Daily driveable kit car?
Discussion
I am looking for a kit car I can build that will be fast, fun and useable every day (OK, except in snow maybe!). I have built several race cars from scratch, so have all of the skills necessary to build even a complex kit. Probably go to about £20k build cost.
I would prefer something with a solid roof rather than a convertible but there don't seem to be many of these about. Also it would need to have proper wind-up windows and a half-decent boot space.
I would not be interested in a re-skinned MR2 or anything like that, would really like something with a bespoke chassis and space for a nice V8 (prolly rover fuel injected) and an auto box.
The only things I can find are Cobra replicas and the Sebring MXR / Exalt kits.
Anyone got any other ideas?
I would prefer something with a solid roof rather than a convertible but there don't seem to be many of these about. Also it would need to have proper wind-up windows and a half-decent boot space.
I would not be interested in a re-skinned MR2 or anything like that, would really like something with a bespoke chassis and space for a nice V8 (prolly rover fuel injected) and an auto box.
The only things I can find are Cobra replicas and the Sebring MXR / Exalt kits.
Anyone got any other ideas?
Thanks for those ideas.
I would never have thought of a BMW egine for a kit car but that does sound like a good idea. The GKD is a pretty little car, so the wife might like it (she is going to drive it a lot). While the Metisse does seem to satisfy the criteria....it aint pretty is it?
Another one I found on this forum is the Murtaya.
Anyonwe have any idea how well a GKD or a Murtaya would stand for daily use?
I would never have thought of a BMW egine for a kit car but that does sound like a good idea. The GKD is a pretty little car, so the wife might like it (she is going to drive it a lot). While the Metisse does seem to satisfy the criteria....it aint pretty is it?
Another one I found on this forum is the Murtaya.
Anyonwe have any idea how well a GKD or a Murtaya would stand for daily use?
How about the Aeon GT3, it may only run the Audi 1.8T but that is a sweet engine and Scooby has built his to run about 400bhp IIRC. Plus it has the McLaren central driving position and 2 passenger seats so luggage shouldn't be a problem. I think there are some Youtube videos of Scooby's car if you fancy a look.
Murtaya with a hardtop? I believe the company has re-surfaced under new ownership and the design is exceptionally well thought out.
Can you still get the GTM Libra?
All depends what you're acceptable requirements for daily driving are really, but for £20k you should have more or less the pick of the kits (big-budget replicas aside).
Can you still get the GTM Libra?
All depends what you're acceptable requirements for daily driving are really, but for £20k you should have more or less the pick of the kits (big-budget replicas aside).
divetrucker said:
Thanks for those ideas.
I would never have thought of a BMW egine for a kit car but that does sound like a good idea. The GKD is a pretty little car, so the wife might like it (she is going to drive it a lot). While the Metisse does seem to satisfy the criteria....it aint pretty is it?
Another one I found on this forum is the Murtaya.
Anyonwe have any idea how well a GKD or a Murtaya would stand for daily use?
come along to rally day to see murtaya sports cars red demo nik uses his as daily car but most seem to use as weekend/track carI would never have thought of a BMW egine for a kit car but that does sound like a good idea. The GKD is a pretty little car, so the wife might like it (she is going to drive it a lot). While the Metisse does seem to satisfy the criteria....it aint pretty is it?
Another one I found on this forum is the Murtaya.
Anyonwe have any idea how well a GKD or a Murtaya would stand for daily use?
martin
Saw Vortex Automotive's coupe at Stafford today...it may well fit the bill and by far the prettiest kit car I've seen. Seems to be doable for less than 20k. The kit is 14k ish plus a bit of vat on the body parts.
www.vortex-auto.com
www.vortex-auto.com
coanda said:
Saw Vortex Automotive's coupe at Stafford today...it may well fit the bill and by far the prettiest kit car I've seen. Seems to be doable for less than 20k. The kit is 14k ish plus a bit of vat on the body parts.
www.vortex-auto.com
I had a very good look at that at Stoneleigh, and was very impressed. I think the big problem they need to overcome is the donor package- Rover 827 mostly, and a fair bunch of other stuff. Granted it can use something like a Mondeo V6, which is good, but I reckon they need to redo it with (say) the Jaguar X series as a donor. The Rover donor might have been ok when it first came out, just, but now it does detract considerably from its credibility (IMO).www.vortex-auto.com
singlecoil said:
coanda said:
Saw Vortex Automotive's coupe at Stafford today...it may well fit the bill and by far the prettiest kit car I've seen. Seems to be doable for less than 20k. The kit is 14k ish plus a bit of vat on the body parts.
www.vortex-auto.com
I had a very good look at that at Stoneleigh, and was very impressed. I think the big problem they need to overcome is the donor package- Rover 827 mostly, and a fair bunch of other stuff. Granted it can use something like a Mondeo V6, which is good, but I reckon they need to redo it with (say) the Jaguar X series as a donor. The Rover donor might have been ok when it first came out, just, but now it does detract considerably from its credibility (IMO).www.vortex-auto.com
Very little of the kit now uses 827 parts, a lot is either Mondeo, or custom tooling, there are some parts which are still Rover, however can be Rover 25, so still plenty about cheap, these are little things such as the windscreen wash bottle, and wiper arm pivots.
A lot of effort has gone into ensuring donor parts are readily available, there are so many options with the kit now with engine choices etc.. that different people may need a different selection of donor parts.
The 827 engine option is still advertised as it still is an eligible option, even if not the most popular.
I'm not sure a Jag X series would be a good donor, I don't see many in breakers yards.
EddyP said:
singlecoil said:
coanda said:
Saw Vortex Automotive's coupe at Stafford today...it may well fit the bill and by far the prettiest kit car I've seen. Seems to be doable for less than 20k. The kit is 14k ish plus a bit of vat on the body parts.
www.vortex-auto.com
I had a very good look at that at Stoneleigh, and was very impressed. I think the big problem they need to overcome is the donor package- Rover 827 mostly, and a fair bunch of other stuff. Granted it can use something like a Mondeo V6, which is good, but I reckon they need to redo it with (say) the Jaguar X series as a donor. The Rover donor might have been ok when it first came out, just, but now it does detract considerably from its credibility (IMO).www.vortex-auto.com
Very little of the kit now uses 827 parts, a lot is either Mondeo, or custom tooling, there are some parts which are still Rover, however can be Rover 25, so still plenty about cheap, these are little things such as the windscreen wash bottle, and wiper arm pivots.
A lot of effort has gone into ensuring donor parts are readily available, there are so many options with the kit now with engine choices etc.. that different people may need a different selection of donor parts.
The 827 engine option is still advertised as it still is an eligible option, even if not the most popular.
I'm not sure a Jag X series would be a good donor, I don't see many in breakers yards.
What would worry me is the negative connotations the Rover thing brings with it, but that is only my opinion, and I'm sure there are lots of people out there who wouldn't let it concern them.
As for the X type, yes, still a little bit early really, quick look at the PH classifieds showed the cheaper ones starting at the best part of £2,000. Although I think it's funny (not talking about your car now) how people will seek out a really cheap donor (take Sierras for example) and then spend thousands obtaining a decent engine, instead of buying something which comes with a decent engine, even though it costs a bit more to buy, in the first place.
singlecoil said:
EddyP said:
singlecoil said:
coanda said:
Saw Vortex Automotive's coupe at Stafford today...it may well fit the bill and by far the prettiest kit car I've seen. Seems to be doable for less than 20k. The kit is 14k ish plus a bit of vat on the body parts.
www.vortex-auto.com
I had a very good look at that at Stoneleigh, and was very impressed. I think the big problem they need to overcome is the donor package- Rover 827 mostly, and a fair bunch of other stuff. Granted it can use something like a Mondeo V6, which is good, but I reckon they need to redo it with (say) the Jaguar X series as a donor. The Rover donor might have been ok when it first came out, just, but now it does detract considerably from its credibility (IMO).www.vortex-auto.com
Very little of the kit now uses 827 parts, a lot is either Mondeo, or custom tooling, there are some parts which are still Rover, however can be Rover 25, so still plenty about cheap, these are little things such as the windscreen wash bottle, and wiper arm pivots.
A lot of effort has gone into ensuring donor parts are readily available, there are so many options with the kit now with engine choices etc.. that different people may need a different selection of donor parts.
The 827 engine option is still advertised as it still is an eligible option, even if not the most popular.
I'm not sure a Jag X series would be a good donor, I don't see many in breakers yards.
What would worry me is the negative connotations the Rover thing brings with it, but that is only my opinion, and I'm sure there are lots of people out there who wouldn't let it concern them.
As for the X type, yes, still a little bit early really, quick look at the PH classifieds showed the cheaper ones starting at the best part of £2,000. Although I think it's funny (not talking about your car now) how people will seek out a really cheap donor (take Sierras for example) and then spend thousands obtaining a decent engine, instead of buying something which comes with a decent engine, even though it costs a bit more to buy, in the first place.
I see your point on Rover potentially putting people off, but from talking to people at the shows this year, few seem bothered by it, especially when they realise the bits from the Rovers can't be unreliable
The choice of a donor car is a very tricky thing to get right, there is so much to be taken into account, first off how much would the donor cost, how easily available are they likely to be, is it still a current model, how many years are they likely to be around for, its only once you can have positive answers to all of those can you even start to think about whether the part will actually do the job, when you don't want to sacrifice your design, eg, suspension geometry, unsprung weight, overall weight, chassis design etc..etc.. it really requires some cunning engineering to reuse parts. It gets even worse with some manufactures that don't like to use the same parts for more than 6 months :lol:
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