BMW and outrun any rally inspired Subaru or Mitsy.
Surely this is all dependent on the amount of money you have available to develop such cars.
I would be looking at the Noble business model of more affordable performance (compared to Ferrari, Lambo etc). It would be fun cars, not necessarily silly power- like 1000 bhp...what's the point? The Bugatti Veyron is mental and obviously awesome, but ultimately pointless (even Gordon Murray, the designer of the McLaren F1, says so).
With mine, think along the lines of 200-400 bhp, rear wheel drive, light-to-medium weight, coupe and convertibles, manual only, sub 14 second 1/4 mile minimum. BUT, most of all they should be fun (so think Elise, MX5, Caterham, Westfield etc).
I would be looking at the Noble business model of more affordable performance (compared to Ferrari, Lambo etc). It would be fun cars, not necessarily silly power- like 1000 bhp...what's the point? The Bugatti Veyron is mental and obviously awesome, but ultimately pointless (even Gordon Murray, the designer of the McLaren F1, says so).
With mine, think along the lines of 200-400 bhp, rear wheel drive, light-to-medium weight, coupe and convertibles, manual only, sub 14 second 1/4 mile minimum. BUT, most of all they should be fun (so think Elise, MX5, Caterham, Westfield etc).
Edited by STW2010 on Sunday 12th February 22:29
STW2010 said:
Surely this is all dependent on the amount of money you have available to develop such cars.
I would be looking at the Noble business model of more affordable performance (compared to Ferrari, Lambo etc). It would be fun cars, not necessarily silly power- like 1000 bhp...what's the point? The Bugatti Veyron is mental and obviously awesome, but ultimately pointless (even Gordon Murray, the designer of the McLaren F1, says so).
With mine, think along the lines of 200-400 bhp, rear wheel drive, light-to-medium weight, coupe and convertibles, manual only, sub 14 second 1/4 minimum. BUT, most of all they should be fun (so think Elise, MX5, Caterham, Westfield etc).
You're toooo sensible, i should have said money is no object I would be looking at the Noble business model of more affordable performance (compared to Ferrari, Lambo etc). It would be fun cars, not necessarily silly power- like 1000 bhp...what's the point? The Bugatti Veyron is mental and obviously awesome, but ultimately pointless (even Gordon Murray, the designer of the McLaren F1, says so).
With mine, think along the lines of 200-400 bhp, rear wheel drive, light-to-medium weight, coupe and convertibles, manual only, sub 14 second 1/4 minimum. BUT, most of all they should be fun (so think Elise, MX5, Caterham, Westfield etc).
but i like your idea if it was!028butlerboy said:
You're toooo sensible, i should have said money is no object but i like your idea if it was!
I would do that even if money was no object! but i like your idea if it was!It's not about being sensible, it's having a worthwhile outcome! I'd rather be known as a guy that made awesome fun cars for the road and track than be known as this guy on crack that produced a car that could rip the paint from the road, but was otherwise useless.
Haven't thought of a name for mine, but here's what my company will be about.
Produce a range of cars consisting from small cars (think Mini, Citroen DS3) to sport cars that can be enjoyed with your family (think E39 M5). All my cars will be NA, and their engines will be tuned so they can produce a good level of power and usability without compromising their on the road ability (think Civic VTI, M3 Evo).
I would also make my cars not to be over powered monsters, what James May said today on Top Gear makes perfect sense, so 120-450bhp is where my cars level of power would range from. I would also be a manual only company, any use RWD, but I will also use FWD for the small cars, but I wouldn't use 4WD (so you can do all the work for yourself).
Produce a range of cars consisting from small cars (think Mini, Citroen DS3) to sport cars that can be enjoyed with your family (think E39 M5). All my cars will be NA, and their engines will be tuned so they can produce a good level of power and usability without compromising their on the road ability (think Civic VTI, M3 Evo).
I would also make my cars not to be over powered monsters, what James May said today on Top Gear makes perfect sense, so 120-450bhp is where my cars level of power would range from. I would also be a manual only company, any use RWD, but I will also use FWD for the small cars, but I wouldn't use 4WD (so you can do all the work for yourself).
I'd love to go in a Bristol-ish direction and make exclusive and supremely engineered cars out of traditional materials but using bang up to date manufacturing methods to acheive a level of dynamism that mass produced plastic cars could never hope to match. I'm thinking plastic-free, tactility and warmth like you get from a proper old British luxury car, space frame construction and aluminium panelwork, with normally aspirated engines, mostly straight five or six overhead cam engines. I'd leave as much mechanical stuff on view as possible (the Spyker C8 gear linkage comes to mind).
The handling would be as close to Chapman's as possible- softly sprung but firmly damped, with not low profile tyre in sight.
The underpinnings have to be serious though, limited slip diffs, double wishbones, maybe a transaxle gearbox with inboard brakes at the back.
Styling would be an evolution of the elegant, uncluttered old designs... Think along the lines of the leap Morgan made when they launched the Aero Max.
EDIT: I think the company would be called 'ADR', and the model line-up will be named in a descriptive, no-nonsense manner. For example 'ADR coupe 2.4'
The handling would be as close to Chapman's as possible- softly sprung but firmly damped, with not low profile tyre in sight.
The underpinnings have to be serious though, limited slip diffs, double wishbones, maybe a transaxle gearbox with inboard brakes at the back.
Styling would be an evolution of the elegant, uncluttered old designs... Think along the lines of the leap Morgan made when they launched the Aero Max.
EDIT: I think the company would be called 'ADR', and the model line-up will be named in a descriptive, no-nonsense manner. For example 'ADR coupe 2.4'
Edited by Classic Grad 98 on Sunday 12th February 23:03
With a large V8 and two turbos lobbed on it. It's a winner.fiat panda 4x4 sort of things with a big rally motorsport/dakar presence.
Range of them from basic cheap functional, to recaro/nav/dual clutch auto/etc. Lots of customization options on the higher spec ones(way way more than any big carmaker at present, but without the piss take cost).
Not just typical generic 4-pots, perhaps 4cyl boxer, perhaps 2cyl turbo, hybrid etc. Power starting at 60hp for the basic one, rising to 280 for the full fat.
I'd put a lot of effort into maxing out the potential of variable suspension systems, and getting chassis stiffness right.
Range of them from basic cheap functional, to recaro/nav/dual clutch auto/etc. Lots of customization options on the higher spec ones(way way more than any big carmaker at present, but without the piss take cost).
Not just typical generic 4-pots, perhaps 4cyl boxer, perhaps 2cyl turbo, hybrid etc. Power starting at 60hp for the basic one, rising to 280 for the full fat.
I'd put a lot of effort into maxing out the potential of variable suspension systems, and getting chassis stiffness right.
FisiP1 said:
fiat panda 4x4 sort of things with a big rally motorsport/dakar presence.
Range of them from basic cheap functional, to recaro/nav/dual clutch auto/etc. Lots of customization options on the higher spec ones(way way more than any big carmaker at present, but without the piss take cost).
Not just typical generic 4-pots, perhaps 4cyl boxer, perhaps 2cyl turbo, hybrid etc. Power starting at 60hp for the basic one, rising to 280 for the full fat.
I'd put a lot of effort into maxing out the potential of variable suspension systems, and getting chassis stiffness right.
A 280hp fiat panda sized all wheel drive thingy sounds immense, i reckon this thread could get a ball rolling into reality Range of them from basic cheap functional, to recaro/nav/dual clutch auto/etc. Lots of customization options on the higher spec ones(way way more than any big carmaker at present, but without the piss take cost).
Not just typical generic 4-pots, perhaps 4cyl boxer, perhaps 2cyl turbo, hybrid etc. Power starting at 60hp for the basic one, rising to 280 for the full fat.
I'd put a lot of effort into maxing out the potential of variable suspension systems, and getting chassis stiffness right.
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