I knew that random alternate engines would be discussed, and thank you GRM for not just going K24! No, LS3! Hurr durr durr. Mated supercharged bike engines, that's what I'm looking for.
I expect this thing may very well have a rear weight bias empty, and certainly with occupant. That engine is pushed back a looooong way.
I'm interested in the pre-order!
Let me know if you don't get my PM.
BoxheadTim (Forum Supporter) said:There should be enough space for a 20B...
Why stop at 3 rotors? :)
You can see the linkage he developed on his website. For kit cars in the us a manufacture certificate of origin is important, I'm curious how that'll work - I know Keith knows all about that, just typing out loud.
noddaz said:I can see myself driving one of these to work. Leather helmet, googles, scarf. Yup.
My first helmet was leather, I would wear one driving one of these.
Also curious on the cost/make of those coilovers units. Very short little things it looks like from the pictures. PPF replacement?
That driveshaft is comical. :)
Would the roll hoop pass inspection at track day?
Making cycle fenders for this wouldn't be to hard.
I hope quite a few of these get sold. I've been thinking about buying a Formula Continental next summer but I might want one of these instead.
I don't fit well in regular Miatas, and I am sure I won't fit in this, but that doesn't make me want it any less. Time to go on a diet.
Although I'm confident the chassis is strong enough, I would suggest the following improvements (You said Ant is looking for feedback this might not be what he thought but..)
I'm guessing the main chassis rails are pretty thick wall tubing (relatively speaking as it appears to be the same diameter as the roll hoop), however the shock mounts are leveraged out putting torsion on them. Simple addition of a cross bar in this area should stiffen it. I know the subframe bolts to this area also so it may be sufficient to add stiffness. I can't remember exactly how the miata subframe attaches at the upper A-arm. Same thing with some kind of Xbrace on this plane to stiffen the subframe mounts.
Engine is just sort of hanging out in the middle of the lower rail. I would adjust the Xbracing on that section to support it, and consider a brace under the mounts to tie the chassis rails together laterally. Honestly a large removable X brace or just some cross the floor diagonals from the front subframe to the opposite engine mount then from that node to the trans cross member (If it fits, I'm not sure what the restriction of the "floor" around the transmission looks like. Remembering what it was like on the MG based build series there should be room for something like this.
Finally I'd move the vertical to below the front dash hoop, and have the other one load into the lower rear node.
Just some thoughts. It appears that assuming it is made out of some reasonable thickness steel with good welds that it will be ok the way it is (With the only exception being the engine mounts. That should really be fixed).
Again I love the kit, think it will likely be a huge success. I'm not really the market for it as I'm a more roll your own but I think it's got huge promise.
No one should loose sight of the fact that street registration varies dramatically from state to state here in the USA. Any state that permits fenderless street rods should have a means to register this with just lighting and a wiper. New York comes to mind as requiring fenders only over a pretty high gross weight (10,000 lbs?)
I'm here to talk about how to put a Ford engine in this kit!
Swap a Escort GT cam cover onto it. 
(No really, I would do something that silly. Or just use the entire B6T from a 90s Mercury Capri, mated to a Miata transmission.)
I think they're GAZ coil overs. Looks like them and I know Ant has a relationship with them. Of course they're not Miata spec. We should have pics of all the other parts soon.
No PPF, a more traditional setup where the diff is mounted to the car. There's a trans mount in front of the driveshaft hoop - and there's no room for a PPF in there.
The roll hoop meets MSA approval. For a sub-2000 lb car I think it only needs to be 1.5". But it has been built to meet the sanctioning body's requirements in the UK anyhow.
I'm not sure the chassis design is still fluid at this point. I do know they're being built by the same guys who do UK Atoms so the welding - maybe brazing? - should be acceptable.
What wheels are intended for use with the kits?
He's got a bolt-on adapter to allow the use of wires with knockoffs. Go to the site and watch the top photo and you'll see it. I'll link it when I'm back at a compooter.
Or you use whatever 4x100 you want, I think there are some blocky 6 spoke alloys that might look right.
Very cool
That looks amazing.
Spectacular! 
I have a spare Miata laying around, so following with interest....
Great googly moogly!!!
This thing is incredible. Maybe I'm just mesmerized by how beautiful it is, but a kit price of around $10k seems unbelievably affordable. With a wrecked Miata, I assume you'd be looking at on the road for under $20k easy. I'm totally cool with using as much from the Miata as possible (like the subframe) to keep the costs down.
I'd love to see the SCCA or CVAR embrace this (or both?). Maybe SCCA allows radials and CVAR limits it to bias plys?
Not a Christmas present for me (yet) but definitely a New Year's resolution to save my pennies and drop the weight to fit in one!
-Rob
I doubt it would be $10k in the US. That's an introductory price in the UK. At the very least, there's a significant amount of shipping to be paid and the intro price may not be sustainable. I certainly hope I'm wrong here, but I remember the difference in cost between the UK and the US for the Miata-based Westfield being significant.
Keith Tanner said:I knew that random alternate engines would be discussed, and thank you GRM for not just going K24! No, LS3! Hurr durr durr. Mated supercharged bike engines, that's what I'm looking for.
I expect this thing may very well have a rear weight bias empty, and certainly with occupant. That engine is pushed back a looooong way.
I'm guilty. I want to just stick a K20 or K24 in it. But after that..I might also mount 10" wide Hoosiers on it and see how much trouble I can get into at Road America with it...
Keith Tanner said:I doubt it would be $10k in the US. That's an introductory price in the UK. At the very least, there's a significant amount of shipping to be paid and the intro price may not be sustainable. I certainly hope I'm wrong here, but I remember the difference in cost between the UK and the US for the Miata-based Westfield being significant.
Import duties as well.
You get to straddle the trans. The brackets for the brake booster and the clutch master are on opposite sides of the steering column.
Not the car for learning left-foot braking, then? :)
In reply to Keith Tanner :
Perhaps he should license it to the folks who make the Exocet. They already improved upon Stiggy's design. If I were Ant, I might rather get a royalty on someone else building the kit than make them myself, dealing with Customs, marketing, taxes, et cetera.
I'm not personally keen on single seaters, but I can envision this as part of a back-to-basics movement in response to the over-santized experience of many modern performance vehicles (especially electric).
I understand $10k is an intro price and shipping hasn't been included. I'll be curious what they end up being in the U.S. Hoping it stays under $20k and $15k would still be a heck of deal. If the past couple of years hadn't been so rough, I would be in a serious discussion with SWMBO about it right now. I hope they get more interest than expected and it goes like gangbusters to keep the costs down. That, or a very weak British pound.... ;)
SCCA would be cool, but for me, if SVRA (sorry, CVAR is local to Texas) could get on board, that's the route I would go. I'd want to race one, but keep it as old school as possible with skinny bias tires on it. The four wheel drifting idea gives me the giggles. Plus, historics would be more likely to be "pure" visually. SCCA (which would still be cool, don't get me wrong) wouldn't look as good with sponsor sticker and you know it would run much wider slicks. Kinda ruining it aesthetically, but still and absolute hoot to drive.
Ninja edit, a one mark feature race at the US F1 race would be epic!!!!
I'm curious, you mentioned skinning the frame on the front page, but the kit shows bodywork. By skinning do you mean things like the floor, firewall, etc. or does the basic kit not come with the nose, tail and side panels?
Some type of racing organization would open up owning one for those not in kit car friendly states.....
-Rob
rob_lewis said:I understand $10k is an intro price and shipping hasn't been included. I'll be curious what they end up being in the U.S. Hoping it stays under $20k and $15k would still be a heck of deal.
To my (completely unqualified) eye, the kit looks similar in complexity to the Catfish kit that was available at one point. 5 or 6 big fiberglass bits, a welded tube frame, some sheet metal for the floor, exhaust, mounts for various things, etc. IIRC the Catfish kits were around $15K (made in the US).
I would imagine you could autox one of these in D Mod or E Mod, although I have no idea how competitive it would be. You'd need big slicks at the least.
From a safety perspective I don't think I'd want to take one out on a big race track, but that's a personal risk decision.
Ninja edit to reply to ninja edit: I suspect the aero drag on them is pretty high, and with Miata-level horsepower on tap the straight at COTA might take quite a long time! :)
This is amazing, love it.
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