[wilf leek]

Originally posted by Hal Copple


i don't have any "insider" info on the Series One cars, but have read about them for some years.

What it mostly shows to me is how terribly difficult it is to make a realiable high performance automobile, using new components, and making it meet the variouis federal requirements. If it is difficult to do this with something so "simple" as a cobra Replica, which usually doesn't have to meet anybody's expectations other than the purchaser's, it is obviously very difficult to do it with a "modern" high performance, small production product. When i read about a new concept car from a major manufacturer, and at the end, it states "perhaps ready to be sold in 3-4 years" it is because it takes that long to test it sufficiently and get it certified, etc. And still new cars often have many recalls, even with milliions of miles of testing, and many millions of dollars in developement. The road is littered with cars created with grand plans, only to fail for one or the other reason, Bugatti, Delorean, and others.

When a big long established manufacturer with big deep pockets decides it can't make it happen (Allente, Maserati TC, etc), how can a relatively small manufacturer do it?

One thing i have learned in working with "clients" for so many years, that the surest way to fail is to give or permit unreastic expectations.

To sum it up, i have a little saying i often use, "if it were an easy thing to do, many more people would be doing it successfully."

Hal - it may be difficult, but it IS done. TVR and Noble- two english manufacturers who manage it. Sorry for the nationalistic bias!