Eco kit car?
 

Hi all,

I was wondering, does anyone know if there's a company out there that makes an eco kit car?

Light weight, aerodynamic, with maybe a small diesel car as the donor... for example?

I've had a bit of a search and there are one or two where people who have put diesel engines in a kit cars but they were very custom affairs.

Anyone???

Something like a Lotus Seven/Caterham kit car with a nice aero body? I've been thinking about for quite some time, dreaming more or less. Those things weigh almost nothing and I guess a small TDI will bring IT very goor mileage! And still pretty fast with it's aprox. 500 kilograms.

Would anybody be interested in open source designing one?

Jim, I think me and you need to have an email discussion, our minds seem to go the same direction as far as a custom build is concerned.

As far as an eco kit car, I don't think the ones that are produced would be within anyone's realistic budget, the few I've seen are $16,000 or so PLUS a Miata or similar donor car.

Have you checked out CAD Product Design Consultant | DIY Product Design and Development | Robert Q Riley Enterprises ?

Hate to throw a wet towel on this, but liability issues in todays world would have you done before you begun.

Seriously, think about how things would go down when someone is hurt or killed in an accident while driving the Kit car, or the person hit by the kit car, or, anyone else within 30 miles of the kit car before, during, or after the accident....mental anguish and all.

Go ahead and talk to an insurance expert before you begin, make it your first stop. Make an attorney your second stop.

This isn't an issue, I live in the UK. After the appropriate tests, the car will be road legal and perfectly insurable.

An eco kit car is in the works.

The Pursuit of 100 MPG: Meet Jack McCornack, DIY Car Wizard

Here is the link for the ecomodder discussion about the car.

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...ody-11009.html]

Kinetic Vehicles

here you go
http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...i-14154-2.html

Simple.

Just sell the kit as "parts." Make sure the end purchaser (or somebody other than the kit manufacturer) does 51% of the work getting the vehicle roadable, and thus becomes the "manufacturer" of the vehicle, NOT the kit manufacturer.

This has been employed to great success in the U.S. "kitplane" experimental aviation segment, allowing for vibrant kit sales at a time when liability claims mostly shut down factory-built general aviation.

I'd found and read through that thread the other day. It seems like an excellent idea. No posts since 201102, have you heard any news?

I'd like to see the Venn diagram that sorts out Smyth Performance, Factory Five Racing and Local Motors.

Smurf & HydroJim -- ==>Local Motors<==