When projects collide.............

[plasticfantastic]

Hi all,

New member here, full of questions and enthusiasm. Im here hoping for a little help and opinions of my project that im sure wont be to everyone taste but hopefully a few will see the appeal.

As with many, The Esprit has always been a dream car of mine and at the start of this year i stumbled upto a project s3 that had no engine, and an audi A4 gearbox fitted. This appealed to me initially as i have numerous VW parts and had visions of building a 2ltr 16v Esprit. This idea them morphed into a 1.9TD being fitted.

Without a real plan i decided to start stripping the car to see what i had so out came the panels in the engine bay along with the fuel tanks, which to my suprise are in pretty good condition. It was at this time that i really started to have a look at how the Esprit is built and designed, the more i looked the more impressed i was. Having fair experience with GRP cars, the Esprit added a new dimension to ways of doing things for me. This is when the measuring tape came out and numerous hours were spent making notes of different measurements.

The Esprit has always been a favourite of mine but my ultimate car has always been the Ferrari F40, but like most i realised i would never afford the £350,000+ price tag, let alone the running cost that come along with this car! So for the last 9 years on and off i have been producing, along with help from my father, a replice F40 body. The project was initially started by someone else, who started it in 1989 after falling in love witht the car at the motor show release.

My plan from the start was to make my own chassis based on the original designs of the F40, but since owning the Esprit i have decided to use it as a donor. Once i have stripped my Esprit, my F40 body will be fitted over it and i will make a complete floor pan that fits over the chassis. So my F40 body will be a direct replacement for the Esprit body.

I'll add some pictures a little later, comments good or bad always appreciated

Cheers

[karmavore]

Oh boy....

[arbell9]

Sounds like a marmite project, some will hate it some will love it..

Be prepared for the partisan crowds to throw you to the lions lol

The pictures will make for interesting viewing, please do post them

[red vtec]

Could be interesting I looked at an F40 the other week on a Pistonheads run, they have a lot of engine!

I'd like to see a TDI fitted as I have seen this done in an R8

[plasticfantastic]

Hi all,

Thanks for the welcome and the comments.

This is My Build thread of the F40. Here's a few pictures to give you an idea, please note these pictures are from different stages of building the body plug and most are quite old now.

Comments always appreciated...

Cheers

[simonb]

You would need to find out how much the Esprit body is part of the structure, with GRP and backbone chassis working together (as I understand it) rather than a separate chassis and unstressed body.

Given that your F40 body does not look very structural, i think you will need a decent roll cage anyway, so it may be better to look to design that as a spaceframe chassis, then you are not stuck with compromises of Esprit wheelbase, tunnel and front suspension

[karmavore]

1) How do you make something like that from nothing??? It blows my mind.

2) With all that skill why not design something of your own? This blows my mind as well.

[plasticfantastic]

I dont think there will be too many issues with the tub as a structure, once the rear bulkhead, footwells, floors and tunnel go in it will be very strong. Also this plug will be destroyed once the mold is made and the finished moldings will include carbon/kevelar in the lay-up. I will also build in a roll hoop, door bars and dash bar into my tub. I have fair experience with GRP monocoque cars so dont really see this set up as an issue.

So far i have a few ways i plan to tackle the wheelbase issue, i plan to make a cradle that will bolt into the rear end, into all the old suspension pick up points. This will then move all the suspension backward and outward, but will keep all original suspension.

Many tricks are used to make something from nothing, i usually form wood, alloy, cardboard or tape into whatever for i want, then into fibreglass. Lots and lots af sanding and filling!

At one time i did plan to make my own design, but deep down i knew that i would never make anything more appealing to me than the F40.

Are there many differences between the s3 and s4 chassis?

Cheers

[OwenGT3]

I love it! I've checked your thread out, fantastic work.

You are lucky to have all that room to build it, I wish I had as much space. Building 1:1 is so much fun!

I've started to think what to make next after my at-st project is finished, I've already started to look into the build structure and want to do a car. I'm planning and hope to build a 1:1 Lotus 72, a full steel, fibreglass and wood replica. It will take some years, but well worth it. Again, like yourself an impossible car for the likes of me to own, so just build yourself a replica!

Keep up the good work, it will be nice to see it once it's finished.

Owen.

[yeller77]

Never been a big fan of kit cars, but...

I'm fascinated with your work and strangely drawn to your project!

Keep the updates coming and good luck with it!

[plasticfantastic]

Cheers for the kind comments guys, really helps to keep me motivated with the project!

[The Veg]

Good on you for having the pluck to get this far.

I just hope that if this goes into commercial production, not too many Lotii get chopped for it.

PS- nice VW pickup.

PPS- back in my teenage days I dreamed of being a car designer...was always sketching cars of my own mind's creation...would have KILLED to see them made real! Are your imagined designs really that bad that you'd rather copy a Dancing Donkey?

[plasticfantastic]

Hi all,

I do hear your concern about the scrapping of Lotii, but this is mainly for myself, plus i seem to remember that Esprit chassis could be bought new a few years back?! is this still possible? If so does anyone know what the current price of an s3 or s4 chassis is?

It wasn't that i didnt like my own designs, its just i find im able to actually finish a project and stop myself from continually refining it, if im replicating rather than creating. With such a long project i know i would go back and redesign parts and it would never end! But who knows once the F40 is molded and built, i will probably cut up an F40 shell to see what i can create!

Cheers

Glad you like the pick up! thats another project on the back burner for a while!