A Car People Would Line up For

Discussion in 'Other Vehicles' started by Minidave, Oct 28, 2015.

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  1. Minidave

    Minidave Well-Known Member
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    We were discussing in another thread about the change in how MINIs are sold vs when they were first introduced here in 2002 and someone wondered if there would ever again be a car sold here that people would put deposits on and wait a year or more to buy.

    Well, here's one I think that would fit that bill - I know I'd have my name on a list IF:

    It looks pretty much like the concept - as the MINI did.

    It weighs about what it does as a concept - 1700 lbs

    It comes with a close to 200 hp, mid mounted engine

    Lastly, if it came out under $20K

    If you build it Yamaha, I will come.......and buy one!

    Yamaha shows enticing Sports Ride coupe concept in Tokyo

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
  2. Steve

    Steve Administrator
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    I might second that. For me a small fun car has to be at least a little bit practical as well, like my MINI, but I might make an exception if they come close to hitting all the marks on your list. It'll get a little heavier (at least for the US), will probably come in below 200hp and I bet they're unlikely to hit your price target. Still, :fingerscrossed:.

    Also, what's that thing in the middle of the driver's seat?
     
  3. DneprDave

    DneprDave Well-Known Member
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    It's so you don't need bathroom breaks on long trips.
     
  4. Metalman

    Metalman Well-Known Member
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    That's at least a $35,000 - $40,000 car...
     
  5. Metalman

    Metalman Well-Known Member
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    Family jewels heated driver's seat....

    And of course.....Because racekor, passenger doesn't rate...

    OR

    Instead of piping engines noise through the speakers.... This uses magnetic hysteresis to give the driver a special closeness to engine harmonics not offered by other companies...

    and of course.....Because racekor, passenger doesn't rate...
     
  6. GokartPilot

    GokartPilot Well-Known Member

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    At least. But if it meet all the specs that MINIDAVE mentioned I might add my name to that list. My only real concern would be modding, a car like that might require me to go cold turkey. :yikes:
     
  7. Angib

    Angib New Member

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    I've never forgotten that the Mercedes 300SLR that won the 1955 Mille Miglia (1000 miles around Italy in 10 hours non-stop) had a, ahem, lightening hole in the floor directly in front of the co-driver with a removable bung in it, since there was no way a winning car could afford the time to stop so the crew could relieve themselves. How the driver could use the hole (rubber tube, perhaps?) was never explained.
     
  8. Eric@Helix

    Eric@Helix New Member
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    If all of MINIDave's criteria were met, I'd buy. Period.

    For the record, the enthusiast community will NEVER get that lucky.
     
  9. Minidave

    Minidave Well-Known Member
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    Yeah, instead they'll go all Alfa on us and try to get $75K for them, and they'll sell a few hundred, just like Alfa has.....instead of developing a loyal following like MINI did, where they can sell 100,000 a year and develop customers for life (or till they raise the price beyond all reason .............erm, like MINI did)
     
  10. BruceK

    BruceK Active Member

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    That is one very sexy car.

    I don't want to shatter your dream Dave, but I don't see any way something this enticing would be priced at under $20K. I'm not saying that it could not be built under that price point, but I just don't think any manufacturer would miss the obvious profit potential to price it much higher.

    Supercar looks and Cayman-levels of performance won't be priced like a Dodge Dart. Just sayin'.


    Perhaps the closest thing to that concept car on the market today is the Scion FR-S/Subaru BRZ twins and they start at about $26K. And the development costs for that car had to be shared by two major manufacturers.
     
  11. Metalman

    Metalman Well-Known Member
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    With a Yamaha engine... It will be a screamer... You won't need to mod it...

    Besides... Modding any of the newer engines will be illegal from an ECU code copyright infringement standpoint once the "Digital Millennium Copyright Act" laws kick in ... Government.... By the people... For the people...
     
  12. Minidave

    Minidave Well-Known Member
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    I know it's just a pipedream, but you'd think some smart MBA type would recognize that they way to do it and survive is not to attempt to go "premium" right out of the box.

    I think Mexico is missing a good bet here - they have the expertise since they've been building cars for everyone for decades now, they have free trade agreements, a monster market just north of them to sell to, low labor cost and plenty of workers, huge infrastructure already in place and I'll bet they could easily source a complete power train from any of the manufacturers they currently build for......

    But they're too busy selling us drugs.:frown2:
     
  13. Nathan

    Nathan Founder

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    Not anymore....

    The Copyright Office has granted an exemption to the DMCA (Digital Media Copyright Act) that allows vehicle owners to modify, diagnose, and repair their factory ECUs.

    The Librarian of Congress this week ruled that for at least the next three years, vehicle owners are now free to delve into those control systems for any legal purposes such as diagnosis, repair or lawful modification of a vehicle function. Unfortunately, the librarian also made an exception to that ruling when it comes to infotainment and telematics systems.

    “Accordingly, the recommended exemption excludes computer programs in ECUs that are chiefly designed to operate vehicle entertainment and telematics systems due to insufficient evidence demonstrating a need to access such ECUs, and out of concern that such circumvention might enable unauthorized access to creative or proprietary content.â€

    So you can hack away at the Engine stuff. Just don't get caught trying to remove the disclaimer notice on your Nav system.
     
  14. BruceK

    BruceK Active Member

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    Yes, but.

    Mexico, like our neighbors to the north (sorry Canada), doesn't actually make cars.

    Oh sure, workers in Mexico assemble lots of car models that companies outside of Mexico design, develop, engineer, test, refine, and market.

    But there is no Mexican automobile industry, per se. So all that assembly infrastructure you mention belongs to FCA, Ford, Nissan, GM etc.

    Compare that to developing countries like India and China where they are actually making cars of their own design (yes, even China, copycat central, has developed its own unique cars).

    A company like the industrial powerhouse of India's Tata Group might be able to bring such a car to market and do so cheaply. But I would say the opportunity for Mexico to develop its own auto industry have long since past and will never return.
     
  15. Minidave

    Minidave Well-Known Member
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  16. Metalman

    Metalman Well-Known Member
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    ^^^ Man, that's tubular....:Thumbsup:
     
  17. BruceK

    BruceK Active Member

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    Totally. :D
     
  18. BruceK

    BruceK Active Member

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    Last I heard, Mastretta Cars was no more. Mexican sports car company Mastretta hits trouble

    Still Gordon Murray's iStream process has real potential.

    After all, I scream, you scream, we all scream for iStream!




    :D
     
  19. Minidave

    Minidave Well-Known Member
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    Reads a lot like what happened in the Phoenix stories I've been reading here....

    Still, if tiny Mastretta can do it with no funding to speak of, just think what a company headed by some real car people with backing from the gummint could do.......

    I know the whole thing is wishful thinking........:nonod:
     
  20. Minidave

    Minidave Well-Known Member
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    With early MINIs getting cheaper by the day, I've been thinking it might be fun to buy a non S with a blown CVT and put a 300hp K series Honda in the back for a play car. The chassis dynamics are already there, getting the power to the back wheels would make it a lot of fun......

    It would be hard to get it as light as I'd like to see it tho.....I know guys who have stripped them out completely, air bags, interior etc and by the time they add a good roll bar they're almost back to stock weight.
     

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