RE: New British sports car: exclusive

RE: New British sports car: exclusive

Author
Discussion

anonymous-user

Original Poster:

55 months

Monday 7th August 2006
quotequote all
surely time for PH's very own soap opera; set in a low volume Brit sportscar manufacturer, based in... ooh, i think somewhere in Wales or Cornwall would be about right and sharing the everyday ups and downs of pissing your hard earned millions up against the wall (and i always wish that they succeed...). Can just see the boss having a stress related heart attack now as he simultaneously bursts a vessel trying to turn a beautiful design into a workable reality.

I'm sure some of you regulars will be queuing up at casting for a part.

edited for dodgy spelling, sorry i left the dodgy idea in...

Edited by polynesian on Monday 7th August 15:29

manek

2,972 posts

285 months

Monday 7th August 2006
quotequote all
I asked Javan Smith what the deal was with Strathcarron -- why the R1 looks so similar -- and this is what he said:

I bought the production moulds and allied stuff after the closure of Strathcarron with the intention of bringing the Strathcarron back to market. However, after also buying a Strathcarron for assesment we decided the whole concept of the original car was flawed in most departments, so what you are seeing in the Javan R1 are the original body mouldings only - every single thing apart from the outer panels has been changed.

Manek
PH Editor

cymtriks

4,560 posts

246 months

Monday 7th August 2006
quotequote all
manek said:
I asked Javan Smith what the deal was with Strathcarron -- why the R1 looks so similar -- and this is what he said:

I bought the production moulds and allied stuff after the closure of Strathcarron with the intention of bringing the Strathcarron back to market. However, after also buying a Strathcarron for assesment we decided the whole concept of the original car was flawed in most departments, so what you are seeing in the Javan R1 are the original body mouldings only - every single thing apart from the outer panels has been changed.

Manek
PH Editor


Hmmm...
Good luck to him but I'd have made the existing design, or as near to at as possible, first, until the market was established.

firefox1712

1,772 posts

256 months

Monday 7th August 2006
quotequote all
Well, I have read the above, but before I did it did seem clear to me that it was a re-done Strathcarron cum Marlin 5EXI.

Did Marlin buy the rights to the Strathcarron design or just moulds. If they only bought moulds, then surely the copyright and rights to manufacture remain with the original desingner/owner.

Has Javan bought the rights, moulds, or is it a close copy of the Strathcarron? Or have they bought the rights to the Marlin 5EXI?

It would be interesting to know.

In the meantime, if anyone knows of any now defunct car companies, or on their way, or those that are in trouble - please let me know.

hendry

1,945 posts

283 months

Monday 7th August 2006
quotequote all
firefox1712 said:
Well, I have read the above, but before I did it did seem clear to me that it was a re-done Strathcarron cum Marlin 5EXI.

Did Marlin buy the rights to the Strathcarron design or just moulds. If they only bought moulds, then surely the copyright and rights to manufacture remain with the original desingner/owner.

Has Javan bought the rights, moulds, or is it a close copy of the Strathcarron? Or have they bought the rights to the Marlin 5EXI?

It would be interesting to know.

In the meantime, if anyone knows of any now defunct car companies, or on their way, or those that are in trouble - please let me know.


Jaguar and TVR.

alhuyshe

40 posts

218 months

Monday 7th August 2006
quotequote all
Nice car, but....

For me, the shame is the use of the V TEC engine. I find these 'two tone' engines irksome. There's a connection for me between torque and handling, in that in a car with a 'screaming engine', in order to have the best handling, you NEED to be in the power band. All very well for the track, but not realistic on a road you don't already intimately know.

Especially with today's engine management systems, surely it'd be better to have an engine with a decent spread of torque, so the car'll still have the power to handle effectively if you happen to be a grand or so short of the optimum power band revs?

It's what lets down the Toyota engined Elise for me - the need to keep it on the boil...

Sam_68

9,939 posts

246 months

Monday 7th August 2006
quotequote all
cymtriks said:
I actually put this question to the Marlin MD at the NEC motorshow last year. I expected her to say yes and that it had saved development costs or something but no....

She bluntly denied any connection with Strathcarron.


This is blatant nonsense! Examine the photos of the Strathcarron/Javan in detailed[ comparison to the Marlin 5exi...not only is the basic shape the same, the exact lines of very distinctive features like the rear wheelarches and air intakes are identical. To claim that the designs were arrived at completely independently is farcical.

Unless, perhaps, Marlin has taken the typewriters off of an Infinite Number of Monkeys and given them all CAD workstations instead?

haze

1,531 posts

231 months

Monday 7th August 2006
quotequote all
Thats an ugly little monster isn't it!

eddy_hyde

153 posts

276 months

Monday 7th August 2006
quotequote all
alhuyshe said:
Nice car, but....

For me, the shame is the use of the V TEC engine. I find these 'two tone' engines irksome. There's a connection for me between torque and handling, in that in a car with a 'screaming engine', in order to have the best handling, you NEED to be in the power band. All very well for the track, but not realistic on a road you don't already intimately know.

Especially with today's engine management systems, surely it'd be better to have an engine with a decent spread of torque, so the car'll still have the power to handle effectively if you happen to be a grand or so short of the optimum power band revs?

It's what lets down the Toyota engined Elise for me - the need to keep it on the boil...


Grr,

guessing you dont get VTEC, especially i-VTEC
+ve
1)2 camshafts, low rpm for bottom end torque, equivalent to say a 2L Focus, and top end power similar to the clio 197. Compare the torque curve and you will see the !
2) 2 cam profiles means much better efficiency = better fuel efficiency
3) High revs=shorter gearing = more torque at the wheels ( A K20 type R motor has similar peak torque to a modern TDi at the wheels, which is where it matters)
Reving the nuts out of it is FUN, what do you want in a fast 2 seater sportscar, a diesel!

-ve
1) Ok due to optimising for peak power up high you do loose a bit of peak torque in the motor
2) you have to learn to change gear!
3) everyone thinks they are torqueless!!!!!

And stop comparing it to the Toyoto motor, which is very poorly finished, the i-VTEC is a lot more tractable, tunable and better geared!

cymtriks

4,560 posts

246 months

Monday 7th August 2006
quotequote all
Sam_68 said:
cymtriks said:
I actually put this question to the Marlin MD at the NEC motorshow last year. I expected her to say yes and that it had saved development costs or something but no....

She bluntly denied any connection with Strathcarron.


This is blatant nonsense! Examine the photos of the Strathcarron/Javan in detailed[ comparison to the Marlin 5exi...not only is the basic shape the same, the exact lines of very distinctive features like the rear wheelarches and air intakes are identical. To claim that the designs were arrived at completely independently is farcical.

Unless, perhaps, Marlin has taken the typewriters off of an Infinite Number of Monkeys and given them all CAD workstations instead?


I know.
I asked if they had taken over the Strathcarron project and was told that it was their own car. I think someone on the stand claimed that they just used the outline of the Strathcarron, not the actual shape. I can't remember the exact wording of the reply. I was rather surprised at the time.

Pickled Piper

6,344 posts

236 months

Monday 7th August 2006
quotequote all
Yugguy said:
*cough SNIFFPETROL *cough


Yep, absolutely

pp

davi

17,153 posts

221 months

Monday 7th August 2006
quotequote all
eddy_hyde said:
alhuyshe said:
Nice car, but....

For me, the shame is the use of the V TEC engine. I find these 'two tone' engines irksome. There's a connection for me between torque and handling, in that in a car with a 'screaming engine', in order to have the best handling, you NEED to be in the power band. All very well for the track, but not realistic on a road you don't already intimately know.

Especially with today's engine management systems, surely it'd be better to have an engine with a decent spread of torque, so the car'll still have the power to handle effectively if you happen to be a grand or so short of the optimum power band revs?

It's what lets down the Toyota engined Elise for me - the need to keep it on the boil...


Grr,

guessing you dont get VTEC, especially i-VTEC
+ve
1)2 camshafts, low rpm for bottom end torque, equivalent to say a 2L Focus, and top end power similar to the clio 197. Compare the torque curve and you will see the !
2) 2 cam profiles means much better efficiency = better fuel efficiency
3) High revs=shorter gearing = more torque at the wheels ( A K20 type R motor has similar peak torque to a modern TDi at the wheels, which is where it matters)
Reving the nuts out of it is FUN, what do you want in a fast 2 seater sportscar, a diesel!

-ve
1) Ok due to optimising for peak power up high you do loose a bit of peak torque in the motor
2) you have to learn to change gear!
3) everyone thinks they are torqueless!!!!!

And stop comparing it to the Toyoto motor, which is very poorly finished, the i-VTEC is a lot more tractable, tunable and better geared!


I think they are fantastic little engines, love the wife's civic, and if I were to do another (smaller) project I think it would definitely be the engine of choice.

xxplod

2,269 posts

245 months

Monday 7th August 2006
quotequote all
Interesting. I've a similar tale to Jack Blag. Test drove a Strathcarron at Goodwood (which is where they offered testdrives - not on the road). I was quite impressed with the on track performance but they never really offered the finished product; roof etc...

As I needed a car I could use on the road, I replaced my S1 Elise with..... a S2 Elise.

Good luck to Javan though.

cej

961 posts

223 months

Monday 7th August 2006
quotequote all
alhuyshe said:
Nice car, but....

For me, the shame is the use of the V TEC engine. I find these 'two tone' engines irksome. There's a connection for me between torque and handling, in that in a car with a 'screaming engine', in order to have the best handling, you NEED to be in the power band. All very well for the track, but not realistic on a road you don't already intimately know.

Especially with today's engine management systems, surely it'd be better to have an engine with a decent spread of torque, so the car'll still have the power to handle effectively if you happen to be a grand or so short of the optimum power band revs?

It's what lets down the Toyota engined Elise for me - the need to keep it on the boil...


Seems like you don't know anything about the Honda K..Completely different beast than the Yota.
The honda K pulls all the way from 2k and up. It's about as flat a torque curve as you can get and great potential for tuning naturally aspirated. Honda k =

G-27

34 posts

243 months

Monday 7th August 2006
quotequote all
I also spoke to Javan at Goodwood FOS and he said that Marlin had copied the Strathcarron without his authority. Javan owns the rights to the Strathcarron shape and Marlin doesn't.

Have a look at www.madabout-kitcars.com/forum/showthread.php?t=712

robdickinson

31,343 posts

255 months

Monday 7th August 2006
quotequote all
schmokin1 said:
and installed a Roush tweaked supercharged Puma engine, which has sorted the car. schmo


As in ford puma engine? As in the 1.7 with very few spares/replacements, thats a bit daft eh.

Am I the only one on here who feels left out , who hasnt started up a new supercar company (using sniffpetrols press form)?

Who's in for creating the Xa-11b, 0-60 in 3.2, quad cam v7 superturbonitros model, and the Xa-11RS for 20k more..!!??

YamR1V64motion

5,723 posts

225 months

Tuesday 8th August 2006
quotequote all
not a bad car, there are others i would rather buy for £30k though and not the smartest name to pick given that a legal battle with Yamaha will probably be on the cards.

robdickinson

31,343 posts

255 months

Tuesday 8th August 2006
quotequote all
YamR1V64motion said:
not the smartest name to pick given that a legal battle with Yamaha will probably be on the cards.


They'll be fine, its not a competing product, why you can have Wimpy burgers and wimpy construction, no chance of confusing them.

killer2005

19,656 posts

229 months

Tuesday 8th August 2006
quotequote all
Looks like a very poor Carrera GT kit car

farmer

1,287 posts

275 months

Tuesday 8th August 2006
quotequote all
Sorry not in these parts much these days ,What's with all the "SNIFFPETROL" malarchy?

All I can say is get yourself a Marlin or any of dozens of similar designs on the Kit market and save a packet