Are you madabout kit cars      
 "We've Got Kit Cars Covered" Information about Madabout-Kitcars.com Contact Madabout-Kitcars.com         Home of UK kit cars - madabout-kitcars.com Various kit car write ups All the latest kit car news Kit car related and general discussion

Search
Manufacturers
Kit Cars
Kit Car Data sheets
Picture Gallery
SVA Knowledgebase
Clubs & Communities
Build cost estimator
Kit cars for sale
Knowledge Base 
KitcarUSA.com
Classic-Kitcars.com
 

Go Back   Madabout Kitcars Forum > Mad Chat > General chatter

General chatter This is the place to talk about anything kit car related that doesn't come under any of the other categories

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 15th November 2009, 22:38
JG's Avatar
JG JG is offline
Senior Member
Big Cheese
 
Join Date: Sep 2002
Posts: 1,080
JG has disabled reputation
Default Need Help identifiying some kit cars

Going through my picture library and have come across some pics that I'm having trouble identifying. I want to list them on Madabout so anyone that can help identify the following along with anything they know about them, ie donor, engine etc would be grand.

Don't know anymore about this other than the badge says KLW



What make is this 550 rep. Found that it is using a 1959 Beetle but that is all I know



This McLaren M6 rep has a Rover V8 fitted and is registered as ABS



Any ideas?

Cheers, John
Reply With Quote
Available from eBay
  #2  
Old 16th November 2009, 11:46
GreatOldOne's Avatar
GreatOldOne GreatOldOne is offline
Senior Member
Enthusiast
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Northampton, UK
Posts: 1,891
GreatOldOne is on a distinguished road
Default

I can't help, but I'd love to know more about the Porker replica. It's tasty.
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 16th November 2009, 17:12
Chris Cussen's Avatar
Chris Cussen Chris Cussen is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Somerset
Posts: 518
Chris Cussen is on a distinguished road
Default

Porker = chesil speedsters? possibly
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 19th November 2009, 08:57
JG's Avatar
JG JG is offline
Senior Member
Big Cheese
 
Join Date: Sep 2002
Posts: 1,080
JG has disabled reputation
Default

Don't think its a Chesil. The only Chesil 550 I've seen was a bit ropey bodywork wise, this particular one was very nice. Also left hand drive so it might be an import.

The ABS McLaren could possibly be the same company that did the ABS Monaco - open top Countach. Still digging on that one.

Also got another one.

This was a stunning Ferrari 308GTB replica, several leagues above what I've seen before. The bodywork was flawless. Had a Rover V8 installed. Have discounted Fiero based and don't think it is an SPM either. Registered as a PMD 308 GTB



John
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 8th January 2010, 02:23
ema ema is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 3
ema is on a distinguished road
Default

can't help but would love to know about it as well..
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 23rd December 2013, 07:54
Dgrason Dgrason is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 1
Dgrason is on a distinguished road
Default

I don't know what the first car pictured here is but I am familiar with the other two.

Back in the 80s. here in the States, there were several companies cranking out Porsche 550 replicas - all of them quite good quality wise. But the best one of the bunch was the Beck. And I believe that they are still in business. Here's a link:
http://www.beckspeedster.com/

Of course, the Beck used a tube frame that was REALLY stiff and strong. You may know this or you may not know it but in case you DO, bear with me as I explain what you likely already know. The transmissions on these cars is the standard VW 4-speed. It is turned around so that it faces forward. This puts the engine amidships and gives the car absolutely SUPERB balance. There are some caviats with this idea though.

#1. The tranny's ring gear needes to be "flopped" over so that the transmission will turn the wheels in the opposite direction from the original mounting position. This means that, once the trans is reversed, the rear wheels will propel the car forward. If you think about that for just a little bit, you'll see what I mean.

#2. The new mid-engined reversed transmission position requires the use of a VW SWINGAXLE trans and NOT a fully independent suspension that uses four CV joints. Here in the States, this means that the donor car needs to be a 1968 or earlier because, here in the U.S, the 1969 model saw the introduction of the IRS transmission. I suppose that someone could figure a way to mount an IRS but it would require a lot of fabrication that the swingaxle didn't require. Once dialed in, the swingaxle works really well anyway and it would be pointless to try to use an IRS.

Swingaxle systems suffer from a phenomenon called "jacking." When thrown into a very hard turn, the inside axle tends to tuck under the car and that, combined with the centrifugal force of the turn, wants to flip the car on its lid. Therefore, if the builder wants to avoid this, he will need to use a device called a "camber compensator." It's basically a piece of spring steel that ties the two axles together and makes them much more rigid. And OMG, the camber compensator will turn this little 550 replica into a rocket that takes corners like a go-kart. There are very few cars in the world of any class (Corvettes, Ferraris, etc) that can hang with it in the twisties. I have seen a lot of 550 replicas on this side of the pond and ALL had the camber compensator. Again, a link:

http://www.cbperformance.com/Product...oductCode=2819

The blue McLaren M6GT replica looks almost perfectly like a Marauder. Marauder was a company in the countryside outside of Urbana Illinois, here in the states, that made absolutely the finest replicas of the day. The company owner was a friendly farmer named Randy Barry. I knew him personally and he was crazy for Can-Am roadsters of the 60s as well as supercars such as the DeTomaso Pantera and the Lambo Countach. Randy had his own Pantera. (He let me drive it.)

Randy's special talent was in building fiberglass bucks, mock-ups and molds. He couldn't find a Countach to use as a pattern for his Lambo replica. So he lofted his mock-up from a 1/25th scale model and got it absolutely perfect.

In addition to the McLaren M6GT, he had replicas of the Ferrari 512S, (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferrari_512) the Lola T70, (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lola_T70) a Ford GT40 and several others as I remember. Randy had a race car fabricator from Indianapolis Indiana, fab the monocoque chassis using Corvette suspension pieces and a ZF transmission. Then he installed his own bodies and the resulting cars were so incredible they could not be accurately referred to as "kits." Sadly Randy died of cancer and his very cool car company died with him.

This particular blue car that you have photographed looks like it MIGHT be one of Randy's car except that the stance is wrong, the wheels are way wrong and the front of the car sits too high. But the headlights are pretty correct for a street version that needs directional indicators. There should be some plexi covers for the headlights.

If this car is NOT one of Randy's, then it could be from Manta cars in Southern California. It was owned and operated by a guy named Tim LoVette, as I recall. Tim made a car called the "Montage" but it had different headlights. Originally, the Montage used a VW chassis as its platform. I met Tim at a Kit Car show in the mid 80s. Needless to say, Randy Barry had nothing good to say about Tim LoVette's car. Sadly, Manta cars has long been defunct.

Wow, this really knocked some cobwebs out of my noggin. I hope I helped.
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 24th December 2013, 13:57
Ben Caswell Ben Caswell is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 42
Ben Caswell is on a distinguished road
Default

The Green Riley replica is very similar to the front of the Zigclair(1981)which used MGB power train. Sadly it is reported as never got into production. You can see the MGB suspension on the one above.
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 29th December 2013, 08:52
Ozzie Dave Ozzie Dave is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Brisbane OZ
Posts: 48
Ozzie Dave is on a distinguished road
Default The blue car

The blue car could be a UVA Montge, would be late 70's early 80's and was sold by UVA along with their sand rails. Was also beetle based to start with. It appears to have a Q. Plate so it's a uk car. I would think they were the Uk distributor of the Us kits.
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 29th December 2013, 14:56
Ben Caswell Ben Caswell is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 42
Ben Caswell is on a distinguished road
Default

This will answer the Blue one although it is registered as "ABS" built in 96 with 3500cc's

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhU2Nqfbdx4
Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT +0. The time now is 19:08.

copyright © madabout-kitcars.com 2000-2024
terms and conditions | privacy policy