Is slapping skin on the Exocet insane?

I have been lurking on this forum for almost a year and would like to thank all of the members for their contributions to the site. I find it to be an interesting, informative and often amusing daily part of my daily internet surfing. It has single handedly rekindled my interest in cars.

All of my life I have driven Accords and Volvos. They were serviceable and fine but not very exciting. This changed last year when I bought a Scion FR-S and now I have been infected with a bad case of Colin Chapman-itis.

This leads me to the Exocet. I have been following it on the internet on various forums on an almost daily basis for months. It seems like a well priced, well built, and most importantly for me, relatively easy kit to put together. The price is right and I don’t have to learn to fabricate suspension bits while wrestling with a Locost 7. This is huge for a guy who after swapping a transmission in the driveway on a Volvo 144 a quarter century ago has done nothing more mechanically other than changing his oil and brake pads.

I love the price and ease of the Exocet but the looks are either a love it or hate it issue. The Locost does it more for me aesthetically. Is there a happy medium? Would skinning the sides of the Exocet make a difference? I don’t want to track it, just drive it during the warm months.

Don’t take it the wrong way. It looks like a wonderful innovation in the kit car realm. Using a donor Miata with minimal modifications is a winner for the company that does it right. I was just wondering if additional panels would offer another option visually. Maybe I just want fried ice. Skinning an exo skeleton car does seem foolish but I could trade off another 75 pounds for a more traditional look or at least something more streetable and less go kartish. I am just way off base and missing the point here?

A thin aluminum Locost-style skin wouldn't add 75 lbs, I wouldn't think. Depends what you do on the nose and tail. Going with a body color frame would help somewhat, of course. The Exocet is always going to have a different set of proportions than the Locost because of a radically different set of hard points dictated by the Miata PPF and subframes.

I understand that the frame limits the options. Just wondering what can be done with panels to offer options.

I really like the Locust look with one exception. The line of the bonnet and the nose cone do not seem constant in many builds. The slope of the top of the nose cone and the bonnet often don't match if my eyes don't deceive me.

My first thought when seeing the exocet was "wow, what a great idea". Second thought is "how can I skin it to make it look less like a jailbreak from the go kart track when I drive it to work"

interested wrote: I understand that the frame limits the options. Just wondering what can be done with panels to offer options. I really like the Locust look with one exception. The line of the bonnet and the nose cone do not seem constant in many builds. The slope of the top of the nose cone and the bonnet often don't match if my eyes don't deceive me. My first thought when seeing the exocet was "wow, what a great idea". Second thought is "how can I skin it to make it look less like a jailbreak from the go kart track when I drive it to work"

I, for one, have never, ever compared the track widths and wheelbases to see what type of flares and wheel opening relocations would be required to fab a Datsun 1600 body onto an Excocet before, that would be silly.

Maybe the DBR1 MEV would be more your speed?
http://exomotive.com/dbr1/

I have seen that car. Very nice. The only completed build on the web is from the owner of the company in England.

$12,000 for the kit plus shipping, taxes and the usual. Easily $20,000 all in with the wire wheels and interior. Not saying it's not worth it, just a different price point all together than the Exocet with panel additions. I wouldn't put that together on a $2,000 donor Miata.

I dunno. Maybe I do want fried ice.

The exocet is such a sweet idea with the plug and play aspect. I am just dreaming of a $1,000 or $1,500 option to the panels. Maybe side panels or something. Sorry.

No need at all to be sorry - even the Ariel atom has optional panel inserts in both color and clear. What you are looking for is a request that others have made as well, it's just not available yet because the Exomotive guys have their hands full getting the initial cars developed and shipped.

nderwater wrote: Maybe the DBR1 MEV would be more your speed? http://exomotive.com/dbr1/

So does this body fit on the new Chassis that has been designed?

When I read the title I thought you were rubbing one out on the Exocet. I'd need a few cocktails before I thought it was pretty enough for that.

wearymicrobe wrote:

nderwater wrote: Maybe the DBR1 MEV would be more your speed? http://exomotive.com/dbr1/

So does this body fit on the new Chassis that has been designed?

Warren will have to say for sure, but I'm pretty sure no. The side rails are too high and wide to fit under that shell.

The Exomotive official answer: Nerp.

The DBR1 is a square-tube chassis that Stuart designed for that specific application. We will be importing that as-is from the UK.

As far as a skin, you could take it literally. One idea I'd love to see someone try: order an uncoated Exocet frame. Shape and weld in 3/8" round stock to form the shape of a hood, nose, tank cover, etc. Wrap the whole thing in aircraft fabric.

I know enough to not get sucked into that labor black hole, but as a personal project, it might end up kinda cool.

Bouncing off Warren v's idea;

Get some of whatever they're making convertible tops from nowadays and make a tie on rain kit for it?

My "some day in the future" build plan is to make an midlana style chassis and hack up a T top Nissan NX (t tops so I don't have to add real doors to the Midlana). If not cut up the factory metal then instead copy body panels by casting composite panels directly for the factory sheet metal. Next chop/channeling and whatever else to make it all fit with bulging fender flares

Since Warren is spending so much time twiddling his thumbs, I bet he could knock out a skinned rendering...

Warren v wrote: The Exomotive official answer: Nerp. The DBR1 is a square-tube chassis that Stuart designed for that specific application. We will be importing that as-is from the UK.

Crap, I thought they might share some standard pickup points. That would put me over the edge.

wearymicrobe wrote:

Warren v wrote: The Exomotive official answer: Nerp. The DBR1 is a square-tube chassis that Stuart designed for that specific application. We will be importing that as-is from the UK.

Crap, I thought they might share some standard pickup points. That would put me over the edge.

Yeah....the DBR1 skin changed everything about the car for me. Without that skin I really dislike the car. With it, that's the sort of thing I swoon over.

[Either way, I'm not the target market....too cheap, and not worried enough about performance. I'd rather scratch build an oddball for pennies.]

JoeyM wrote:

wearymicrobe wrote:

Warren v wrote: The Exomotive official answer: Nerp. The DBR1 is a square-tube chassis that Stuart designed for that specific application. We will be importing that as-is from the UK.

Crap, I thought they might share some standard pickup points. That would put me over the edge.

Yeah....the DBR1 skin changed everything about the car for me. Without that skin I really dislike the car. With it, that's the sort of thing I swoon over. [Either way, I'm not the target market....too cheap, and not worried enough about performance. I'd rather scratch build an oddball for pennies.]

I have the opposite problem, I have cash and minimal time to do oddball. I need an off the shelf answer,

Warren v wrote: As far as a skin, you could take it literally. One idea I'd love to see someone try: order an uncoated Exocet frame. Shape and weld in 3/8" round stock to form the shape of a hood, nose, tank cover, etc. Wrap the whole thing in aircraft fabric.

How much would a bare paneless kit cost vs a standard kit. I like this idea a lot.

wearymicrobe wrote:

JoeyM wrote: Either way, I'm not the target market....too cheap, and not worried enough about performance. I'd rather scratch build an oddball for pennies.]

I have the opposite problem, I have cash and minimal time to do oddball. I need an off the shelf answer,

...and your situation is more common. That's why there's a market for this sort of thing

First, the DBR1 and the Exocet are tow completely different cars.... the DBR1 body does not go over the Exocet chassis. If someone wanted to do that, they could in theory buy the Exocet base, modify the chassis, and then find a way to add the DBR1 body. However, the doors would then become non-functional as the side tubes of the Exocet that give the frame it's strength would need to be cut and modified. This is the reason the DBR1 has it's own frame ect. Exomotive is the US distributer of the DBR1 and has the license to sell their chassis (based on the English version) as it is, built here in the USA. Though I ordered my kit with a windshield and was able to get Warren and Kevin to work their tails off to produce the windshield design they are currently offering, I would not hold my breath for a soft top from them....yet! I on the other hand, will be using my chassis for the template that my upholsterer will be producing tops and side curtains from. I can offer pictures ect once my chassis hits the garage in September.

http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/grm-exclusive-reveal-exocet-spec-a/57663/page61/

slightly down the page I did an MS Paint of a single side panel (closes out the cabin but leaves engine bay sides open). Warren mentioned they have an idea for a second upper side panel but it seems its on the backbuner, I'd assume due to high workload at the moment.

Is slapping skin on the Exocet insane?

Absolutely not. The Exocet is a hideous eyesore as much as it's a well designed chassis. It needs a sexy skin for me to even consider it.

nderwater wrote: Maybe the DBR1 MEV would be more your speed? http://exomotive.com/dbr1/

Does not fit over the exocet US chassis, if it did I would own one.

I remember there was some early concept art for the body panels (I remember the car had humongous wheels on it) that looked pretty cool, with the whole car covered in body panels like a sportbike. Anyone remember what I'm talking about?