MadaboutKitcars

looking great nice shape .....

SOME MORE STEPS FORWARD THIS WEEK .

Glan has been concentrating on half of the front . A Z300 bonnet section has been used in the centre and a portion of the wings with some re-shaping , the addition of some MX250 headlight buckets and a huge lump of foam and about 6 tins of filler ...

The pictures don't really do the front true justice ...You can't see the wing to bonnet relationship , the nice valley that is running up the inside edge doesnt show in matt filler.....It is very similar to a late 50's DBR1 Aston in the flesh .....but it is looking very pretty .






The buckets have been pulled forward to match the line of the uprighted grill area , they have been trimmed back and fitted creating a lip to affix the perspex covers to eventually ...



Bonnet to body gaps have been gapped at approx. 1.5mm and filled with plasticine to preserve them ...

This pics a weird angle , but it shows the rise of the front wing ...the rise starts at the back edge of the rear door and gently climbs to its peak at wheel arch centre ...



Again , another picture that doesn't highlight it very well ..but the car has a gentle 'coke bottle' line to it as well ..flowing from the front to a 'pinch' at the rear door and gently flowing back out to the rear ...



We are hoping to get the other side mirrored next week , with some fettling and panel seperation etc. the week after ...then primer time !!


I have had some genuine interest in the car from a couple of people recently ..and , off the back of one of those conversations , this was delivered today ...

Nice!

Looking very good, is the bonnet hump going to be as is or will the entrance/mouth change?

The side lower wing profile have any open area for venting or any o ther detail?

The bulge is having its radius'd edges changed slightly and the front is being added to creating a bull nose , more like a D type , ,or a GT6 if you like ...I am going to do an optioN of a scoop as well , but that will be after we have created moulds , or if someone requests one , it can be modified before the kit goes out ...The scoop would be along the lines of a 625 TRC or a 410S Ferrari style .



The side vent has the option of staying blanked , having its front edge opened up or a series of holes like a 250 SWB , for example , or can be further opened up to reveal more of the area behind along the lines of the mid 50's Ferrari's ..

Coming along nicely!

Great job Gary. The front end is really coming together well and the faired-in headlamps will give it a more purposeful attitude. I look forward to seeing it in the flesh in a few weeks.

Gary - Good to see the front end coming together nicely.

I'm sure the arrival of a donor car confirms it was worth taking the time to get this project right.

Looking forward to the first build thread.

Good luck, Paul.

THANK YOU CHAPS ....I am so pleased with the car , it looks great in the flesh , 4'' approx wider than it's cousins and the front end with its length and 'pout'really gives it some attitude .
I cannot stress enough though , I had the initial design in my head relating to rounded rump , covered front etc. and I have made design decisions along the way ....but other than a bit of labouring and general duties ...the creation of this gorgeous body is totally down to Glan ( GR ) deciphering and translating my ramblings and schoolboy sketches .....

Really outstanding, getting there is tough sometimes. You have nailed it!

Perhaps you can persuade Glan to join us here so that we can show our appreciation for his efforts?

Popped into the workshop this afternoon and Glan had had the same idea ....

He lurks in the shadows ....

I started a closed Facebook group for my build project (originally planned to be a Miglia but looking more like a Formosa now!). If anyone wants to join, friend me on Facebook (Hugo Pickering) and ask.

I'm NOT having a pop, but much as I like your project and admire your work enormously, does that Mk1 2ltr DHC Vitesse really have to be sacrificed?! It just seems a shame. Sorry, probably just me... I look forward to seeing how your new model turns out.

I thought you might pop up mate !!

I know what you are saying TS . I kind of agree in some respects ...when it arrived , I was knocked back a bit . It is a decent car , but the customer said he wanted to start with the best example he could afford . He's only asked for me to fit the kit and hang a few bits etc and he will finish it . From a financial stand point , he wasn't looking to spend thousands restoring something before we started .

From a restorers point of view , they are always going to say that whatever state the car , restore it . And if someone restores their chassis and running gear to a high level , the argument will be put an original body on it ...I guess ..An argument thats only going to be fueled more by rising values and diminishing numbers of Heralds and Vitesses .

For now , though , restoration costs are still ecxceeding car values on Heralds and some Vitesses , so donor duties are justified . Financially speaking , as well , The retro kit cars and Classic re-bodies are increasing in value too , alongside the classic car market , so peoples investments are safe ...

A S*mmio changed hands recently in Europe for 25,000 euro's .

But I do understand your comment TS.

The upside for restorers though , is they will have a nice stash of parts coming off the car , no one ever seems to complain about where there much needed spares are coming from !!

I have received 2 quotes for producing the bodyshells now , with a 3rd pending , but with both quotes being virtually the same , I feel confident of the production cost of the bodies now.
I have had the frames priced , based on 2 at a time.
I have an approx. price for screens and headlight covers , based on previous purchases ....

This has put me , confidently , in a position to price the package.

And that is squarely where I expected the price to be. Well done Gary. This is exciting. I can't wait to see the buck in the flesh now! Good job.

Seems a fair price for what's included,

No IVA required is a bonus also, If you can get a decent sticky on board to do the laminating that will help.

Hope the order book fills up for you Gary.

I'm trying to price it as fairly as I can avoiding the pitfalls of compromising quality or selling too cheap to support the venture ..

Its an awful lot of fibreglass and a large amount of tube framework , plus accessories ...being made by professional suppliers and not 'in house' and the nearest comparible I can relate to is probably the MEV Aston styled rendition , which is currently £5995 + vat and , as you rightly point out , as nice as they are , they have no classic status and are IVA candidates ...2 things I really don't want my offering to be ...

Hope you do well, very fairly priced.

Hi Hugo,

Thanks for the invite, but unfortunately I'm not on Facebook.

Good luck with your build.

Cheers, Paul.

Gary - I think this is the right approach to be taking, pay more for a better kit.

A bit like the Herald donor above, buying a better car to begin should save you building time.

Good luck, Paul.

I don't mean to be rude about the MEV 'Aston' offering, but its styling just doesn't work for me.

I think your finished car is going to look much better Gary, and is certainly competitively priced for what you're offering. As you know, I'm a big fan of the 356 Speedster and just the bodyshell from the available suppliers comes in at around £5k +VAT.

Keep up the good work!

THANK YOU CHAPS ...
I know what you mean about the MEV offering Towed ...there's something lacking for me too ...I dont think the tiny wheels and arches help ..but as a comparible ..I don't have much to compare against with this amount of fibreglass and extensive framework ....The MEV quality cant be questioned ..

I had contemplated purchasing an MEV Aston kit over here (USA), but it just didn't do it for me either.