RE: Zenos Project E10 - exclusive

[TinyCappo]

engine in the rear may mean suitable legroom for those not sub 6ft2.

[sunsurfer]

Hellbound said:

Just give it a dash and interior made from recycled wood pulp and hemp and sell them at Ikea for £5k.

Edited by Hellbound on Thursday 5th September 13:47

I'd probably buy it. But I think you mean bamboo

[jazzyjeff]

sunsurfer said:

nckr55 said:

This. I often wonder what a modern mid/rear engined light, compact 2+2 would be like. It would for one thing have a genuine niche to differentiate from the ultra-impractical track days only crowd.

Think Posrsche 901, reimagined. Then your market sector is people currently buying second hand 911s (and maybe Evoras) or new hot hatches as a daily / track day car. Under £30k and as usable as a TT (in terms of size, space, pace) - but lighter & simpler.

Nice, I like that. Maybe there is a market for something semi-unique and special that has all the usability of a TT.

That car already exists - it's called the Lotus Evora. They aren't exactly flying off the shelves...

[P4ROT]

Interesting concept/design- check
Exciting engine predictions- check
Employee talent from all around the globe- check
The 'No, but we assure you that this small volume start-up is different' journalistic piece- check

Seems like this one's a go

[Miura Anjin]

loudlashadjuster said:

admit near first sales that the price will have to be >50% more than initially envisaged

Once Ansar gets banned from all four McDonalds in the Norwich area (for gratuitous use of the free straw dispensers) the retail price of each car will have to increase by almost 11p.

[donteatpeople]

Tartan Pixie said:

Would be really interesting to hear more about what they are actually doing with those cut up drinking straws to turn them in to a car, because that shot of the cutaway piece looks like something you'd insulate a house with, not build a car from.

It looks a lot like the sort of thing truck bodies are made from, plastic honeycomb core with a composite skin.

[Woody]

Looks interesting - would like to see the body design.

[Agent Orange]

Well I've seen some poor teaser shots over the years but this one takes the biscuit.





Certainly sounds promising on paper. Good luck to them. More choice is never a bad thing.

[Beefmeister]

Concept sketch from the Autocar article on the E10:



Followed by the E11 and E12 later on:

[qwick]

"Do you want flies with that?"

[Ozzie Osmond]

I hope they've taken a moment to look at the excellent sportscars already on sale. I just can't get excited about yet another of these pipedreams.

[The Wookie]

Looks suspiciously like a Hethel Engineering centre unit...

So Caterham is staffed by ex-Lotus people, Zenos is staffed by ex-Caterham people, if the chain goes on will there eventually be one bloke who has worked at all of them in a garden shed in Norfolk making his own ultra-ultra low volume sports car with an aluminium chassis??

[nedge2k]

Think they should be leading with the E11/E12 to be fair. More market appeal than what will be perceived as an open top track toy.

[Corpulent Tosser]

TinyCappo said:

engine in the rear may mean suitable legroom for those not sub 6ft2.

6' 2" ?

Looking at the distance from seat to pedals in that wooden buck you would have to be that at least to drive it.

[canucklehead]

have to wonder how many of these they could actually sell, and how much profit they will be able to realise on each one, at a price that people will buy them for.

lots of competition in this sector + relatively small volumes = poor business plan, methinks.

would love to be proved wrong however. good luck to them!

[stevenkelby]

This may be a bit OT but here's what I want to see.

A 3 seater.

Why, in the last hundred years, has there only been a single car made with 3 seats? And the F1 is considered by many to be the greatest car ever made.

A central driving position, and the ability to have 2 passengers, would be a quite a unique selling point.

How hard can it be? Whack the driver in the middle, 2 seats behind and to the side. Why has no one tried it in a cheaper car?

The F1 with it's V12 is shorter and narrower than an Evora too.

Anyway, something to think about.

[NDT]

BoRED S2upid said:

Needs to be very sub £30k in my book more like £20k.

.

I can't see that business case working.

[mikeg15]

Tartan Pixie said:

I don't think this is a case of simply using different cloth with the standard process for carbon fibre, it looks like a different process altogether that happens to have carbon in it.

Would be really interesting to hear more about what they are actually doing with those cut up drinking straws to turn them in to a car, because that shot of the cutaway piece looks like something you'd insulate a house with, not build a car from.

It's similar in concept to Mallite or this stuff
http://www.rigidized.com/laminated.php

Edited by mikeg15 on Thursday 5th September 18:13

[NDT]

I'd guess the recycled carbon sheet bodywork is not there for structural rigidity (given the tub).
Probably slightly stiffer than GRP for less weight, particularly with the straw-filled section.

[TinyCappo]

Corpulent Tosser said:

TinyCappo said:

engine in the rear may mean suitable legroom for those not sub 6ft2.

6' 2" ?

Looking at the distance from seat to pedals in that wooden buck you would have to be that at least to drive it.

Being 6' 5" that is not a bad thing!