Give the Aussie Importers a Go

[mudbrick]

All, thanks for replies/input
Its a matter of sifting through whats at there/how big a budget/what am i prepared to do. Then consider all the rules and regs that the authorities have imposed on ICV (get a good engineer) and come to some sort of informed conclusion

Again thanks
P.S Zeus, nothing on Aust FFR website indicating "under development", so why would someone think otherwise!!!!! other than prices as shown............

[Rob. Smith]

Just to add to all the confusion....A bloke at work told me that his brother in-law worked at the local ford dealer and could give me a decent price for parts. OK So I went in introduced myself and asked for the metal gasket that goes under the inlet manifold on a 351 Cleveland. Going price $90.00 plus the two gaskets at either end $12.00...ouch!
The man sold the lot to me for $43.00...YAY. Concerned, I asked him if he would get into trouble for giving me the big discount. He just shrugged and said..."No problem these parts have a 900% mark up and you are still paying too much" Go figure ?

[Component Cars]

Thought we had better chime in here and try to clarify some points.
First, I do appologise to Mudbrick, our site has been under development and we have had a problem with updates not being retained.
Tenrocca, we do have Factory Five Racing's 100% support as their exclusive agent and they will no longer ship direct to Australia.They have invested heavily in our relationship and will only issue the Certificate of Origin through Component Cars Australia. Unfortunately everyone one wants to compare the US price to the Aus price but to make the comparison of the $20k US model and the $39k Aus model is really a bit like apples v oranges. The AUS cars have a unique RHD chassis with engineering modification to assist with local requirements and certified as an Authentic Australian Factory Five Model. We also include some rather "big ticket" items such as a complete rear end and brakes along with several other spec changes.
Personally we believe that our cars are extremely under priced for what they offer but to explain you need to understand the Factory Five Racing(F5R) ethos. The owner of F5R, Mr Dave Smith only imposed 1 condition on our agreement and that was.
"The sale price of the cars was to remain available to the Grassroots Car Guy. The kit price is set and represents what it would cost the average guy to import the kit himself to the equal specification with a minimal charge allowed for the RHD conversion.
We have discussed pricing with many F5R owners in Oz that had imported their kits and all agree that they paid more. I havent done the exercise but I believe our options are priced more than competitively with other local suppliers.
As for our Competitors Products I really dont see that Component Cars is in direct competition with them.
To try and explain (and sorry in adavance to those whom I offend here) I see the local suppliers as "true" Kitcar suppliers where as they sell you a body & chassis at a very low entry level price and provide the blueprints and list of 2nd hand parts required to build the car. Cheap entry level, super expensive end build cost
We supply a Component Car which is a complete car minus Engine,Transmission, wheels, tyres and paint. Our cars are made from all brand new parts utilizing the lastet technology all purposely engineered to go together. You get everything, every nut bolt and rivet and a step by step comprehensive build manual. Higher start cost, much lower total build cost.
We currently have our NSW RMS Accredited Engineer working directly with F5R in the USA ensuring certification to all the latest requirements. On thursday we shipped our first Mk4 to NSW (congrats Tim, Im sure you'll be reading this) and we will all be working very closely with this build.
We're confident that in time the Australian market will embrace the Complete Component Car concept and would welcome any quiries you may have.

[OZCOBRA]

..................

[750hp]

Originally Posted by Component Cars

Thought we had better chime in here and try to clarify some points....
We have discussed pricing with many F5R owners in Oz that had imported their kits and all agree that they paid more. I havent done the exercise but I believe our options are priced more than competitively with other local suppliers.
As for our Competitors Products I really dont see that Component Cars is in direct competition with them.
To try and explain (and sorry in adavance to those whom I offend here) I see the local suppliers as "true" Kitcar suppliers where as they sell you a body & chassis at a very low entry level price and provide the blueprints and list of 2nd hand parts required to build the car. Cheap entry level, super expensive end build cost.

I'm sure some local manufacturers might wish to disagree with your broad summary, but either way I wish you well and I hope you spend some time on ClubCobra assisting all current and potential Cobra owners rather than only coming to the forum with a pure sales agenda.
Cheers,

[OZCOBRA]

...........................

[400TT]

OZCOBRA, I aksed 750HP to remove what he posted about our products. Our new kits are not production ready yet, so I did not want it mentioned in comparison. We do not off turnkey minus, just kits in different levels much like FFR. Our product and pricing will be VERY competitive and our current listed prices will only get get more competitive. This is not the time or place to talk about our products.

As a general comment about the topic of this thread, times have changed and it is a global marketplace now and I think the big winner out of this is the Australian Cobra enthusiast.

Cobra enthusiasts shop worldwide to find the right products at the right price.

The landscape has changed and there is a whole new level of competition and variety of both kits and parts available now and much more that will be available in the future.

Registration requirements are becoming more complex.

A lot of local suppliers are struggling, a lot have downsized or moved into other areas to survive.

It's a challenging business environment. For the kit car market you need to look at new approaches, techniques & ideas for both the way the business runs and the products it creates.

[Beejay]

Originally Posted by Component Cars

Thought we had better chime in here and try to clarify some points.
First, I do appologise to Mudbrick, our site has been under development and we have had a problem with updates not being retained.
Tenrocca, we do have Factory Five Racing's 100% support as their exclusive agent and they will no longer ship direct to Australia.They have invested heavily in our relationship and will only issue the Certificate of Origin through Component Cars Australia. Unfortunately everyone one wants to compare the US price to the Aus price but to make the comparison of the $20k US model and the $39k Aus model is really a bit like apples v oranges. The AUS cars have a unique RHD chassis with engineering modification to assist with local requirements and certified as an Authentic Australian Factory Five Model. We also include some rather "big ticket" items such as a complete rear end and brakes along with several other spec changes.
Personally we believe that our cars are extremely under priced for what they offer but to explain you need to understand the Factory Five Racing(F5R) ethos. The owner of F5R, Mr Dave Smith only imposed 1 condition on our agreement and that was.
"The sale price of the cars was to remain available to the Grassroots Car Guy. The kit price is set and represents what it would cost the average guy to import the kit himself to the equal specification with a minimal charge allowed for the RHD conversion.
We have discussed pricing with many F5R owners in Oz that had imported their kits and all agree that they paid more. I havent done the exercise but I believe our options are priced more than competitively with other local suppliers.
As for our Competitors Products I really dont see that Component Cars is in direct competition with them.
To try and explain (and sorry in adavance to those whom I offend here) I see the local suppliers as "true" Kitcar suppliers where as they sell you a body & chassis at a very low entry level price and provide the blueprints and list of 2nd hand parts required to build the car. Cheap entry level, super expensive end build cost
We supply a Component Car which is a complete car minus Engine,Transmission, wheels, tyres and paint. Our cars are made from all brand new parts utilizing the lastet technology all purposely engineered to go together. You get everything, every nut bolt and rivet and a step by step comprehensive build manual. Higher start cost, much lower total build cost.
We currently have our NSW RMS Accredited Engineer working directly with F5R in the USA ensuring certification to all the latest requirements. On thursday we shipped our first Mk4 to NSW (congrats Tim, Im sure you'll be reading this) and we will all be working very closely with this build.
We're confident that in time the Australian market will embrace the Complete Component Car concept and would welcome any quiries you may have.

I think this summary is misleading.

Does the FFR kit include-
wiring?
seats?

Ben

[Component Cars]

Originally Posted by 400TT

OZCOBRA, I aksed 750HP to remove what he posted about our products. Our new kits are not production ready yet, so I did not want it mentioned in comparison. We do not off turnkey minus, just kits in different levels much like FFR. Our product and pricing will be VERY competitive and our current listed prices will only get get more competitive. This is not the time or place to talk about our products.

As a general comment about the topic of this thread, times have changed and it is a global marketplace now and I think the big winner out of this is the Australian Cobra enthusiast.

Cobra enthusiasts shop worldwide to find the right products at the right price.

The landscape has changed and there is a whole new level of competition and variety of both kits and parts available now and much more that will be available in the future.

Registration requirements are becoming more complex.

A lot of local suppliers are struggling, a lot have downsized or moved into other areas to survive.

It's a challenging business environment. For the kit car market you need to look at new approaches, techniques & ideas for both the way the business runs and the products it creates.

Craig I couldnt agree with you more.
Seems people are pretty quick to go the jugular round here but I believe we have a common vision as to where the suppliers could possibly better help the most import people in the chain, the customer. We have met once and you seem like a top fella. Really like what your doing up there and with the fresh start I guess we have a couple of things in common.
Guess we can either be brothers in or at arms, seems you have a couple of friends who would prefer the later.

750....thanks for the warm welcome.lol

ozcobra.. you too. to write what you did, then delete it, then replace it with an applause.. what is that...brown you off in a previous life also did I.

[sideshow]

ive dropped into afew places up here in south brissy and some do cobras
and we had nice chats bout the future and i dont mean next year i mean 10 years
and not just about cobras
the automotive parts is getting like the retail market but not as bad
everything is online so u these days u have to adjust to the times
the days of talking to the person u r buying the part whether its 5 bucks or 50000 bucks from are long gone

alot of parts i wont sell now
i would rather keep them to myslef and dont tell anyone where i get them made
and only sell them to the customer only if i make afew bucks fitting them
so for a part that i make 50 bucks on y should i sell it then customer spends an hour on phone to me asking how to fit it
id rather keep my intellectual properly to myself and charge for supply and fitting of the part and if someone wants to just buy the part on the internet then they can figure out how to fit it and hopefully not ring me for info on how to fit
afew places i know work this way to try keep the quality of the parts getting fitted to cars up there as 70% or more of the stuff u buy online is junk

its so hard to sell parts these days so the best way to make money is labour
and when all u have to offer is labour then u have to specialise in something
the next guy to u doesnt

i dont know how some mechanical shops survive just liek in hornsby when i used to work there 10 years ago
within a 1 km radius there was about 40 to 50 mechancial shops ranging from brakes to engines to efi to servicing to exhaust etc etc
and to survive u started seeing brake shops or exhaust shops start doing servicing
same as what midas and some other big shops are doing these days

[Beejay]

Sorry to push the point here, but I think you need to back up some statements if you are going to bag out the local products.

"As for our Competitors Products I really dont see that Component Cars is in direct competition with them.
To try and explain (and sorry in adavance to those whom I offend here) I see the local suppliers as "true" Kitcar suppliers where as they sell you a body & chassis at a very low entry level price and provide the blueprints and list of 2nd hand parts required to build the car. Cheap entry level, super expensive end build cost"

I can only speak about the Classic Revival as I have not built another kit, but I would expect that the Harrison has similar pricing and features.

A CR rolling chassis can be bought for something near $40K. For that you get a chassis fitted with suspension, brakes, steering all assembled and rolling on slave wheels. The interior tub is all one piece, so there is no need to do any assembly or panneling of the engine bay, interior or boot. The current suspension is based on VE Commodore, so it is quite modern and cost effective for wheels and brake upgrades. Virtually all of the components can be purchased new if required.

The major items such as the engine, gearbox, wheels, paint and tyres are all significant components which all kits will require. Exactly where does the Factory Five product save money and become a cheaper build?

I have no beef with the Factory Five product or Component Cars, I just feel that this site is a source of information for those thinking about a Cobra build, and they should have accurate information to decide what company suits their needs.

Cheers,

Ben

[boxhead]

Without the salesman spiel.

I built mind to the roller stage for less than $20k
And mind was one of those nasty local kit car ones.

[Dimis]

Originally Posted by boxhead

And mind was one of those nasty local kit car ones.

Boxhead,

We've all seen those "nasty local kit car ones" you are talking about.
& most would agree they are all pretty darn good

I'd agree that some of the older backyard builds can be a bit of a worry, but the current crop that is available in AUS is way up there & no doubt in my humble opinion ahead of many of the kits OS.

[*Cobber*]

Horses for courses, some people may want a car in a box and other people may like to build their own ICV, fabricate their own parts and think about how am I going to do that.

Like everything else on the shelves I'm sure one day we will see made in China kits to add to the mix. Local manufacturing of course will then die along with the skills and knowledge but that doesn't matter because you will be able to order a replacement kit and parts on the net.

There are some great local kits and there are some great OS kits not just from the US.

The question is do you compete on price or quality?

[boxhead]

I agree Cobber, and teh idea of a complete car supplied with all included is fantastic, but no need to rubbish the others just to promote your own product.

Thats my $2 worth (everything is more expensive in Alice Springs)

[Merv and Sharon]

I remember my kit supplier at the time I started (2008) saying that the word 'kit' was a misnomer in some ways and that all 'kits' were moving towards being 'component' cars. In many ways this is what we are witnessing, I think, as more and more components are designed for purpose and sold as bolt on parts of the build.

[Zeus]

Originally Posted by Beejay

I think this summary is misleading.

Does the FFR kit include-
wiring?
seats?

Ben

Misleading???? How do you figure?

Yes its got a complete wiring harness and seats.
It also has
Authentic 427 Hand Laid 3/16" laminate composite body
6061-T6 Aluminum panel construction (Not a cheap body plug)
Koni fully Adjustable front a rear suspension.
Complete front and back Ford Mustang disc brakes
Complete Steering System
Complete Fuel System
Complete Cooling System
Complete exhaust System
Engine Accessories
Gauges, Dash & Complete Electrical system
Complete Interior
Exterior fnishing Accessories and Lighting
Complete 'Wllwood' pedal box
Complete fastner kit.
200 Page Build manual also available in full colour PDF version.

[Zeus]

Originally Posted by boxhead

I agree Cobber, and teh idea of a complete car supplied with all included is fantastic, but no need to rubbish the others just to promote your own product.

Thats my $2 worth (everything is more expensive in Alice Springs)

You need to read the original thread again. It is not rubbishing other cars, simply states the facts of the differences in the concepts.

Are all the CR guys like you 2.
Read the CR site.. $127k on average to build the car.
I could do a Genuine Shelby continaution series for that.
You can build a faithfull recreation of the original for half that with a Factory Five, and it would leave yours for dead in every aspect of performance.

[Tenrocca]

Bout time we had a good thread!

Classic revival current king cobra. Have u run your ffive yet zeus?
127k is for a turn key, not a kit
I reckon 40k is good value for the ff kit, and I'd seriously consider it if I was building again

Apologies for not displaying my usual eloquence in this post-on phone

[Merv and Sharon]

The FFive looks a good value product at the right price. Will look forward to a build thread soon. Any pics of the suspension?