Whats to stop a kit car of a 30s/40s art deco car?
Discussion
Or should I say why don't more people do it?
Going off this thread:
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
some of the designs are absolutely epic... so why don't we see modern homages of them?
Are they difficult to pass some rules or regs?
Although I don't say that they should be built in metal and hand crafted, surely the tech has come on enough that carbon or fibre glass can be used and made to look just as nice for the average joe?
Something like butcher up a rotten 1960s s-type for its 3.8 inline six engine, craft up the rest to make it structurally safe using modern tech, find some old looking wheels (are there such things with modern tech but look like 30s wheels) and then trim the internals in deco stuff, but hiding latest tech?
Yes you can point me at the Eagle or the MG LE, but Im more thinking something built by a part timer and taking their time rather than throw £100k at someone to build it for them.
Going off this thread:
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
some of the designs are absolutely epic... so why don't we see modern homages of them?
Are they difficult to pass some rules or regs?
Although I don't say that they should be built in metal and hand crafted, surely the tech has come on enough that carbon or fibre glass can be used and made to look just as nice for the average joe?
Something like butcher up a rotten 1960s s-type for its 3.8 inline six engine, craft up the rest to make it structurally safe using modern tech, find some old looking wheels (are there such things with modern tech but look like 30s wheels) and then trim the internals in deco stuff, but hiding latest tech?
Yes you can point me at the Eagle or the MG LE, but Im more thinking something built by a part timer and taking their time rather than throw £100k at someone to build it for them.
Nothing really.
A couple of things to consider though is firstly, is there enough demand for them? The kit car industry used to have plenty of traditional roadsters. In fact my first kit I built was one (a Cortina based Spartan, excellent car I drove every day for 11 years). Then what donor vehicle do you use to build from? There's barely any front engined rear wheel drive cars out there now and most are pretty expensive other than the MX5. How period do you make it and would the people that like this kind of car want to see fuel injection and computers in their vintage gentleman's sporting carriage?
Personally I'd love to build one again and it has always been on my list of to dos but it's the above considerations that stop me and there's plenty of other things I'm doing that are higher up the priority rankings.
I think that given this type of kit has pretty much died out entirely, people have shied away from it after a few minutes contemplation. Morgan of course do a superb job of it but there you have it that's pretty much the only company that is brave enough to continue doing this kind of retro but they pretty much are everything that is vintage retro. (As an aside if ever you get the chance go and see their factory/workshops in Malvern, you won't be disappointed it's a fabulous tour back in time with true craftsmen)
A couple of things to consider though is firstly, is there enough demand for them? The kit car industry used to have plenty of traditional roadsters. In fact my first kit I built was one (a Cortina based Spartan, excellent car I drove every day for 11 years). Then what donor vehicle do you use to build from? There's barely any front engined rear wheel drive cars out there now and most are pretty expensive other than the MX5. How period do you make it and would the people that like this kind of car want to see fuel injection and computers in their vintage gentleman's sporting carriage?
Personally I'd love to build one again and it has always been on my list of to dos but it's the above considerations that stop me and there's plenty of other things I'm doing that are higher up the priority rankings.
I think that given this type of kit has pretty much died out entirely, people have shied away from it after a few minutes contemplation. Morgan of course do a superb job of it but there you have it that's pretty much the only company that is brave enough to continue doing this kind of retro but they pretty much are everything that is vintage retro. (As an aside if ever you get the chance go and see their factory/workshops in Malvern, you won't be disappointed it's a fabulous tour back in time with true craftsmen)
There was, of course, the Madison. Available in both coupe and roadster form for a number of years, and quite successful in its time.
There were also the Marlin Berlinetta and the Merlin Roadster, inspired by that era to some degree (and again very successful).
The whole ethos was more 'luxury' orientated, though, so perhaps it's more suited to bespoke turnkey manufacture with cars like the Morgan Aeromax and the Atalanta?
Maybe not the Lea Francis Ace of Spades, though (apologies to those of a sensitive disposition):
There were also the Marlin Berlinetta and the Merlin Roadster, inspired by that era to some degree (and again very successful).
The whole ethos was more 'luxury' orientated, though, so perhaps it's more suited to bespoke turnkey manufacture with cars like the Morgan Aeromax and the Atalanta?
Maybe not the Lea Francis Ace of Spades, though (apologies to those of a sensitive disposition):
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