Discussion
check this out:
www.locostbuilders.co.uk/viewthread.php?tid=39704
A 500 speedster with a Triumph engine
www.locostbuilders.co.uk/viewthread.php?tid=39704
A 500 speedster with a Triumph engine
I think it's in Polish, but not sure!
http://fiat-furious.pl/html/artykuly/
I know that the moulds are in the Netherlands, but can't find the guys website
Sorry....
http://fiat-furious.pl/html/artykuly/
I know that the moulds are in the Netherlands, but can't find the guys website
Sorry....Designed by Peter Stevens of Maclaren F1 road car fame.
The first car was made out from one of his rusted Fiat 500, he chopped the roof and added alloy wheels to it.
After his friends, Murray and the owner of the Rocket sportscar company, showed interest in having one, they decided to have moulds taken of this prototype:
I think that,it was first maufactured by the same guy that later built the Rocket, designed by Gordon Murray of Maclaren.
It was too expensive to manufacture and build for such a tiny kitcar, that is why the moulds have passed on so many times and nobody has really made a business case out of them.
I always liked it a lot, but it would be cheaper to build the same thing out of an existing Fiat 500........
The first car was made out from one of his rusted Fiat 500, he chopped the roof and added alloy wheels to it.
After his friends, Murray and the owner of the Rocket sportscar company, showed interest in having one, they decided to have moulds taken of this prototype:
I think that,it was first maufactured by the same guy that later built the Rocket, designed by Gordon Murray of Maclaren.
It was too expensive to manufacture and build for such a tiny kitcar, that is why the moulds have passed on so many times and nobody has really made a business case out of them.
I always liked it a lot, but it would be cheaper to build the same thing out of an existing Fiat 500........
fuoriserie said:
It was too expensive to manufacture and build for such a tiny kitcar, that is why the moulds have passed on so many times and nobody has really made a business case out of them.
Why was it too expensive, it hasn't even got doors, the single shell body must be very simple to make.
Surely this kind of car is the future of fun cars? Gatsos and fuel costs will slowly kill bigger and faster machines leaving the small, agile cars like the Smart sportscar or this kit car as the only fun machinery left.
Why should a kit with only one moulding for the body, a boot and a bonnet lid plus a simple chassis not be cheap to make?
Imagine it with bike or superV (a two cylinder chev V8) engine!
cymtriks said:
fuoriserie said:
It was too expensive to manufacture and build for such a tiny kitcar, that is why the moulds have passed on so many times and nobody has really made a business case out of them.
Why was it too expensive, it hasn't even got doors, the single shell body must be very simple to make.
Surely this kind of car is the future of fun cars? Gatsos and fuel costs will slowly kill bigger and faster machines leaving the small, agile cars like the Smart sportscar or this kit car as the only fun machinery left.
Why should a kit with only one moulding for the body, a boot and a bonnet lid plus a simple chassis not be cheap to make?
Imagine it with bike or superV (a two cylinder chev V8) engine!
I agree with you on the great potential of a similar kit, but from what I recal of this kitcar, the body had a inner shell, for torsional rigidity and strength, because there was no chassis to speak of.
You had to strip a complete Fiat 126, remove and cut the body of, and then rivet and glue the new speedster body to the chassis.
Basically it was an expensive body conversion for such a small car, but think that if they had used the Banham system, maybe it would have been a lot cheaper to build.
I hope to see more of these type of kits in the future, and the Smart engine does lend itself to these type of kits.
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