Aeon Epona

[Russ Bost]

andygtt said:

andygtt said:

..... and a gel coat finish hence no requirement to paint and thus my 2.5-3k extra cost estimate.... if we choose to up the spec and build something more than a 7 then you are moving OUT of the gap in the market that I am refering to.

see my comment above... a large number of 7's have a screen and thus a heater of some sorts, also a dash along with reasonable seats etc... also Im suggesting gel coat finish thus no need to paint like a lot of kit cars.
You could build something more than a 7, but thats moving out of the Gap I am imagining and into the territory of other existing kit cars.

I know nothing about the actual estimated costs that aeon etc may have calculated, Im purelly estimating what Id be aiming for if it was me trying to bring the car to market.... 2.5-3k additional over a 7 along with the potential for the builder to make it have real creature comforts is were I would aim as it would then become attractive for some and attainable.

Of cause this is just my view of the market position, its not an indication of were the manufacturer is or maybe will market the car.

Ahh! Apologies, I'd missed the gel coat comment, but the only car I can think of that has a truly acceptable gelcoat finish is the Ultima & even that's not perfect! I think many recent 7's have aero screens or no screens, & I think you'll find very few recently built cars with heaters, the dash spec tends to be pretty darn basic too, most modern 7's seem to be more track focussed & yet still cost around £10k or even more & I feel that with the Epona having TVR/BMW type looks people are going to expect a lot more than the sort of basic fare found in most 7's. I think without the creature comforts which people expect from mass produced sports cars you are going to finish up in a "no-mans land" with few interested parties & if you add the costs of said creature comforts then you price yourself out of the market specifically because of all those TVR's, BMW's, Lotii etc that are available at very low prices second hand now. I think the no. of people genuinely wanting to BUILD a car & then deciding this is the one for them could be few indeed

I don't really see that it matters much what we call it, but surely it's pronounced Eon not Ayon???

[Festive Ferg]

Russ Bost said:

....the only car I can think of that has a truly acceptable gelcoat finish is the Ultima

Thanks mate.....

[singlecoil]

Festive Ferg said:

Russ Bost said:

....the only car I can think of that has a truly acceptable gelcoat finish is the Ultima

Thanks mate.....

I think he was talking about cars still in production....

[Russ Bost]

singlecoil said:

Festive Ferg said:

Russ Bost said:

....the only car I can think of that has a truly acceptable gelcoat finish is the Ultima

Thanks mate.....

I think he was talking about cars still in production....

Phew!!! Thanx SC neat escape route, I did say the only one I could THINK of; my thinkery has been damaged due to Xmas;)
Ok Ultima & Libra - anyone think of any others?

Happy Xmas to all!!

[Frankthered]

Festive Ferg said:

Russ Bost said:

....the only car I can think of that has a truly acceptable gelcoat finish is the Ultima

Thanks mate.....

I understood that Westfield's gelcoat finish was pretty good too.

Only half joking Ferg - I bet the Libra's good too! But I do think that the point people are missing is that, as Russ mentioned, a typical 7 dash looks a very simple thing. Also, a typical 7 doesn't really need much more trim than seats, seat belts and gaiters for the gear lever and handbrake. If your 7 does have a screen it can be heated (at least I know Westfield do that) so you don't necessarily need a cabin heater.

Bare ali panels (inside and out) are perfectly acceptable in a 7 - if you want, you can paint or fit carpets later - I wouldn't see this as an option for a typical 2+2 coupe - I know a bit of trim and carpet sounds easy, but it's a bit more complicated than that!

[Artstu]

Russ Bost said:

anyone think of any others?

Midas and Quantum had very good gelcoat too

Edited by Artstu on Saturday 25th December 12:30

[Yazza54]

The gelcoat on my fury is pretty good, but because the actual fibreglass of the clam and body is thin it has a detrimental effect and seems to cause crazing. I bet the fibreglass on my fury is half the thickness of my old libra.

[andygtt]

I think a large number of 7's are gel coat finished, Ultima, libra... larger list than people think.

The car is a simple 2 seater, I understand that some think that it warrants upping the spec to make it more than a 7 etc etc... but my point is that this is a common trap that kit manufacturers do.

Look for the Gap in the market, look at the price point you need to achieve and stick to it.

There are already many cars out there with complete bodies that are in the 10-20k mark... there are a huge amount of very capable 7's out there all able to hit the road from 5-10k
There is not a basic full body car for potential sub 10k!!!!

The car does not require a new chassis, or an expensive body development IMHO, it needs to stick to its original design of a body that fits a 7 for not a lot of cost.... let the owner who WANT more spend time moving it on if they so wish or provide upgrades!

[singlecoil]

andygtt said:

The car does not require a new chassis, or an expensive body development IMHO, it needs to stick to its original design of a body that fits a 7 for not a lot of cost.... let the owner who WANT more spend time moving it on if they so wish or provide upgrades!

I do agree that the car, if it was to be produced, should keep to a basic specification. My worry, however , is that what would be involved in meeting even a basic spec will result in a cost to the customer of substantially more than an equivalent 7.

Apart from all the extra GRP needed, there's a windscreen, IVA compliant glass for the doors and rear, demisting for windscreen and rear, door handles, catches and hinges, some kind of window winding mechanism or at least a sliding portion of each side window, door seals, hinges, seals handle and catch for the rear window if it is to open, and fairings for the headlamps.

So I guess there are two big questions, how much would it cost to make the patterns and moulds, and get it into production, what would the cost of the extra parts listed above be, as both of these would affect the selling price, and may take that price above what would attract buyers.

[andygtt]

you dont neeed expensive side wndows, All Ultima's have fixed perspex door windows.

A lot of 7's have windscreens and thus demisters, these can be cheap... as can door hinges be used of the 7 donor car, sierra anyone?... my noble uses what I believe are fiesta hinges.
There is some work in getting these things together, but I still think the whole thing MIGHT be able to be done for a BASIC extra cost of 2.5k over a 7.

My MK indy cost me 6.5k with an R1 engine in it, huge brakes, 17in wheels, gel coat body etc etc... basically a reasonable spec... yes Id have to add a screen and heater to that car, but lets say I added 500 for these (too much IMO) but I could still realistically have a lightweight full body car on road for under 10k.
and my Indy was quite a high spec machine... people put MK indies on the road for under 5k using the donor vehicle engine and box, brakes, diff etc etc

Now this is over simplyfying the task, but can you see what Im meaning?.... In truth a 7 type company should be driving this to give them an edge over competition... having the option to swop the body later to a full one surely adds a feather, how many people sell on and build another car when its done... to have the option of building a basic car, then later when funds allow simply buy a full body from the factory and sell all your surplus parts on help fund it.

Of cause this is only my opinion, pretty worthless really as Im not even in the industry lol

[finishing touch]

Anyone seen this?

http://www.locostbuilders.co.uk/viewthread.php?tid...


Paul G

[singlecoil]

finishing touch said:

Anyone seen this?

http://www.locostbuilders.co.uk/viewthread.php?tid...


Paul G

Not visible unless you send them some money. Any chance of a copy and paste?

[Ferg]

finishing touch said:

Anyone seen this?

http://www.locostbuilders.co.uk/viewthread.php?tid...


Paul G

It won't let me, Paul, 'cos I'm too poor to contribute....

[jeffw]

Basically


Hi all.

I have finally decided after much consideration to sell the Epona project. I simply have not got the time to continue it through to completion. (and i have a wedding to pay for)

I would love someone to take the project on and finish it as i have put allot of time and money into the project.

This is what you would get.

1:4 scale model of the design (ready to be scanned)
complete rolling chassis
ford zetec 1800 running 2lt cams
zx9r carbs with boggs bro manifold
stainless exhaust
ali bell housing
new type nine gearbox (v6)
ford lsd
4 new 17 inch compomotive alloys with new toyo tyres
new escort quick rack
rally design pedal box
seats, wheel, etc ( all new)

Images of most of this can be found on the "locost exterior design cont." thread and the "aeon" Epona thread.
there are allot of images in my photo archive.

At the moment i am not interested in breaking it for parts.
Thanks for all the interest in the project over the years and i hope it goes to a good home.
I am open to sensible offers.

Gaz.

Edited by jeffw on Monday 10th January 20:07

[singlecoil]

locostbuilders advert said said:

I am open to sensible offers (for the Epona project)

Gaz.

Well, there's a surprise (not the fact that it's for sale, just that he doesn't want to put a price on it, and would sooner take the easy option of waiting for the offers to roll in, some of which, no doubt, will be considered not sensible).


I, too, am open to 'sensible offers' for any of my stuff apart from my wife and my cat.

[slomax]

singlecoil said:

I, too, am open to 'sensible offers' for any of my stuff apart from my wife and my cat.

£2m for the cat...?

I'm joking of course

[finishing touch]

Ferg said:

finishing touch said:

Anyone seen this?

http://www.locostbuilders.co.uk/viewthread.php?tid...


Paul G

It won't let me, Paul, 'cos I'm too poor to contribute....

Do you have a "poor box" Ferg that I can chuck a few coppers in? (tee he)

Paul G

[Ferg]

jeffw said:

Basically........stuff.

That's a shame, Gaz.. Hope you get a taker! When are you two tying the knot then??

[jeffw]

So what's it worth then...£1K, £5K, £10K or more ??

If you look at it as a incomplete kit car with no body then 3K ish. As an amazing project it would be worth £xxxx....no idea. Certainly there would be significant money to be spent on the development and the building of the prototype prior to being able to sell one (£20-30K ???). Lets assume an outlay of £25K plus the cost to buy the project (£15K ???) to get to the point of having the prototype through IVA and to be in a position to sell cars.

Lets say £40K to be able to sell a car. Profit margin per car ....£3K maybe (on the high side I would guess) so you would need to sell 14 cars before breaking even. I think I'll pass...

[jeffw]

Ferg said:

jeffw said:

Basically........stuff.

That's a shame, Gaz.. Hope you get a taker! When are you two tying the knot then??

Err, I cut and pasted the advert from locostbuilders.