Great British Sport Car?

[craggers]

After reading my Kit Car magazine, is the quality same as Robin Hood as they bought them ? Their Zero looked nice and good priced.

Are they any good ? I've heard some horror story about Robin Hood.

[Rich7se]

Here we go again.

Never owned one myself but have a read of this as a gauge.

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

[craggers]

Rich7se said:

Here we go again.

Never owned one myself but have a read of this as a gauge.

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

I already saw that and I assume it was for original Robin Hood car like exmo / 2B. When this Zero is new car and owned by different people so wonder what their view on that one.

I know 2B is difficult car to build etc etc.

[TonyHetherington]

It's a fair question! My dad and I are building a 2B at the moment, and making a dam good job of it we are too

However, I don't know the answer to the question you are asking but suffice to say there is a lot of (understandable) negative press about Robin Hood. An example, their recent lighweight car (a year or so ago) had lots of trouble passing SVA tests. So you can see why potential purchasers are wary!

[craggers]

TonyHetherington said:

It's a fair question! My dad and I are building a 2B at the moment, and making a dam good job of it we are too

However, I don't know the answer to the question you are asking but suffice to say there is a lot of (understandable) negative press about Robin Hood. An example, their recent lighweight car (a year or so ago) had lots of trouble passing SVA tests. So you can see why potential purchasers are wary!

Yeah heard about that, wondered if "Great British Sport Car" changed that hence introducing the "Zero" kit? They are saying that they will build turnkey (IVA passed) car for £10k with Zetec engine.

[TonyHetherington]

Are you looking to buy new?

My dad and I will be spending around that figure on our 2B, but it's the enjoyment of building and the engineering that we're doing at each stage of the build that appealed to us.

If you wanted to buy a kit car for £10k, I'd probably suggest a used Caterham or Westfield. I've no idea on the build quality of GreatBritishSportsCars if they built you a car, but I'd ask why you'd go for the car from them if you don't intend on bulding it (if you see what I mean)

[craggers]

TonyHetherington said:

Are you looking to buy new?

My dad and I will be spending around that figure on our 2B, but it's the enjoyment of building and the engineering that we're doing at each stage of the build that appealed to us.

If you wanted to buy a kit car for £10k, I'd probably suggest a used Caterham or Westfield. I've no idea on the build quality of GreatBritishSportsCars if they built you a car, but I'd ask why you'd go for the car from them if you don't intend on bulding it (if you see what I mean)

I agree with you, I am not going to buy a car from them. Just curious as they seem to be confident to sell it for £10k turnkey car when I've heard of them having problem passing the SVA while ago. Just wondered if they have changed the build quality since the owner change.

[TonyHetherington]

Ah I see what you mean

[Davi]

TonyHetherington said:

My dad and I will be spending around that figure on our 2B,

seriously?!?! what's the spec of yours? I presume you're going for all new components to get a new reg if you're spending that much?

[TonyHetherington]

Not all new, but lots new - the reg doesn't bother us as we have a private plate (H15 KYT)

2 litre silvertop zetec with twin 45s, custom made exhaust (infact, custom made everything - we're making it!) That £10k covers every nut and bolt that we've bought for the job. The current costs look like this... (taken from www.johnskitcar.com though it's not finished yet)... I stress, we're doing it for the engineering challenge and the fun of building it, so we've bought all the good bits - seats, webbers etc. and buying all the pipes, connections, brakes brand new and working out how to fit them ourselves! You could easily have a Robin Hood on the road for £5k, but it will look like you've dumped a sierra on a kit car chassis and will not really be anything to be proud of (IMHO, of course)

2B Kit inc seats and shock upgrades £2,000.00
Donor Car H272 CSU £155.00
Refurbished Front hubs inc bearings, 260mm discs & pads £312.55
Upgrade rear drum brakes to Discs Kit inc. discs & pads £270.00
Braided flexible rear brake pipe & Connectors £20.00
Rear Sub Frame Mounts £31.02
2 No. Rear Wheel Bearings £17.99 each £35.98
2 No. Rear CVJ rubber boot repair kit @ £12.99 each £25.98
Rear longer wheel bolts / studs & steering rack mounts £14.69
Mondeo L556 EFC for 2.0L Silver Top engine £180.00
Sump Gasket, Cam belt, Cam cover Gasket, spark plugs £55.27
Westfield Windscreen Pillars and mirrors £41.32
Twin Weber Carb Kit inc sump, fly wheel clutch etc £1,902.24
Weber Throttle Linkage courtesy of Stu £0.00
Floor Mounted Pedal Box £55 + £15 postage £70.00
Quick Shift Gearstick from GTS £19.39
Raceline Water Rail from GTS Tuning £125 + VAT £146.88
Raceline Thermostatic Housing £29.95 + postage + VAT £38.72
Polo Type radiator £32.33 + £10 postage £42.33
Pair of Black Cobra Roadster 7 Seats with red piping £359.00
Powder Coat Cam Cover £30.00
Clutch Cable £14.99 plus £2.25 postage £17.24
P Clips and Rubber channel £9.14
Fuel Tank 11.5 galls powder coated collect Peterborough £85.00
Red Top Fuel Pump & Filter King Regulator £63 + £6 post £69.00
Rear Brake flexi hose and fittings £28.41
Box Section and Angle iron for pedal box £10.00
Metal Flat Iron 30×6mm £5.80
Metal Flat Iron 30×30 2 No. £9.00
Rear High Level Brake Light £6.50
Hydraulic Brake Switch + T Piece £13.50
Plywood sheet 1220 x 607 x 12 Ext WBP 2No. £15.38
P Clips £6.45
Fuel Hose Clips £12.50
Throttle Cable & Nipple £6.99
Bush to Prop Shaft to Diff £50.00
Brake Proportioning Valve £52.29
Braided Flexible Fuel Line 1metre £6.99 + postage £8.98
Rubber fuel line 3 metre £5.95 + postage, another ordered £15.80
Weber Banjo T piece £10 + postage £12.00
Fuel Line T piece £5.99 + postage £7.98
Remote Tandem Master Cylinder £79.50
Front Grill Mesh Ripspeed Halfords Black £22.99
Westfield Accelerator pedal inc postage £5.29
Clutch release bearing £26.50
Bonet catches 2 No. from Detling KC Show £14.00
Neoprene rubber strip 30mm x 3mm x 10m inc postage £8.45
Fuel pipe P clips & rubber grommets £11.42
Registration plate H15 KYT £265.65
Raceline Fan switch and 90 degree connector £19.68
CBS P clips and T piece & Grommets £10.00
Screen Washer bottle inc pump £15.99
Elbow Sasco+hose connector + 3/8 male union Rally design £18.56
Brake Parts Rally design £10.72
Special high tension bolts and nuts inc postage £15.98
Blade Fuse box x 2 inc postage of £3.95 £14.18
Throttle Position Sensor £79.12
Exhaust Flange plus postage for TPS £46.58
Samco Reducing Elbow & 32mm Hose £35.49
Metal T piece from Rad £20.00
T Piece and clip making bits inc cover for steering arm £10.00
Westfield Heater ducts £15 + £5 p&p £20.51
Oil Catch Tank £32.50 + postage £41.00
Header Tank £69.99 + postage £75.99
ABS Carbon Fibre Effect Sheet 1200×610 £25+ postage £32.50
Sub Total £7,092.43

[craggers]

TonyHetherington said:

Not all new, but lots new - the reg doesn't bother us as we have a private plate (H15 KYT)

Don't think you can put private plate on if the car was "Q" plated ?

[TonyHetherington]

You're absolutely right - it will take on the H-registration of the donor car that we got everything from (an H-plate Sierra), using the points system etc, and then that H-reg will be changed to the private plate (which is H-reg).

(edit; when I said "all new" - I meant brakes, hoses, clips, unions, screws, tanks, etc)

Edited by TonyHetherington on Thursday 21st May 15:11

[craggers]

TonyHetherington said:

You're absolutely right - it will take on the H-registration of the donor car that we got everything from (an H-plate Sierra), using the points system etc, and then that H-reg will be changed to the private plate (which is H-reg).

Ah nice one

[Davi]

TonyHetherington said:

2 litre silvertop zetec with twin 45s, custom made exhaust (infact, custom made everything - we're making it!) That £10k covers every nut and bolt that we've bought for the job. The current costs look like this... (taken from www.johnskitcar.com though it's not finished yet)... I stress, we're doing it for the engineering challenge and the fun of building it, so we've bought all the good bits - seats, webbers etc. and buying all the pipes, connections, brakes brand new and working out how to fit them ourselves! You could easily have a Robin Hood on the road for £5k, but it will look like you've dumped a sierra on a kit car chassis and will not really be anything to be proud of (IMHO, of course)

It's all the clips, bits of pipe and widgety bits that really add up in that list, isn't it!!!

I couldn't disagree more on the cost options though - this is my dad's car:



which cost 1/4 of your budget and has full leather and walnut interior, custom made double duck hood (when the soft top is on), electric central locking etc etc etc... OK if you take it apart and look at the oily bits you'll see that pipes are not of the braided variety, clips are from jumbo packs, but after 15 years of being used as a daily driver before he decided to restore it just because he felt like doing it again...

Building on a budget doesn't mean it has to look rubbish, you just have to compensate with time and effort.

edited to change pic from a tilt-shifted one to one you could see properly LOL

Edited by Davi on Thursday 21st May 15:18

[TonyHetherington]

Davi said:

It's all the clips, bits of pipe and widgety bits that really add up in that list, isn't it!!!

You're absolutely right, and it's those things which make up a big proportion of the cost. Just look at the amount of postage costs dotted around that list! there's some big things in that list - the kit, the webbers, seats etc, but the rest of the money is as you asy - the "bits".

current cost is £7k all in (and we've made some money back (<£1000) on selling the sierra bits, or things we've not used on ebay, so it's likely to be less than £10k on the road.

Needless to say, every cost is logged to the penny and so when finished (april next year is our goal), I'll do a big write up

Love the look of your dad's - even more so that he's taking it apart again, just because he can. Superb

[Davi]

Thanks, we like it it was amazing to see it come together after it had sat as a doodle he'd done for such a long time. It's been going back together steadily the last few months so hopefully MOT very soon and back out there in all it's front wheel drive weirdness

I'll look forward to the write up. In the current absence of funds for my "proper" project I'm considering something on a budget so minuscule I'll likely be begging a donor, so could be amusing to compare results if I ever get my arse in gear!

[TonyHetherington]

Sounds interesting

[Mr2Mike]

craggers said:

I already saw that and I assume it was for original Robin Hood car like exmo / 2B. When this Zero is new car and owned by different people so wonder what their view on that one.

IMO it's a far better designed car than any previous effort by RH (not difficult!). It has a proper space frame rather than a floppy folded stainless monocoque, or an almost random collection of exhaust pipes welded together (SubK and 2B). Visually it has excellent proportions as well, certainly one of the better looking 7 clones.

What I have no experience of is the build quality of the kit components. The chassis displayed in the kit car shows looked pretty decent, no obviously poor welding etc. but I've not had a close look at suspension components etc.