Friday 16th August 2002
AS One
Another contender for the road legal track car niche - the Germans are coming...
Discussion
Does that mean that your mega blade/busa/bird are also unsuitable for road use due to the lack of roof? Me thinks not - As for a megabird whooping it on a track, how can you know? Have you driven one, it may well be brilliant. The one thing I will agree on is that the price is well off the mark, they would be better off selling it in kit form and letting potential owners make there own choice of engine.
Having looked at the web site:
- The pictures look like a CAD model which implies they are 2-3 years away from a saleable car if they also have the engineering designs underneath drawn. If this is purely a styling model with no underlying engineering then 3-4 years for a road car which is emissions compliant. A track only or UK SVA car would be quicker.
- Everything is given as estimated or approximate.
- The engine is alleged to give 172 bhp per litre and rev to 10,000 rev / min. Even if they achieve all this and make it pass the emmissions (as they claim) what will durability be like?
- I have spent several years of my earlier life working with automated manual transmissions (called F1 style paddle shifts in the press) and they are lot more expensive and difficult than people seem to realise.
It's not that what they are claiming is impossible but just bear these things in mind.
- The pictures look like a CAD model which implies they are 2-3 years away from a saleable car if they also have the engineering designs underneath drawn. If this is purely a styling model with no underlying engineering then 3-4 years for a road car which is emissions compliant. A track only or UK SVA car would be quicker.
- Everything is given as estimated or approximate.
- The engine is alleged to give 172 bhp per litre and rev to 10,000 rev / min. Even if they achieve all this and make it pass the emmissions (as they claim) what will durability be like?
- I have spent several years of my earlier life working with automated manual transmissions (called F1 style paddle shifts in the press) and they are lot more expensive and difficult than people seem to realise.
It's not that what they are claiming is impossible but just bear these things in mind.
There've been rumbings about the demise of trackdays due to insurance liability reasons lately. Now I hope this doesn't happen, but if it did what (used) market will there be for this,the xtr2, etc? At least with a bike engined caterfield you'd still have a car thats worth something?
"Westfield Megabusa 2001, one owner, factory built, 1040 miles, cost £27k...gift at £20k" Check out this months Kit Car magazine. At the end of the day no matter how much fun a BEC is for track days and the occasional road trip its just too much of an arse ache for everyday use and the second hand price is starting to show this. Ive wanted 1, I drove 1, I would still like 1.......but I know after a couple of weeks I would be ripping the lump out and looking for something new!!!
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