Quote:
Originally Posted by mikeyjd
That depends on how much is in the account though  I am curious what you think this can be done for even though it's hard to imagine it being cheap. Obviously people allot of people on here, including myself, are budget minded so it would have to pencil out. TIGON is a good name for a beastly hybrid though  |
Ya I happen to like the name TIGON also which is a hybrid cat and is one of my best friends names who also was mixed racially. So it made sense to name the car this :-)
So the Cost will be varied initially depending on what you or I can get the donor vehicle for. Luckily there are a good deal of Triumph Spitfires just waiting to be converted for a fair price. The Triumph GT6 is much harder to come by at a bargain. I was fortunate enough to pick up 2 GT6 cars one that was rusted out which is quite common on these cars and the other in really good condition. For me the rust did not matter at all since I was not going to be using the original body at all. I was able to get that vehicle for $500.00 locally. After I sold off parts that I would not need and got the chassis sandblasted and rust proofed I think I am into the project $100.00. So for a completed chassis, steering components, complete front suspension, and complete rear end I am into the vehicle $100.00 thus far! That included getting it towed to my house which was free through AAA. Now I have seen Spitfires for around $1000.00 completely running and in good condition up to $2000.00. These vehicles you could just unbolt the heavy steel body with 10 bolts and purchase my aero body kit then use those same 10 bolts and bolt the new modern light weight aero body kit on in less than 3 hours with proper tools and space of course! The body kit for me to produce I am estimating at around $1,200.00 and out the door around $1,500.00 that includes all glass and my labor. Then you would need the diesel engine which can be bought for around $1,750 new and the (ISA) Integrated starter alternator and all control electronics. Figure another $1,500 for all the ISA stuff and you are around $3,250 for a brand new hybrid power plant. Of course you can save money and get a used diesel on Ebay or from a supply warehouse to cut costs by a grand or more. I can customize any diesel engine for the hybrid components however it will cost a little more for this since I have to start over on the configuration for each individual engine which would be a little different per make and model. The transmission I can find for cheap and I can rebuild it to the individual needs and out the door for under $1,000.00. All the little custom parts flywheel adapter, engine mounts, and driveline etc. is pretty cheap actually.
Another option to further cut costs and simply get triple digit fuel economy is just go diesel only initially and as funds are saved add the hybrid stuff on later. This would save you the ISA components, battery/cap bank and plug in charger if desired! If you never have a need or desire to drive over 80mph than the diesel only may be the ticket for a budget triple digit vehicle that seats 2 comfortably.
The core Spitfire/GT6 components are pretty cheap and plentiful. Even the performance Aluminum alloy upgraded versions are not priced all that bad and cut weight by a lot! You can easily sale off your stock Spit/GT6 engine and transmissions for a good price to cover a lot of the costs for upgrading and replacing all the little stuff. There are strong Triumph owners clubs in North America who are happy to take good working parts especially engines and transmissions. If you are looking for inexpensive than go stock everything and be out the door for well under $10,000. If you do not have the time to source parts and bolt it all together pay me the time and labor costs and I can do it for you! The labor costs will not be a lot since I have all ready spent the time on the prototype building the necessary relationships and where to go to find all the necessary parts at the best possible pricing. Not to mention the fabrication of the custom parts and machine shop time and labor are complete.
Now from there cost is completely dependent on the individual. We can go complete stock to cut costs or customize with performance parts as the individual sees fit. The main things that I will do to every car is replace all the nuts & Bolts, all the washers and gaskets, Suspension, and brake components new. If you want stock suspension non adjustable then costs will be less if you want fully customizable ride and height for your suspension than add more dinero! Same with the brakes if you want a 4 pot light weight alloy calipers up front budget more money but if you are happy with the single pot stock calipers costs will be less.
I will have all the pricing laid out so no hidden costs BS! In fact you will have access to all the parts suppliers so you will know all the costs for the parts as well so no parts markups ever! The parts price is what it is end of story. You pay as we make progress so no worries of huge money up front. I will let you know where we are at with the progress via email, and video attachments or heck anyone is more than welcome to come by if they would like to see it take shape and they have the time off from work and busy lives. Besides I enjoy the company it gets lonely designing high mileage cars on your own LOL
So will TIGON pencil out well I think it depends on the individual and what a highly reliable 3 digit car is worth to them. Currently no car or hybrids gas or diesel that you can purchase in North America can give you this fuel economy or even close to it. The only one in the world right now is the VW XL1 and good luck getting that on this side of the pond let alone for a price that is affordable. In fact for the price of the XL1 I could probably build a budget house out in the country I am assuming.
Currently your other option is trying to build a hybrid from do it yourself plans. The best one out there in my opinion for fuel economy and real world driving is the R.Q. Riley XR3 reverse trike diesel or hybrid version. However like all do it yourself builds be prepared to work hard and take a lot of time to complete and get correct. The XR3 plans are very well done and detailed and really would allow a skilled person with enough time and ability to complete it or for higher costs sub it out to the necessary professionals. Compare this to other do it yourself plans and you will feel cheated as they are often out dated with little detail and leave much to ponder! Now there is a good deal of fabrication work to do. You can sub out all of this or any part you don't want to tackle but be prepared to pay for it. They make it sound cheap believe me its not even with all the solid works and cad drawings done and provided in the plans. If you need to sub it out you will pay for it for sure. You have to pay CNC setup fees for all custom parts which is not cheap and a general machine shop for the less complex pieces. The costs add up quick especially when you are doing a one off piece again depending on shop not cheap anymore.
This is why I decided to go with a conversion design over a complete custom prototype. Keep the custom pieces to an absolute minimum, besides I really like the idea of taking a rusted out bodied car and giving it a new lease on life. There is noting wrong recycling perfectly good parts in my opinion its a much greener solution and one I completely believe in. Especially since I am not rich and don't ever plan on being. This means I have to be more creative and find better cost effective solutions for me and people like me. This is exactly what I am doing with the TIGON vehicle.
My intentions with TIGON is for the average Joe like me who keeps there cars a long time to be able to have a car geared for high mileage that is highly reliable and saves you money every mile! A car in which is incredibly customizable and can be tailor made to the individual. The other point is I make it extremely easy to get it up and rolling. With a full kit car you do not have to worry about composite work at all. Anyone who has ever tried this on a full body kit scale knows this is no easy task! Next there is no welding or machining needed just bolt it up! I am designing this so that anyone can be up and running in the quickest time possible whether they want to bolt it together or want me to do it for them.
TIGON is a kit car being built for fuel economy pure and simple that will allow you to drive at freeway capable speeds in any state or providence in North America and enjoy not only triple digit fuel economy but decreased overall maintenance costs over the life of the car
I hope this gives you a solid idea of the costs involved and flexibility you will have with my design. I am really easy going and up front just tell me your thoughts and ideas and I will find the best cost effective route and solution for your situation.
I just want us all rich or poor to be able to have good fuel economic options so that is why I am so focused on getting TIGON completed and designing it as a kit for anyone like me who could see a need for it.
Sorry for this this looooong post
but hopefully you get a solid idea of the costs involved and the flexibility anyone will have in the individual finished kit cars.
Feel free to PM me anytime for further questions and I will be happy to explain more in depth my thoughts and ideas moving forward.
GH