Tiger Kit Cars
Discussion
so i've got it into my head after heading to Helens Bay (think NI's version of Bel Air) and seeing one after the other
that my life will never be complete without a kit car
are these any good?
plenty of them around for £3-4k
and obviously this is the time of the year to buy one
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2000-TIGER-CAT-E1-KIT-CA...
anyone got one?
that my life will never be complete without a kit car
are these any good?
plenty of them around for £3-4k
and obviously this is the time of the year to buy one
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2000-TIGER-CAT-E1-KIT-CA...
anyone got one?
From a Westfield owner, Tiger cars are fine if you get a good one same as any other cars. Yes they are at the budget end but many owners have built excellant versions. They have their own race series so do handle well and are robust. Finish is more down to the builder, if it fits your budget and it drives well go for it.
Last post is at it again ! Robin Hood [Ican type it ,it doesn't hurt ] kit cars are not as he loves to run on about, work of Satan ,like any thing else built by a consumer [flat pack furniture ] build quality can be superlative or gruesome it mainly revolves around 2 things ,the builders skills and the depth of his pocket ! In 40+ years of being on the edge of the kit car scene I have seen both ends of the scale .A Robin Hood will never be as good as a Caterham but I have seen some dogs of home built Caterhams !! ,a RH properly built will provide a reasonably priced car which will give thousands of miles of enjoyment at non bank account emptying rate .Last post loves Lotus ,Caterham etc but not every one has the where with all to afford them !so please don't damn the RH or other budget kits they have a place .Yes Irun a RH and have done for 10 years and have enjoyed every mile of 40k I should like a Caterham but cannot afford one the same goes with 991's,cobras ,daytonas etc but dont knock temm cos I can't let,s give the marque a little slack !!
@ the Original Poster......
Tigers are as was said somewhere above as good or as bad as the quality of the individual build(er). £ for £ i'd say that more often than not they represent good value. At the risk of annoying guys that have soem of teh other 'less populated' makes - the one thing that is handy is that like 'Hood's' there's so many about that it's easy to find info about specific things that you might wnat to check up on in the future.
I owned a Supercat, basically an E1 with wider arches, and loved it. It had it's fair to say a reasonable amount of investment in it and was very well screwed together, nevertheless i have a fair few pals with Tig Cats and they do what they say on teh tin - plenty of fun.
@ Whoever made the analogy to westies, caterhams, and goodness knows what else....
the Tig Cat is still in production by Southways, OK it's not a Tiger as of 2.5 years or so ago - but it's still out there.
Yes originally many were built with pintos and still have them - so what? Engine choice is either personal or down to £'s and price range.
Handling - on an early morning road drive a pinto or zetec Tig can be driven as fast as teh law allows and still be in close company with other cars......irrespective of whether its a Caterham, westie, MK or goodness knows what else.
weight - wow a Tig/Southways Cat weighs all of about 50kg more than SOME of the opposition, but still far less than other kits.
the Cat doesn't compare to the race oriented R6 - really? funny how one competitor in the Tig race series had a number of oustanding years/performances in his Cat against those same r6's......
Back to teh original poster.
Personally i'd not have any qualms about buying another Cat, as with all kits - the better the history ( info available about a specific car ) the better. From a practical perspective the rear end set up derided above means that there's a useful storage area behind teh seats - something that my r6 is sadly lacking ( any form of storage for a bag/helmet etc)......
Hope that you find a nice car and enjoy it - whatever 'it' is.....
Tigers are as was said somewhere above as good or as bad as the quality of the individual build(er). £ for £ i'd say that more often than not they represent good value. At the risk of annoying guys that have soem of teh other 'less populated' makes - the one thing that is handy is that like 'Hood's' there's so many about that it's easy to find info about specific things that you might wnat to check up on in the future.
I owned a Supercat, basically an E1 with wider arches, and loved it. It had it's fair to say a reasonable amount of investment in it and was very well screwed together, nevertheless i have a fair few pals with Tig Cats and they do what they say on teh tin - plenty of fun.
@ Whoever made the analogy to westies, caterhams, and goodness knows what else....
the Tig Cat is still in production by Southways, OK it's not a Tiger as of 2.5 years or so ago - but it's still out there.
Yes originally many were built with pintos and still have them - so what? Engine choice is either personal or down to £'s and price range.
Handling - on an early morning road drive a pinto or zetec Tig can be driven as fast as teh law allows and still be in close company with other cars......irrespective of whether its a Caterham, westie, MK or goodness knows what else.
weight - wow a Tig/Southways Cat weighs all of about 50kg more than SOME of the opposition, but still far less than other kits.
the Cat doesn't compare to the race oriented R6 - really? funny how one competitor in the Tig race series had a number of oustanding years/performances in his Cat against those same r6's......
Back to teh original poster.
Personally i'd not have any qualms about buying another Cat, as with all kits - the better the history ( info available about a specific car ) the better. From a practical perspective the rear end set up derided above means that there's a useful storage area behind teh seats - something that my r6 is sadly lacking ( any form of storage for a bag/helmet etc)......
Hope that you find a nice car and enjoy it - whatever 'it' is.....
''there are some turds you just can't polish''
and the need for that comment was what?
' has anyone owned a Tig Cat and what's their opinion'
yes, and yes i liked it, yes i'd have another and yes to a brilliant driver ( trying to think out of all the guys i've met with caterhams,. westies, mk's, zeros', phoenix etc how many really are brilliant )it may not be as accomplished as something else but to a good driver it would be MORE than adequate.
Then again we could just talk about sticking on some good tyres on the E1, playing around with the suspension ( however limited ) and comparing it against some other wheezing 7esque car running on 10 yr old rubber that has mismatched dampers etc etc.....
The OP didn't state that he was hell bent on setting lap records, wo whilst there may be other cars out there that if driven at 10/10ths handle a bit better for a slightly higher price so what? So let's not get into a debate about unsprung weight, geometry, tyres, engines or what might not be so visually appealing.....let's just answer the original question.
Original Poster:
quick tips>
as much info on whatever you look to buy would be a preference ( ideal if you find a car being sold by the builder with a nice logged build history), check detail - something not functioning may be a sign that the seller hasn't looked after it well ( if x doesn't work how much time/effort did they put into looking after it full stop). Beware of false economy - buying a kit for x and then changing things to suit ( seats, brakes etc 0 can be far more costly than buying one with a slightly higher spec from the outset. Get along to a local club and talk to owners, drive atleast 2-3 cars - you may be blown away with your first drive and that may mask shortcomings with that particular car.......happy hunting , and better happy and safe driving!
and the need for that comment was what?
' has anyone owned a Tig Cat and what's their opinion'
yes, and yes i liked it, yes i'd have another and yes to a brilliant driver ( trying to think out of all the guys i've met with caterhams,. westies, mk's, zeros', phoenix etc how many really are brilliant )it may not be as accomplished as something else but to a good driver it would be MORE than adequate.
Then again we could just talk about sticking on some good tyres on the E1, playing around with the suspension ( however limited ) and comparing it against some other wheezing 7esque car running on 10 yr old rubber that has mismatched dampers etc etc.....
The OP didn't state that he was hell bent on setting lap records, wo whilst there may be other cars out there that if driven at 10/10ths handle a bit better for a slightly higher price so what? So let's not get into a debate about unsprung weight, geometry, tyres, engines or what might not be so visually appealing.....let's just answer the original question.
Original Poster:
quick tips>
as much info on whatever you look to buy would be a preference ( ideal if you find a car being sold by the builder with a nice logged build history), check detail - something not functioning may be a sign that the seller hasn't looked after it well ( if x doesn't work how much time/effort did they put into looking after it full stop). Beware of false economy - buying a kit for x and then changing things to suit ( seats, brakes etc 0 can be far more costly than buying one with a slightly higher spec from the outset. Get along to a local club and talk to owners, drive atleast 2-3 cars - you may be blown away with your first drive and that may mask shortcomings with that particular car.......happy hunting , and better happy and safe driving!
TheLastPost said:
greengreenwood7 said:
...let's just answer the original question.
Which was, if you need reminding, 'are they any good?'.The answer I have been trying to give: Quality wise they're OK; dynamics and performance wise, they're far from class-leading, but you get what you pay for.
OP I would also look at likes of the Fury, Phoenix, Striker, etc. models
rhinochopig said:
It depends. A lot of Jeremy Fisher's cars will kick the arse of Westy and Caterham on track. And I say that as an ex-westy owner, with all the handling bells and whistles fitted.
OP I would also look at likes of the Fury, Phoenix, Striker, etc. models
Lol.....Mark Fisher (Fisher Sports Cars) and Jeremy Philips (Sylva Sportscars). OP I would also look at likes of the Fury, Phoenix, Striker, etc. models
Jeremy Fisher is a frog in a Beatrix Potter book
greengreenwood7 said:
''there are some turds you just can't polish''
and the need for that comment was what?
' has anyone owned a Tig Cat and what's their opinion'
yes, and yes i liked it, yes i'd have another and yes to a brilliant driver ( trying to think out of all the guys i've met with caterhams,. westies, mk's, zeros', phoenix etc how many really are brilliant )it may not be as accomplished as something else but to a good driver it would be MORE than adequate.
Then again we could just talk about sticking on some good tyres on the E1, playing around with the suspension ( however limited ) and comparing it against some other wheezing 7esque car running on 10 yr old rubber that has mismatched dampers etc etc.....
The OP didn't state that he was hell bent on setting lap records, wo whilst there may be other cars out there that if driven at 10/10ths handle a bit better for a slightly higher price so what? So let's not get into a debate about unsprung weight, geometry, tyres, engines or what might not be so visually appealing.....let's just answer the original question.
Original Poster:
quick tips>
as much info on whatever you look to buy would be a preference ( ideal if you find a car being sold by the builder with a nice logged build history), check detail - something not functioning may be a sign that the seller hasn't looked after it well ( if x doesn't work how much time/effort did they put into looking after it full stop). Beware of false economy - buying a kit for x and then changing things to suit ( seats, brakes etc 0 can be far more costly than buying one with a slightly higher spec from the outset. Get along to a local club and talk to owners, drive atleast 2-3 cars - you may be blown away with your first drive and that may mask shortcomings with that particular car.......happy hunting , and better happy and safe driving!
HE should know hwas born with one on his top lip !!! Turd that is cos his nose iso far up his own a--seand the need for that comment was what?
' has anyone owned a Tig Cat and what's their opinion'
yes, and yes i liked it, yes i'd have another and yes to a brilliant driver ( trying to think out of all the guys i've met with caterhams,. westies, mk's, zeros', phoenix etc how many really are brilliant )it may not be as accomplished as something else but to a good driver it would be MORE than adequate.
Then again we could just talk about sticking on some good tyres on the E1, playing around with the suspension ( however limited ) and comparing it against some other wheezing 7esque car running on 10 yr old rubber that has mismatched dampers etc etc.....
The OP didn't state that he was hell bent on setting lap records, wo whilst there may be other cars out there that if driven at 10/10ths handle a bit better for a slightly higher price so what? So let's not get into a debate about unsprung weight, geometry, tyres, engines or what might not be so visually appealing.....let's just answer the original question.
Original Poster:
quick tips>
as much info on whatever you look to buy would be a preference ( ideal if you find a car being sold by the builder with a nice logged build history), check detail - something not functioning may be a sign that the seller hasn't looked after it well ( if x doesn't work how much time/effort did they put into looking after it full stop). Beware of false economy - buying a kit for x and then changing things to suit ( seats, brakes etc 0 can be far more costly than buying one with a slightly higher spec from the outset. Get along to a local club and talk to owners, drive atleast 2-3 cars - you may be blown away with your first drive and that may mask shortcomings with that particular car.......happy hunting , and better happy and safe driving!
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