Designing your own car? What's involved?

[lambo_xx]

Just wondering what would be involved in say designing your own car? For example someone like Morgan uses BMW engines, running gear and switch gear. So if you were to do that, using other cars engines suspension etc, and were just going to design a body and interior, what would be involved and what sort of costs would you be looking at?

[ewenm]

Google IVA

[Kozy]

ewenm said:

Google IVA

This.

[ambuletz]

when I was younger, I always wanted to (eventially) build the car they use in the Ridge Racer Type 4 into movie....
along with the motorbike in final fantasy 7, the cars in ridge racer revolution, and somehow, the plane/airship ragnarok in final fantasy 8.

[Petrolhead_Rich]

ambuletz said:

when I was younger, I always wanted to (eventially) build the car they use in the Ridge Racer Type 4 into movie....
along with the motorbike in final fantasy 7, the cars in ridge racer revolution, and somehow, the plane/airship ragnarok in final fantasy 8.

Ambitious!

[300bhp/ton]

lambo_xx said:

Just wondering what would be involved in say designing your own car? For example someone like Morgan uses BMW engines, running gear and switch gear. So if you were to do that, using other cars engines suspension etc, and were just going to design a body and interior, what would be involved and what sort of costs would you be looking at?

How long is a piece of string essentially.

The type of car, the materials used and how you design it will affect this. Manufacture is then another step, in some ways a design could be a sketch on a scrap of paper. Or you could go for a fully CAD 3D model.

But prototypes and physical mock ups will cost more. Also intended production numbers or one off fabrications will affect this. And you ability or lack of ability to do these things will have a huge affect.

But kit cars, customs and hot rods are built all the time, so it proves it is possible.

[Kozy]

300bhp/ton said:

lambo_xx said:

Just wondering what would be involved in say designing your own car? For example someone like Morgan uses BMW engines, running gear and switch gear. So if you were to do that, using other cars engines suspension etc, and were just going to design a body and interior, what would be involved and what sort of costs would you be looking at?

How long is a piece of string essentially.

The type of car, the materials used and how you design it will affect this. Manufacture is then another step, in some ways a design could be a sketch on a scrap of paper. Or you could go for a fully CAD 3D model.

This is the route I am taking, working on a single seater autotest car similar to an FSAE racer. The only cost at this stage is time, and provided the model is good, the cost to produce should be as little as possible as the components should only need ot be manufactured once.

I imagine it would still cost £5-10k to build.

[Petrolhead_Rich]

Kozy said:

I imagine it would still cost £5-10k to build.

Double your budget, 5-10k would cover building a pre-made kit!

[RJDM3]

Are you talking about designing a car or designing and building?

If you want a cheap car say like a caterham style etc you design and build cost could be potentially be quite low say possibly under £250,000.00 (assuming your paying other people to make body, chassis and off the shelf parts).

If however you wanted to build a car that is a every day proposition with all the finishing touches of a low volume car you would need around £2,000,000.00 to design, build and test. With another 1 million in reserve for delays, problems and remanufacturing that maybe required.

Edited by RJDM3 on Monday 11th October 10:21

[Kozy]

Petrolhead_Rich said:

Kozy said:

I imagine it would still cost £5-10k to build.

Double your budget, 5-10k would cover building a pre-made kit!

FSAE budgets are around £10k AFAIK. It is do-able if you know the right people.