Any ever owned or run a kit car? Seriously interested.

[jesse888]

As you'll know I crashed my 9. Been recouping the costs through parts.
Was looking at either another 9, dc2 or save abit and go dc5, evo 8 or perhaps e46 m3.
Then I see these kit cars about and it's got me wondering!
I can live with the cold and the noise and the wet. My 9 was soon to be a race car and I drove it daily so not worried about comfort or a radio!
Looking at bike engined ones and your looking at
150hp @ 12k rpm!
Under 500kg so 300hp/ton with short gearing to boot.
with the weight so low and inside the wheels they'll handle great aswell.
Must be a down side to these?
Anyone run one before? Do they get boring or tedious quickly? Can they be driven to Europe and be legal?

 

[KieranEG6]

Was looking into them of sorts last year. If you have a home garage, don't mind the weather and not bothered about having luggage space then they seem great.

500kg seems like a real feather weight. Was looking into the mega simple Exocet kit cars that use all the running gear off an MX5 but only weight around 650kg. Not quite the all out purist kit car but still a sep in the right direction. The kits range from around £2.5k-4k and mechanicaly sound but rusty Mx5's are peanuts these days, like few hundred £££. Considering the amount of readily available parts on the market to upgrade MX5 motors with it being N/A, S/C or the common favourite Turbo setup you could have an absolute weapon for minimal costs. Plus tried and tested mechanical reliablity of an MX5's running gear is always a big bonus.

 

[jesse888]

Yes this is also an idea using a car engine. Obviously increase in weight but torque will be higher and reliability. Can't see a bike engine in a car lasting too long, designed to pull 200kg not 500kg. Sequential box is the bees though!

 

[Murray]

Yes this is also an idea using a car engine. Obviously increase in weight but torque will be higher and reliability. Can't see a bike engine in a car lasting too long, designed to pull 200kg not 500kg. Sequential box is the bees though!

In all honesty if you are using it as a daily i would have a car engine. For track work and weekend blasts, bike engine all the way. Ive driven a 848cc fireblade engined westfield and it was a blast. Not much will keep with you on track until you get to some straights.
The same car got converted to a Hyabusa motor. Bye bye everything on track this side of Radicals.
The Busa engine was ultra reliable. Just like everything else it needs maintained. One problem with the BEC though is lack of reverse. You just push it though as they are so light.

Murray

 

[jesse888]

Yeah busa is another idea. Not wanting to push to much cash into the car though was wanting to just enjoy it basically out the box with minimal upgrades. Pushing car for reverse doesn't bother me I don't think. I don't drive ATM so don't even need a car. Want something that has the pace of a car I'd never be able to afford lol

 

[kellsled]

Considered a skyline? Have a gtst and the rb25det engine can take 400 safely with injectors, exhaust and intake, plus stripped they don't weigh as much as people might think

 

[jesse888]

Looking for a handler really, im sure the skylines aren't bad on track but they won't match one of these either.

 

[Murray]

Yeah busa is another idea. Not wanting to push to much cash into the car though was wanting to just enjoy it basically out the box with minimal upgrades. Pushing car for reverse doesn't bother me I don't think. I don't drive ATM so don't even need a car. Want something that has the pace of a car I'd never be able to afford lol

Just buy one withe a busa already installed.
In all honesty they are not comfy and are pretty useless as a "daily" driver. Wearing a crash hat all the time to keep the noise to a minimum and to stop your face getting sandblasted from on coming HGVs! Also you can't hear your passenger haha!
Then there is the rain.........

Another thing is you feel very vulnerable when in traffic. Everything else is way above you, and you sometimes wonder if other road users have seen you.

That's if you buy an open top one obviously.

Other than that point them at a good road/track and everything is forgotten

Murray

 

[jesse888]

Sounds like fun, as I said I don't even drive ATM so although it would be my only car, it's wouldn't really be a proper daily either.
They sound like a bucket list type car to me. I'll never own a superbike but these come pretty close I think?