Stratos or GT40
Discussion
Finally decided that my mid life crisis needs sorting!!!
Looking for a part built / unstarted Stratos or GT40 kit.
Which are the ones to avoid?
Why should they be avoided?
And...
Where do you look for them (apart from the KVA Mk.1 GT40 that's been around for a while)?
Would love to build a Southern GT or a Lister Bell Stratos but Mrs Tacchino would notice the sudden demise of the bank account so can't stretch that far at the moment!!
All advice appreciated.
NB. Divorce is not a preferred option.
Looking for a part built / unstarted Stratos or GT40 kit.
Which are the ones to avoid?
Why should they be avoided?
And...
Where do you look for them (apart from the KVA Mk.1 GT40 that's been around for a while)?
Would love to build a Southern GT or a Lister Bell Stratos but Mrs Tacchino would notice the sudden demise of the bank account so can't stretch that far at the moment!!
All advice appreciated.
NB. Divorce is not a preferred option.
Hoonigan said:
Agreed.It's also in Poland, has only been completed once and offers little or zero support for a potential builder.
With all the inevitable unknowns and "not available from the manufacturer" items then I could see this being a more expensive and time consuming proposition than a Southern GT.
Having done the rounds of what's out there as a new kit then I'd be going for a Southern GT. The kit is proven, is supported by the manufacturer and almost on my doorstep. Only down side is that currently it's too much cost to complete.
Hoonigan said:
And that’s why I own a Southern GT....
How much are you anticipating spending all in?
I know the final figure will be in the £30K and upwards region when fully complete and sorted - can't see that's possible with a Southern GT.How much are you anticipating spending all in?
Intention is to use a mild specification 302 to begin with - possible later upgrade to a tuned version with the more appropriate carbs added.
The biggest issue is more the negative feedback from the other half during the process.
The build will be very visible to her and the initial phase of works needs to be noticeable progression. This is far easier done with a part build than a new kit as not all bits need to arrive immediately - I'm sure you guys know what I mean her.
Once over the first stages with the car having been around for a few months I'll be safe to complete.
To spend over £10K on a Southern GT chassis and suspension only and then have to explain it's another £5K for the body shell would be a tough one. I've been married to her for 22 years and I know how deep in the mire I'd be!
I might be trying to achieve the impossible but until I've proved it's impossible I'll keep trying.
You could always sell me yours for £20K ...... honest it's a great deal. I'll even throw in a MGB to sweeten the deal.
Looks like a solution has been found.
Stratos has been ruled out ...... as a V8 lover as well there's no way to merge both sensibly.
Cobra's are just too common (sorry all those Cobra owners) highlighted by seeing two on one day!!
Leaves just a GT40.
The few unfinished kits out there seem to be KVA's. All of which need considerable work to get close to completion and a significant amount of further investment. By my estimation if I bought the best option I'd need to invest another £35K into it to bring up to a good level.
To build a fresh car would be a comparison between Tornado and Southern GT.
Having seen a Tornado up close I was impressed and have no specific reason not to go with it. Although I have seen on TS40 with unimpressive rippling in the fibreglass (a few years ago though).
Southern GT is also significantly impressive with a host of components used that have been developed following years of abuse.
One of the key points is their accessibility during the build. Many comments on the forum about build help from Southern GT but very little about Tornado's technical support of a builder. This may be because Tornado have a full build manual and Southern GT don't though.
I'll be going with a Southern GT as IMO building a Tornado would be like putting an IKEA wardrobe together! At the end of the job you have a very nice finished item but don't actually realise why you did each of the stages in the order you did them!
The Southern GT may end up being mentally more taxing but also more rewarding as, if you don't think your way through and understand first, you'll soon get cheesed off removing something to fit the part that should have gone on first.
All I need to do now if offload all the classic cars, bikes and stuff that's cluttering up the garage and get that deposit down.
The clearance task should take me a while so I can spend that conjuring up excuses and reasons to the wife of what I want her to think I'm doing ..... when I suggested building a GT40 recently it wasn't received positively!!
Next port of call is getting in touch with other Southern GT builders near the Southern GT factory for a chat about building these things.
I'm just a PM away ..... it will be appreciated
Stratos has been ruled out ...... as a V8 lover as well there's no way to merge both sensibly.
Cobra's are just too common (sorry all those Cobra owners) highlighted by seeing two on one day!!
Leaves just a GT40.
The few unfinished kits out there seem to be KVA's. All of which need considerable work to get close to completion and a significant amount of further investment. By my estimation if I bought the best option I'd need to invest another £35K into it to bring up to a good level.
To build a fresh car would be a comparison between Tornado and Southern GT.
Having seen a Tornado up close I was impressed and have no specific reason not to go with it. Although I have seen on TS40 with unimpressive rippling in the fibreglass (a few years ago though).
Southern GT is also significantly impressive with a host of components used that have been developed following years of abuse.
One of the key points is their accessibility during the build. Many comments on the forum about build help from Southern GT but very little about Tornado's technical support of a builder. This may be because Tornado have a full build manual and Southern GT don't though.
I'll be going with a Southern GT as IMO building a Tornado would be like putting an IKEA wardrobe together! At the end of the job you have a very nice finished item but don't actually realise why you did each of the stages in the order you did them!
The Southern GT may end up being mentally more taxing but also more rewarding as, if you don't think your way through and understand first, you'll soon get cheesed off removing something to fit the part that should have gone on first.
All I need to do now if offload all the classic cars, bikes and stuff that's cluttering up the garage and get that deposit down.
The clearance task should take me a while so I can spend that conjuring up excuses and reasons to the wife of what I want her to think I'm doing ..... when I suggested building a GT40 recently it wasn't received positively!!
Next port of call is getting in touch with other Southern GT builders near the Southern GT factory for a chat about building these things.
I'm just a PM away ..... it will be appreciated
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