Sad loss for us Aussies...

[BMK]

Hi all,

During a recent visit to the (now former) RCR agent in Queensland, I was absolutely amazed to hear that Craig was no longer going to be the Australian agent for RCR cars from the USA.





In particular, the amount of RCR cars in his factory and the overall appearance of the factory left me wondering why Craig was not going to continue with RCR....





The only thing I could find out was the decision to stop the import of RCR cars to Australia was one that Craig had made reluctantly. It appears that it was Craig's decision to move onto what he describes are better opportunities for both him and his customers.

It becomes very obvious that customer service along with quality and pricing are Craig's big focus in his Queensland factory.





It was simply the cleanest factory and show room that I have been in for ages. There was a lot of activity with finishing of customers RCR cars and a line up of new projects for non RCR customers.

The quality and the amount of work was evident, as was the obvious experience of his staff.


'It will all become very apparent shortly", I was told by Craig's staff,
'when Craig makes some announcements shortly about the new direction his company is going.'


What was very obvious to me was that all of the old RCR labelling, banners, photos, and branding in his factory and on his company utilities and vehicles was no where to be seen. Not a mention of RCR anywhere.



In fact, the RCR brochures, banners, photos and decals had all been removed from his show room and any reference to RCR on car parts, boxes and even kits sitting in the factory where totally removed.

What was once an RCR mecca, is now a factory full of quality projects with a few RCR projects being completed and moved out.





It was obvious that Craig and the staff there were very focused on getting all of the RCR cars out as soon as possible, to allow re branding of his business.

I am sure whom ever Craig becomes an agent for will be very happy if he approaches his new agency with the same desire of quality and customer service.

I am looking forward to see what signs appear out the front of his factory and on his utilities etc.





As they say the classics.. 'watch this space.'

Good luck Craig with your new business. I am sure you will continue with the same success. Thanks for allowing me to visit.


Bernie

[Rebel1]

Craig and his staff are class acts and have very high standards and business ethics.

I'm sure any decision he made will result a better business for all concerned.

I wish them all the best of luck.

[BMK]

Some photos of the factory, all customer cars I believe except for Lee's blue cobra at the front...higher resolution copies in my gallery.

[tin-man]

Originally Posted by BMK

Some photos of the factory, all customer cars I believe except for Lee's blue cobra at the front...higher resolution copies in my gallery.

Certainly a class act and in a class of its own, my compliments. John, AKA, tin-man

[BMK]

Rebel1



The amount of quality cars and the overall appearance of the factory are indicative of Craig's businesses size and his approach.



Makes me wonder why RCR are no longer with Craig.

[BMK]

Tin man



How are things in Arizona. Still a dry heat..

Yes I only posted a few photos as there were a number of other projects being built out in a second area/section of the factory. I was a little concerned that the customers and staff nearby the cars in this second area may not want to be photographed.

Lee's Cobra sitting in the doorway is the same Cobra that was next to my Mustang convertible when I picked it up last year. Lee (Craig's wife) has a neat daily Cobra driver. There are better photos of the Cobra in my gallery.

I noticed that the new Pace signs have gone up, but there is no indication of any new agency.

Pace is the new name of Graig's business replacing all the old RCR signage. The RCR signage that has all been removed appears to have given Craig and his staff a lot more of an of opportunity to increase their business, both in size and the amount of work.

The overall factory is far larger, than when I was last up there last time picking up my Mustang convertible.

Mmmmm... will be keen to see what agency signs go up.

..although I have a good idea.

My thoughts are it may be a very large USA Cobra or GT40 business opening up here in Australia.

The main thing is, the loss of RCR appears to be no loss to Craig...

[BMK]

I am having a bet each way on who will soon be here in a big way...



I am having a guess it is one of these two companies that will soon have an agency here. Lucky them..



Could it be.. or could it be..

I'm thinking it is one of these two major suppliers..

Come on Craig gives us a hint.....

[tin-man]

[quote=BMK;1153082]
How are things in Arizona. Still a dry heat..

Hi Bernie, I am hearing its still hot there, remember I am stationed in China and only get back to Arizona every now and then. Hopefully I'll get back during November for Thanksgiving and be able to pick up my Cobra. Here's hoping.

The pictures of the factory you presented are indeed showing what a world class auto facilty of this nature should look like, it will be interesting to see who they hook up with, keep us posted.

Cheers, John, AKA, tin-man

[Rebel1]

I logged onto RCR this morning and received this announcement:

Race Car Replicas Australia Announcement

Unfortunately we will no longer be handling any new Race Car Replica(RCR) kit products in Australia. We have been removed as the Australian distributor by Race Car Replicas USA and therefore are no longer an authorised support channel.

The exciting news, is that we have registered a new trading name “Absolute Pace” and will be manufacturing our own kit cars. We believe we can provide kit car products designed for local conditions with superior engineering, quality and value for money.

Initially we will be launching Cobra and GT40 replica kit cars, with the product range quickly expanding. The Absolute Pace team has proven it has the skills to develop and deliver high quality products and this team remains unchanged. Only our trading name is changing to Absolute Pace, all other contact details will remain the same.

The move away from RCR is very disappointing for the team , as we have spent a considerable amount of time and money in developing and compliancing the RCR products, while promoting and building the brand name here in Australia. We have had a very busy year with a continual shop full of RCR kits and a few customer specific projects.

We certainly believe we delivered a superior product and made the Australian kits our own with the extensive modifications and enhancements provided here for both performance, driveability, useability, safety and registration compliance.

Due to legal and insurance reasons the use of Australian compliance documents for RCR kits is limited to kits supplied by Absolute Pace (formerly Race Car Replicas Australia) and must not be used for any other car kits, or similar kits supplied by RCR USA. We will be happy to assist our Australian customers where we can with their RCR kit registration requirements. We will not be providing any compliance documentation or support for any USA sourced RCR kits if they are imported into Australia.

Absolute Pace as a business will be more than happy to supply any additional parts that may be required during your RCR kit build and maintain a comprehensive inventory of spare parts. We will also be offering our RCR kit upgrade parts for separate sale to local and overseas customers. Unfortunately the upgrade parts used for registration compliance will not be offered for sale.

Personally I believe this new direction will allow us to build a stronger business, develop innovative new products and provide a higher level of customer support. I am very fortunate to have the enthusiastic backing of an expert team of knowledgeable, talented and passionate professionals.

I am looking forward to our future relationship together. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Regards


Craig White
Absolute PACE

[lovehamr]

Well that didn’t sound amicable, did it?

[Merv and Sharon]

I heard about this a few weeks ago. Craig and his team have sold a significant number of cars in what is, in Australia, a smaller market. He could not have done better with the supply of components that he was able to access.

In these things the personal investment is high and it is good to see that he is continuing in another form. He deserves whatever support we can offer him. Honesty, decency and hard work should pay off.

[soulman]

Originally Posted by BMK

I am having a bet each way on who will soon be here in a big way...



I am having a guess it is one of these two companies that will soon have an agency here. Lucky them..



Could it be.. or could it be..

I'm thinking it is one of these two major suppliers..

Come on Craig gives us a hint.....

Geez Bernie.....

I wonder what i could be.

Soul.

[Dimis]

Originally Posted by BMK

Nice clean shed... Now who do I have to sleep with to get a shed like that.

[400TT]

Thank you all for your kind words and encouragement. We try our best and I'm lucky to have an enthusiastic and dedicated team.

We have relaunched the business as Absolute PACE, we are no longer associated with RCR.

We are manufacturing our own designs. Initially Cobra & GT40. A fresh approach and a different offering to what is currently available. With the respect we have for the enthusiasts, current manufacturers and kits available, it makes no sense to provide the same type of product as what is currently available.

We are also looking at forming some relationships with overseas suppliers.

It's an exciting new direction for us and we have a lot of very interesting projects at the moment, including assisting an electric vehicle manufacturer develop a prototype electric Supercar.

More news soon.

Looking forward to the Cobra Nationals next week.

[Rob. Smith]

Originally Posted by 400TT

Thank you all for your kind words and encouragement. We try our best and I'm lucky to have an enthusiastic and dedicated team.

We have relaunched the business as Absolute PACE, we are no longer associated with RCR.

We are manufacturing our own designs. Initially Cobra & GT40. A fresh approach and a different offering to what is currently available. With the respect we have for the enthusiasts, current manufacturers and kits available, it makes no sense to provide the same type of product as what is currently available.

We are also looking at forming some relationships with overseas suppliers.

It's an exciting new direction for us and we have a lot of very interesting projects at the moment, including assisting an electric vehicle manufacturer develop a prototype electric Supercar.

More news soon.

Looking forward to the Cobra Nationals next week.

What a brave move in these turbulent economic times....All the best in your business and congratulations !

[Dimis]

Electric supercar...

Does it come with sub woofers to make the "broom broom" noises.

ps: am I to assume you buggers are all up killing time on here, waiting for the Gran prix to start?
Or is that just me?

[BMK]

Merv and Sharon

Merv,

I just spoke with an RCR customer and owner here in Australia who sent me an email today. It appears that this customer is waiting for parts from RCR in America.

For sometime now it appears that RCR have not been able to supply parts in a reasonable manner and time to their agent in Australia.

It is obviously disappointing for customers to be left waiting for parts or worse still to find that the Australian agent has also been sent shipments with parts missing.

No doubt this frustration and the position the Australian agent appears to be left in is just not good customer service.

Craig and the staff at Queensland obviously pride themselves in customer service and it must be extremely frustrating for them to be left high and dry time and time again by a supplier.

I know the customer I spoke with loves the product and appreciated Craig's efforts but like many has just given up and is trying to source parts locally with Craig's help.

A I said what a loss for us - then again Craig's new product will no doubt be a success.

[BMK]

Dimis

The electric super car was sitting "quietly" in the corner. It is seriously a real vote of confidence in the kit car industry when a major electrical supplier can build a car to simply showcase and promote their product.

I guess it will never bear the manufactures logos or decals now that RCR has left our shores. Their loss I guess.

[BMK]

Dimis

The electric super car was sitting "quietly" in the corner. It is seriously a real vote of confidence in the kit car industry when a major electrical supplier can build a car to simply showcase and promote their product.

I guess it will never bear the manufactures logos or decals now that RCR has left our shores. Their loss I guess.

[BMK]

Dimis - Soulman

Guys I will give odds of 4:1 on knowing who the agency will be for.

And I can probaly guess what and how many of them will actually be in the first container of cars to arrive at Craig's workshop....

Mmmm there was a hint of an aluminum Shelby CSX car turning up at next weekends Cobra Nationals to put us off the scent..

Kris Kincaid the former employee of Shelby hinted. Then again this was just to distract us..