Thanks for all the input guys this is exactly what im after - both people who like the idea and people who dont… it all adds to discussion and gives me the motivation to make it happen.
The retroforza/italia is one of the the main reasons why i wanted to come up with something myself. I too toyed with making my own retroforza, but the thing that stopped me were little things that i did not like about the design. Then i realised that these little things (undercut chin and rear end, bulkyness above the rear wheels, small wheel arches and overhanging rear arches) would dominate the project in my mind.
Its certainly is not radically different from the retroforza, but i feel it changes the things that i do not like about that design. The retroforza is far more loyal to the traditional 50’s/60’s designes, where im trying to use these older styling cues and add in a more modern themes (bigger wheels, bigger grill, lower front and rear, rear diffuser and twin exhausts… etc.)
I know it may sound a bit strange, but im not trying to make a viable business out of it. I want to make the kitcar that i want, not the kitcar that i think will make me lots of money.
I know what you mean about the scoop… its not for everyone, but i think it adds a slightly mean edge to the design. I was thinking of ditching it in favour of bonnet vents, but when i owned a subaru on the the things i really liked was looking over the bonnet and seeing the scoop, it reminded me i was driving something different.
Why not buy the £2K kit that Jon has pointed out above, then modify it? Adding a scoop, sorting the lights, and a few other mods, and i would be the car you have designed.
It seems like a very cheap, low hassle way to achieve the same thing you are trying to achieve, without all the heartache, and frankly having a huge chance of not completing the project (or it taking several years to even get the bits you need together)
£2K on a bodykit, a few months of work getting them fitted, learn to prepare and spray the car, get all the fittings working, go through the mechanicals, and have a well sorted car on the road in around 2 years. Or spend 2 years just getting the panels produced, only to discover that they don’t quite fit the way you want them to…
I know what I’d rather do, and bear in mind if you are selling kits that yours would need to cost less than £2K to compete with an experienced builder above. I doubt there is enough profit in there to make it viable for a first timer.
yep these are the ones… plus you can get chrome ring trims for them too… which may set them off quite well (especially as i am thinking about finishing the windscreen surround in chrome - like the audi A4 convertible)
cheers mate - it sounds like you get what im trying to do.
Its a nice idea Jack… im planning on buying lots of existing panels from cars trying them outand putting them together. I basically need to create a ‘plug’ for the mould maker to work from.
so far the main panels i intend to use include the front spoiler from the mk3 MX5, rear diffuser from a clio sporting, bonnet scoop from a hyundi terrecan or an old celica GT4… however if i can use these to modify the retroforza then it might save me some time - if it works … i look at lots of dirrerent cars when im driving and think… ‘i like the rear lights on that lorry’ etc.
I think what ever happens i will be covered in filler before im happy with the plug to take to the mould makers.
Hi Choc. Things have been very quiet on this thread. Have you spent the last few months playing with fibreglass and grinders? Hope the plans are still on track.
Well done Roadie for remembering and resurrecting this thread, I’d forgotten how much interest it had stirred first time round. Not to mention started my mind wandering back to the idea of another project…
Progress is a little slower than I would like as my wife has given birth to our second baby 8 weeks ago. So now I have two babies under 2years old in the house! However I have got most of the bits I need to (a collection of bumpers and trim from other cars)
I now need to sell my mk2 mx5 turbo, buy a cheap mk1 to use as a template and ‘stick it all together’.
Its mainly the availability of time that’s slowing me down at the ment, but when the weather cheers up and I sell the turbo things should start to get moving. I have given myself a new target for a prototype ready to take to the 2013 stoneleigh national kitcar show.
Sounds like the sort of part exchange that might interest somebody on the forum. Congratulations on the new addition to the family. Your work on graceful curves and bulges obviously took a slightly different direction. Don’t forget to keep us updated with some pictures as it all comes together.
With the way Mk2s are going, more and more will become basket cases; uneconomical to repair due to rusting. Mk1 values can now only rise,though there may well be a lag. In some ways, this is good for the specials builder; rather than being constrained by the unistructure of a model, you can look to the base car as being a donor of parts that hang off a bespoke chassis and body (in most cases, the suspension parts, engine, transmission and steering parts will be in very good condition, but the body is beyond help). A poster over on miataforum is attempting an interesting project; taking a new kit design (that resembles the classic late 50s Italian roadster), that was originally intended to be fitted to a Herald chassis and bulkhead, but instead, fit it to a spacefame, that accomodates the MX5 engine, wishbones, transmission, diff and PPF. The track of the Herald is very similar to the MX5, so only the length of the body had to be stretched to accomodate the MX5 wheelbase. Interesting project:
I really like the design but there’s something not quite right with the rear preportions (in my opinion) I just can’t put my finger on what, maybe the rear bump to arch line needs to be a little more flowing? But minor suggestions asside im impressed, I love car design so good on you for going for it mate! Good luck!
I think the nose needs to be a little bit longer so in fact stretching it for the 5 would make it even better, but it does look really good. That’d be a fitting end to a rusty 5.
this is exactly what im after - both people who like the idea and people who dont… it all adds to discussion and gives me the motivation to make it happen.
