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If I was selling a car for over £10k I would make sure the pictures were good and taken on a brighter day. 1.9 engine won't be popular with many, a 2.0 6 cylinder car would have been a more appealing choice.
Also listed on ebay is the chap in Wakefield offering the Z3 based DNA California built for you to your spec for £48750. Quoting a 3 month build time the quality of his work looks first class , even goes some way to reproduce the Ferrari interior. Very nice but a bit too steep for me !
I think the idea is for you to commission him to build you a car. From that point of view the price may depend on the final spec etc. Even so the margins seem high compared to building one yourself but that is the point , not many people can and if you have the money ..........
From what I understand DNA can't keep up with orders, I'm not surprised.
DNA's other kits are obviously very good quality but there is always that stigma that it's a copy. It's like admitting you can't afford the real thing so have a copy.
With the 2fifty, who has the odd £15 million for a real one? even if I did I just couldn't warrant spending that sort of cash on it. If I did have one everyone would be asking who's kit it was and picking out bits that were wrong!
Having a copy of an almost unobtainable classic doesn't have the same feeling of "fake", I thing this is why the classic Ferrari's, Cobra's and GT40's are so popular and also much more acceptable.
I can see DNA getting even busier and which them luck on such a great product.
I remember when the first Cobra replica's came on the market . They were very expensive to start with then every man and his dog were offering kits. Prices levelled off , there were so many on the market.
I think DNA and Tribute are onto winners with their respective products. Nobody is treading on each others toes ( at the moment ) and demand is strong. Unlike the 80's when the Cobra's came out , there are fewer people with the skills to build but more with money to spend so its a win win situation.
I remember when the first Cobra replica's came on the market . They were very expensive to start with then every man and his dog were offering kits. Prices levelled off , there were so many on the market.
I think DNA and Tribute are onto winners with their respective products. Nobody is treading on each others toes ( at the moment ) and demand is strong. Unlike the 80's when the Cobra's came out , there are fewer people with the skills to build but more with money to spend so its a win win situation.
This^^^
Like with Cobras, the number of people prepared to pay over £40k is limited. In a year or two, there will be plenty of DNAs available for £20k or so if things follow the usual route. Tributes will be for enthusiasts, not "collectors" and there will be a lot more of them. The guy churning out DNAs knows the window may not be open for long. Good luck to him.
I think the classic Ferrari style replica's will appeal to others outside the usual "kitcar" market. I think they will be seen as collectable in their own right by enthusiasts who are in the know. There are plenty of people with lots of money who would love to have a car built for them , whether DNA or Tribute. The trick will be to market the products so those people can find out about the cars and avoid the old "kitcar" stigma.
There are plenty of people with lots of money who would love to have a car built for them , whether DNA or Tribute. The trick will be to market the products so those people can find out about the cars and avoid the old "kitcar" stigma.
I agree Lucy ...raising the game is something all kit suppliers want to do ...larger profits and returns for your efforts are always welcomed ...the problem , often , in my experience , is having the funding to make the step ..Kit suppliers rely on regular income to survive and often , this income comes from the lower end ...
Many years ago I was involved in Autograss Racing. I was the PR officer for the club for several years. I was always surprised how much free advertising I could get by the way of sending features to magazines and news papers. Most of them were always looking for new content to help fill their pages. All it took was a bit of lateral thinking and a little effort but it was always for free !
My experience of the magazines in fairly recent times , is that not many of your enquiries come from that medium anymore ...Ebay and forums seem to be the modern way ..even Facebook ..
Enquiries and interest isnt enough though ..its deposits that can finance a project if no other funds available ..
Many years ago I was involved in Autograss Racing. I was the PR officer for the club for several years. I was always surprised how much free advertising I could get by the way of sending features to magazines and news papers. Most of them were always looking for new content to help fill their pages. All it took was a bit of lateral thinking and a little effort but it was always for free !
That is what PR depts and agencies used to do. Write articles and papwrs for the media, pressure groups and MPs. Regulation has diminished that, along with the internet as already stated above. Netpress websites and blogs is the way forward for DIY promotion.
I agree , if I were doing the same thing now there are plenty of up to date methods to promote your products and services. At the end of the day you've got to blow your own trumpet and get noticed !
I agree , if I were doing the same thing now there are plenty of up to date methods to promote your products and services. At the end of the day you've got to blow your own trumpet and get noticed !
There are even guides to internet user types in kitcar mags these days.
Who buys the Kitcar magazines anymore?
I find that the info in them is questionable at best.
The articles tend to favour those that advertise in them.
I used to subscribe to them all but now the internet and the many different opinions on the forums are far more entertaining.
I haven't bought a kit car magazine for maybe 10 years now. You need to at the very least have advertising with them to show that your company exists. I'm thinking more main stream publications are still viably for spreading the word.
I went to Stoneliegh kit car show for the first time in around 10 years back in May. I only went to see Tribute and Nubodi , the rest of the show was a disappointment and so much smaller than it was. Other events I've been to have expanded and are successful but they're not kit car shows but classic car events. I would suggest that these events would bring new customers and would be worth attending.
I subscribe to Complete Kit Car because (unlike a lot of mags, particularly classics) it's all new stuff - not reprints. I also think it's worth £45 for a whole year to a) get the mag and b) keep the mags going, as I think they are a vital part of our hobby and contribute a lot to the movement, and they also support the show! Ok there's only 1 left, but we need to do all we can to keep it going!
