Choosing
So what should I build? From
the title you will already know that
I selected a Marlin
Sportster. This is how I came to make my choice.
I was lucky; Nigel our
neigbour to the left has a much cherised
Westfield with a cross flow engine. To our right Peter and his
father Andy are constructing a Striker from produced by Raw
Engineering with a
Toyota 1600
engine. Further up the road a new Caterham has been assembled
over
a couple of months. Looking at these cars, going to Kit Car shows
and reading magazines educated my choice. The advice (and
opinions)
of Nigel, Peter and Andy was gratefull received.
Probalbly the most influential show
I attended was the Stoneleigh
2003 Kit Car show.
Even so the range of options is
vast. I set out a list of
criteria:
- Useage. - I doubt that I will go racing but intend to
indulge in
track days. Fast touring, days out and commuting to work in
summer.
- Size. - Many of the Lotus Seven based cars are narrow and
the
drivers right shoulder is outside the line of the car. I found
that
on some Sevens that I ended looking through the top of the windscreen.
- Practicality . Doors and luggage, have you tried
getting in
and out of any kit cars with the hood up? Not easy.
Carrying anything other than a small soft overnight bag
meaning strapping luggage to the roll cage in most Severns.
We wanted a car with slightly more practicality - doors and a
luggage rack?
- Support. I can't build this without the active help
and
assistance of my wife, Jennifer. Jenny has to like to design, be
able to drive comfortably. Jenny's legs are much shorter than
mine so this means
that the drivers seat must adjust backwards and forwards.
- Performance. I have had a couple of high performance
road
cars (4 litre Jags) so, to be special, the car must be significantly
quicker. I thought about bike engined cars for a whsile but
concluded that lack of
torque at low revs would make them uneasy companions in heavy traffic.
As
a bench mark I setout to achieve >250 bhp/ton.
- Engineering. Too many kit cars cough into life then
pop and
bag their way round tracks. Fuel injection and a catalytic
converter
and a relatively modern engine design would be important.
- Safety. A full roll bar covering both passenger and
driver. A full racing roll cage would not be needed. Driver and
passenger both need 4 or 6 point harnesses.
Ideally ABS. A strong chasis/frame with some side protection.
- Style. My wife has hankered after a Morgan for many
years so
something of that era is needed.
Finally, I quickly learnt that most
the companies supplying kit cars
are small, typically driven by one individual. Great if they are
efficient, a nightmare otherwise.
Buying
the Donor Car
Back to Build
Diary