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You bring up interesting points. But there is one thing you missed. Many kit car enthusiasts are inherently cheap. They are drawn to utilizing used components because they don’t want to buy an expensive new or newer vehicle. We need to build kits that are cost effective. Yes, there will continue to be a market for high end kits. But the industry started at the very low end of cost and we need to get back to that.
Oh I'll have a go at tackling some of these comments: I am 60+ years old, I have raced and rallied building my own cars to suit as well as looking after other's race and rally cars, have built around 12 scratchbuilt cars from the ground up, been repairing anything automotive since I was 12 years old, qualified both in small engines and car mechanics, including 25 years of of my own professional mechanical repair shops, and 6 years in motorcycle shops, 3 od those restoring classic English bikes. I am certainly a car enthusiast and have been fortunate enough to drive and ride just about anything you can name from Datsun to Porsche, 2 wheels from motorscooters to Yamaha V-Maxs. About EVs: For the last 10 years I have only owned EVs, 5 in total, 3 at the moment and almost 500,000kms in them. I am not a Greeny, I don't care about 'Climate Change' relative to enjoying all my modern luxuries, and would charge my EVs from a diesel generator without blinking. I drive EVs because I am a car enthusiast, and I drive my cars hard, and fortunate to live in a country where I can do that. EVs or ICE across the broad range are the same, some are so boring you could fall alseep at the wheel, no feel, no feedback, poor dynamics, and at the other end of the scale, you have cars that are amazing to drive, feel, feeback, great dynamics and my 1970s Alfa Romeo Alfetta that I owned for 8 years you would swear was a living entity, as are numbers of Italian cars..... and there are EVs with plenty of character as well. EVs have incredible throttle response that you can only dream of in an ICE, absolutely INSTANT, amazing torque that just takes you to the next corner in one seamless movement that no ICE can match, and they do make noise, and I don't care if they don't. By the way, after 100 mph you can't hear ICE engine noise anyway over the road and wind noise, so not sure what that's about. And gearchanges? Well what a great way to lose time between corners ... Then there's the 'Low Center Of Gravity', one of the most important thing race cars have been desperately trying to achieve for the last 100 years. Well EVs are the ultimate for CoG, the bulk of the weight on the floorpan line for most EVs making for little roll or pitching, and how noticeable it is with all 4 tyres doing the work in a corner instead of the outside 2. So suggesting EVs are not for enthusiasts or as often quoted "have no soul" is just a load of rubbish and utter ignorance from people who have never even driven one, let alone tossed one around a mountain road. Is there a downside to an EV? Well that comes down to your personal usage, a smaller '7' style is likely to be only used on weekends for runs, with the occasional thrashing so yes, lack of 'range' could be annoying depending on vehicle setup and desired route, and of course personal patience. For just touring/cruising, then no, not a big deal. I drive for 3 to 4 hours on longer trips and stop for a meal while the car charges, but that only happens 3 to 5 times a year - sadly it's what the anti-EV experts are eager to quote though, not the other 98% of my driving and how it takes only 30 seconds of my personal time to charge my EVs. Plug in, sleep, plug out, it's that simple. About KitCars; What's actual hurt the industry is 2 things, used sportscars like Mazda MX5, Toyota MR2, Nissan 350Z, all the 'Hot Hatches'etc, etc being affordable against the ever increasing price of so called "KitCars", that also have stereo, air con, heating .... against raw bones '7' at the same price or even much higher. It's not even a consideration for some younger folk who have only ever known total comfort in a car, my first car was a 55hp Datsun 1000 with a heater, AM radio, rubber mats and crossply tyres! - You can see why i drooled over lightweight, kit sportscars like '7's with a whole 100hp, but not so much for someone whos first car was a GTi Golf with 150hp and air conditioning .. The other reason is simply price, KitCars don't sell in big numbers anymore, so the mostly trackday builders or Cobras, have mostly priced themselves way out of reach of what would have been a typical KitCar client in past decades. So KitCars now fall into 2 categories now to be successful, dirt cheap like they used to be, and I can only think of MEV from the top of my head, or most of the rest who make expensive trackday cars or low volume manufacturers (not really KitCars) bespoke hand crafted vehicles. These range from say around $25,000 to $60,000 or more. Yes you can budget build them yourself with considerable effort and care with spending, but there's not much out there you'll be on the road for say under $10,000 these days. There are plenty of donors and sources for parts to build your own scratchbuilt or KitCar, but people seem to think you need a donor like a Mazda MX5, you don't, but you need time to go searching on the net and asking in forums what components can be used in your country, and one of the most under resourced donors are small pickups (trucks or utes depending on your country), and then there's the pinnacle of engineering, your imagination ...
@@markmark5269 I would agree with pretty much all of that. I like EV's for a completely different reason. After 30 odd years in the specialist car industry as an employee, contractor, TV producer or journalist, I now have multiple sclerosis and face a future in a wheelchair. Do I go mobility scooter or short range city EV with a roof, heater etc? No question the latter. Why an EV I can plug it in at home. Petrol power will mean getting my wheelchair out 1 extra time to fill up. That's nothing to do with the topic at hand. I believe, as petrol turn key cars are banned more opportunities will emerge for the kit car industry. I completely agree. There need to be budget options. EV options. Family options. The kind of variety we enjoyed in the 80's and 90's
@@enwins I have just started on a kit car at MEV type prices, as in started laying steel just 2 days ago ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-tfyRziIZkUc.html and when i say i drive my EVs hard (front left tyre was down a bit hence the understeer) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-idj2jNjeaxw.html
The kit car industry is definitely alive and well. Malvern and Newark were well attended by owners, potential buyers/builders and manufacturers. Loads of innovation, from electric Westfield and Chesil, loads of seven type cars, rebodied Boxsters/Caymans, GT40, Stratos, Atom style cars, etc. Engine options have also moved on at a pace, no longer are you limited to Ford xflow, Pinto and Zetec. Newer engines like K20, F20, Duratec, Sigma, Ecoboost, MX5, and a myriad of bike engine options are offered for the majority of kits. Higher end kits also offer LS3 through to LS7 V8's, Alfa Busso V6 etc. KIT manufacturers also offer turnkey cars in greater numbers now to satisfy the instant gratification generation, but generally the builds have got simpler for the home builder with the online help available from clubs, forums and social media.
In the video I did say the industry had good prospects, but the variety of design has diminished a lot and we do need to see more options. The number of manufacturers at Malvern and Newark is always welcome, but I know many more were not there and again compared to even a decade ago attendance by manufacturers and clubs is way down.
I wrote to William Towns as a kid. I wanted to buy a Tracer. He wrote back and told me it was only a prototype but sent me a picture of one. I was happy for the response and a color pic but obviously a little disappointed I couldn't save up for one.
Back in the day, I had an Austin 1300GT that was in the process of transforming itself into a pile of iron oxide but was mechanically sound. I was really keen to use it as a basis for the 4 wheel standard Hustler but lost my garage space shortly before the Austin gave in to the inevitable. I still regret not doing it.
Dreadful pronunciation of John Cowperthwaite's name and one of his legacies; The Monaco. He is not "copperthwaite" and it is not a 'monerco'!!! 🤦🏼♀️ Rollover protection? In the 1990s? OMG!! On a kit car? Do you think anyone would buy any kit car if they had safety in mind? (Pretensioners, SIPS, ABS, SRS, etc..). The Monaco was a great application for hill climbing, and John knew of an owner who dropped a 3.5 litre V6 engine into theirs for just such trials.
@@PetPastures well again I apologise for any offense caused. I am a fan and pronouncing names I do the best I can. I also love the Roadster and Malvern, the Mamba too. So please forgive me for any offence caused
Growing up in Ireland during the 'Troubles', rallying was my escape. There wasn't a weekend I wasn't at some event either spectating, officiating (BMRMC) or later competing. I grew up with the exploits of the Vatenen's, Mikkola's, Moutron's, Rohrl's and of course McRae, Brooks, Coleman, Fisher, McHale et al. All of whom I met at some point. There was another McRae, or two, who came along later, but Jimmy was the premier hero, and still is in my book. Thank you so much Jimmy for all those wonderful memories, and for the photos I took and still have, from Chevette, Ascona, Manta, Metro, and Cosworth days.
Great video. Always loved the more obscure Panthers, including the Solo, Rio and of course the mythical Panther 6. I also think Robert Jankel was a visionary, if not a great businessman. I know he didn't oversee the Solo, but did the J99, an intriguing later concept when the family bought back the marque.
Fantastic, I've always wondered about this car, he really had a buzz in the media back in the day. Also recognised where you are driving but for the owners privacy I won't say but I have seen a Red Solo once on the road, I could never remember where but now you've answered that question as well.
@@simonwoodward438 I'm glad you enjoyed the video. There is much much more I could have said but the video would have been too long. I got the main story across.
Thanks for the video! I was lucky enough to ride in a Panther Solo a few years ago, fantastic car. Does chassis 001 still exist? Also, was Solo one scrapped, meaning destroyed, or does that still exist?
@@DtRockstar1 Hi. Yes I saw and enjoyed your video. You can reach me by email on enwinseats@gmail.com or enwinauthor@gmail.com but to my knowledge both Solo 1 and chassis 001 were destroyed although both resided in Byfleet so I cannot be certain. There's so much more to this story than could fit in one video
To be fair most people seem to like the styling and not everyone wants a supercar. This car is very light and compact. On tight twisty British roads this is a better recipe for fast progress. I have driven the original prototype and it is plenty quick enough as a rival for an MX5 or a Lotus Elise
I've got no clue. But, I think it's gorgeous! My planned winter project is a classic style 3 wheeler (morgan ish)- I may have to steal a couple lines from this song!
Am trying to think of others you may cover (and maybe already have on your radar). Maelstrom comes to mind....remember it featuring in Kitcars & Specials and pretty sure a red demo appeared at some point with a reboot
I did a lot of drawings for a very very similar car years ago, like a baby Tipo 33 endurance car.(I'm a development engineer) Those flat four Alfas are glorious engines and that would be a hoot to drive.
