TheSamba.com :: View topic

Sat Oct 16, 2004 10:23 pm

To all who might be interested...

My name is Matt Faulkner, and I work for Kirkham Motorsports. Over the past several years, Kirkham Motorsports has produced around four hundred aluminum bodied replicas of Shelby Cobras, a '41 Willys replica, and we are currently looking at other projects that may interest a wide variety of automotive enthusiasts. We're curious to know if there would be any interest in an aluminum beetle body. My first thought would be to make a split window, or maybe an oval as well. Anyway, I'll leave it up to you guys to decide if this would be a worthwhile venture. I would love to receive as much feedback as possible. Thanks guys.

By the way, the price would be around $10,000 for the entire body (no pan), and though it would probably be slightly thicker than steel, it should still weigh about half as much. Oh yeah, and no rust. Thanks again guys. I'm excited to see what you think.

Matt Faulkner, Shop Manager
Kirkham Motorsports
www.kirkhammotorsports.com

Sat Oct 16, 2004 10:30 pm

Here's a link to a picture of one of our cars. This should give you an idea of what the body would look like.

Matt Faulkner

http://kms.nfshost.com/kmp/268SEMA/800x600/sema16.jpg

Sat Oct 16, 2004 11:25 pm

matt911949 wrote: and though it would probably be slightly thicker than steel, it should still weigh about half as much.

the bug is a very light car already. it'll be scary driving it through a very windy area. I dunno, just my 2 cents.

Sun Oct 17, 2004 1:55 am

matt911949 wrote: To all who might be interested...

By the way, the price would be around $10,000 for the entire body (no pan), and though it would probably be slightly thicker than steel, it should still weigh about half as much. Oh yeah, and no rust. Thanks again guys. I'm excited to see what you think.

Matt Faulkner, Shop Manager
Kirkham Motorsports
www.kirkhammotorsports.com

You guys do awesome work from the looks of it. The only question is that for $10,000 you could by a decent complete split. The expensive part of restoring a split will be all the split parts that will beat your wallet to death. If you spend $10k on the shell with no parts, you will be in it triple once you get all the parts.
I would love to have an all aluminum split shell polished out actually :D
Would this mean aluminum fenders or just the bare shell with no doors?

Sun Oct 17, 2004 9:34 am

Yeah that would be cool, All polished aluminum with maybe a clear coat over it or powdercoated? $10K actually seems like a very good price, I think the Alumatub that Boyd Coddington built is for sale for something like $250K or so???

Sun Oct 17, 2004 11:14 am

The $10,000 would include doors fenders, hood, trunk, license light and tail light housings, etc...

Sun Oct 17, 2004 2:21 pm

Would you be offering seperate panels (fenders hood decklids) for sale also ? TROY

Sun Oct 17, 2004 2:35 pm

If there turns out to be enough interest to make the bodies, we would offer replacement panels as well. That wouldn't be a problem. If there isn't enough interest in entire bodies, but there is a lot in lightweight replacement panels, we could look into doing only certain panels as well.

Matt Faulkner, Shop Manager
Kirkham Motorsports
www.kirkhammotorsports.com

Sun Oct 17, 2004 4:01 pm

I doubt any real Cobra owners would be interested in your reproduction any mone that any real split or oval owners would. Why yours when the real stuff is still out there. Cobra's are rare, high dollar cars. VWs arn't either. Can't see how this would work for you. :wink:

Sun Oct 17, 2004 4:22 pm

I wonder if there would be a market for a Hebmuller kit that could bolt onto a standard beetle chassis? I would buy that.

Sun Oct 17, 2004 6:40 pm

Well...we've actually sold quite a few cars to owners of original Cobra's. You're right about the value though. As far as Cobra's go, the value range of an original car vs. one of our replicas is pretty big. With splits, an aluminum split could even end up to be more costly than an original. In the case of the split, it will just be interesting to see if there is enough interest in the charactaristics and look of aluminum to warrant making them... lightweight, polished, etc. It's awesome to have you guys involved in this, and I appreciate the feedback thus far.

Matt Faulkner, Shop Manager
Kirkham Motorsports
www.kirkhammotorsports.com

Sun Oct 17, 2004 6:42 pm

Personally, I think it would be absolutely awesome... You can't buy most glass or B.S. steel reproduction bodies for that sort of cash. I build one-off car bodies and parts.... Although I do steel and aluminum parts too, most of them are composite or polyester based and its hard to offer a nice glass car for that money. To me that's a steal .... Its one mans opinion, but this might be more a simple matter of not if, but when to build such a car... With such a body of this caliber available, those building all the high dollar custom splits and ovals that make all the magazines,might leave the stock stuff to the purists. The same thing is happening with 32 fords,its so much easier for a guy with cash to cut a check for a new body for his cookie cutter red deuce project, than to go hunt down an original in any sort of usable shape...The same thing could be true in time for an aluminum beetle.

Sun Oct 17, 2004 8:13 pm

Forget VW, pre 59 Porche coupe and speedsters, convertible D's. Those bring big money and are in big demand. I bet less work for a speedster body than a split body. Really a pre 55 coupe would be great.

Sun Oct 17, 2004 8:55 pm

If you're working with aluminum why not do a car that was aluminum to start with?

I think people might like a Rometsch kitcar! You could build your very own coachbuilt! I thought of it first all proceeds go to me! :shock: just kidding... :lol:

Sun Oct 17, 2004 9:55 pm

I think a Heb bolt on body would be pretty sick...lol id buy that too...

Mon Oct 18, 2004 7:22 am

very, very interesting.
my 2 cents:
like 55samba said, if you're going to go full body, stick to early 356's.
However, I bet there would be high demand for aluminum VW panels, such as vert W decklids, fenders, hoods, etc.

Sign me up for for some panels!

great work by the way!
-chris

Mon Oct 18, 2004 1:41 pm

I agree. Good panels that are exact replicas of the original (except Aluminum) would be where its at. I also see splits going for more and more $$$$. Maybe panels first then full cars as the demand increases. I bet people would love split aluminum doors, hood, deck lid, and fenders. Oval owners could help that market also as far as production #s.

Mon Oct 18, 2004 4:53 pm

If you could pound out aluminum W decklids, 4 tab hoods and maybe even fenders, I bet you'd make a killing. Wonder if the racers would be into that....

Tue Oct 19, 2004 9:01 am

first off, I have seen one of your cobra bodies in bare aluminum in person! it was awesome and still unfinished with a price tag of 60K..
I drooled on it for awhile. I am with everyone else..I like the idea of aluminum panels, the complete body would make a sweet drag car...but I would be more inclined to purchase an alum. pre-A porsche coupe body than a split beetle alum. body tho. if you can make a complete pre-A coupe body for 10K RESERVE MINE NOW!! BUT make it like an original..NOT kit car style with vw pan..

Wed Oct 20, 2004 7:14 am

Maybe you could start with these?!?!?!!? :D