Looking for info on building a kit car

[Lexusfreak]

Hey folks,

I had an interesting question directed at me last night. Someone at my work wants to build a 'Kit' car as a project.....he would get the frame of the vehicle from an autowrecker to start (the kit car will be an Aston Martin Vanquish on probably a Jaguar XK frame) and he is very serious about this challenge.

Can anyone direct me to any sites or places that I can find some detailed info on the subject? Or does anybody here have any first hand knowledge on the subject? I'm looking for specific info relating to the body primarily of the kit.

I appreciate the replies! :cool:

[bahasad]

+ 1. I am curious too, especially for next year. Looking at something like a Caterham or Locust Seven like thing, (don't know if that's what you are trying to build).

Great garage project.

[KawaiiTentacleBeast]

Well, if he wants to put a Vanquish body kit on to a Jag, he can just start out with Jag (even a wrecked one) and keep it registered as a Jaguar XK, he doesn't need to deal with any of the Kit Car regulations.

[Lexusfreak]

Well, if he wants to put a Vanquish body kit on to a Jag, he can just start out with Jag (even a wrecked one) and keep it registered as a Jaguar XK, he doesn't need to deal with any of the Kit Car regulations.


I think that's going to be what he will end up doing.....going with your comments however.....where do I find out info on kit car regs?

And trying to find some detailed info on the actual body kits available...with prices etc.

[Denich]

I think that's going to be what he will end up doing.....going with your comments however.....where do I find out info on kit car regs?

And trying to find some detailed info on the actual body kits available...with prices etc.

if i remember correctly kit cars are not street legal in canada

[KawaiiTentacleBeast]

^^^They are legal, quite a few people have Factory Five Cobras and Lotus Se7ens around here.

There's a guy selling his home build kit car here:

http://forums.beyond.ca/st/227215/fs-2000-toyota-mr2-orange/

He also posted some looooooong build thread in some Toyota forum that I don't remember. Basically for the cost of building that MR-S and registering it as a kit car, he could have bought himself a Vanquish.

As for the Aston Martin body kit, you're on your own. Tell him he should make the whole thing out of Bondo for the perfect fit.

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h197/twoevil/JDMvett.jpg

[corrupt123]

Interesting thread. One day (as in, as soon as I have a garage and/or as soon as I have a friend willing to give me a garage) I'd like to do the same. I want to build a "Real" kit car though, not a production car on another car frame.

Anyways, I won't tell you to go google because I hope you've already done that (just for the record: searching "kit car ontario" gives the first result as an ontario kit-car forum... might be a good place to start?). I will say though that I was talking to an old auto-technology teacher of mine (while browsing a kit-car magazine) and I believe he mentioned that providing the vehicle meets all the legal requirements, it's just a matter of getting it appraised (for insurance) and registered (which I think ties into the appraisal). I don't think it's quite as painful a process as people make it out to be - besides all the blood & sweat :lol:

[sixer]

Normal Insurance companies don't cover Kit Cars, you'd have to go to a specialty market and expect to pay.

[Pete_Coach]

if i remember correctly kit cars are not street legal in canada
That is wrong. There are all sorts of kit cars on the roads. Cobra knockoffs only being one of the hundreds.
There are special licensing requirement's and safety and registration issues but the MTO website (in Ontario) has the answers for that. Also, you cannot kleave the vehicles registration as the type of frame you used. There are rules. I have a good friend who has spent 3 years building a Cobra (really tricked out) and getting the safety certificates and vehicle registration is becoming a nightmare.
As for body kit manufacturers. There are literally hundreds of them. On thing though, the body kits used to be for VW chassis but almost all of them are either tube type or mustang frames and chassis now. It would be very expensive to use a Jag XK frame to build a replica of another expensive British car.

[Lexusfreak]

Interesting thread. One day (as in, as soon as I have a garage and/or as soon as I have a friend willing to give me a garage) I'd like to do the same. I want to build a "Real" kit car though, not a production car on another car frame.

Anyways, I won't tell you to go google because I hope you've already done that (just for the record: searching "kit car ontario" gives the first result as an ontario kit-car forum... might be a good place to start?). I will say though that I was talking to an old auto-technology teacher of mine (while browsing a kit-car magazine) and I believe he mentioned that providing the vehicle meets all the legal requirements, it's just a matter of getting it appraised (for insurance) and registered (which I think ties into the appraisal). I don't think it's quite as painful a process as people make it out to be - besides all the blood & sweat :lol:

I have googled some info.....& I will try your suggestion on 'kit car ontario' as well. Much appreciated.

Pete, actually finding the Jag XK frame at a reasobable cost should not be a problem....the good news about Jags is they depreciate at close to the same rate as a domestic vehicle & even better if we can locate one at an auto wrecker......the body kit itself (a top quality one) we are expecting to be costly however.....we are just trying to find the sites out there that make it....so far it has not been easy.

[Pete_Coach]

I have googled some info.....& I will try your suggestion on 'kit car ontario' as well. Much appreciated.

Pete, actually finding the Jag XK frame at a reasobable cost should not be a problem....the good news about Jags is they depreciate at close to the same rate as a domestic vehicle & even better if we can locate one at an auto wrecker......the body kit itself (a top quality one) we are expecting to be costly however.....we are just trying to find the sites out there that make it....so far it has not been easy.

look here http://www.kitcarlist.com/

Getting them into the country can sometimes be tricky. My friend had some hardships getting the bits from factory Five for his Cobra build. Seems there are some things still not quite allowable in this Country.

[Cough]

What a great site Pete Coach!

For OP heres the Ash Mart (http://www.carkitinc.com/ash.php)

http://www.carkitinc.com/images/ashmart1.jpg

#4. KIT ASH-MART for a Jaguar XK or XKR or XK8 $7,995.00 NOW ONLY $5,995.00

[CONTROL ONE]

Normal Insurance companies don't cover Kit Cars, you'd have to go to a specialty market and expect to pay.

Completely False and Incorrect. I'm an Agent in Toronto and we have quite a few Kit Cars in our books.

[Spud72]

There's a guy selling his home build kit car here:

http://forums.beyond.ca/st/227215/fs-2000-toyota-mr2-orange/
That guy is on drugs if he thinks he can get $50K for that thing.
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h197/twoevil/JDMvett.jpg

Hahahaha

[Cough]

That guy is on drugs if he thinks he can get $50K for that thing.

Hahahaha

Your picture doesn't relate to the link? This is what he is selling for $50K

http://www.5di.ca/FS2.jpg

[sixer]

Completely False and Incorrect. I'm an Agent in Toronto and we have quite a few Kit Cars in our books.

lol, I don't think so. The Majority on mainstream companies will not insure a true kit car. I'm not talking about a civic with a body kit.

You need to go to a higher risk company and pay alot more.

Kit Cars don't undergo and testing for safety and so forth, so who knows how they'll perform in a severe accident, thus leaving the insurer with an unknown type of risk, how severe is the person going to be injured, how can I fix the car, what will it cost because the parts aren't mainstream etc.

Don't kid yourself. Unless your insuring these cars under false context, most won't cover them.

Heck, State Farm won't even insure your car if you've lowered it, let alone it being a kit car.