GRM Exclusive Reveal: Exocet Spec-A

Warren v wrote: I can't wait to get our new shop set up. We will offer a Local Motors-style "factory assembly" option, whereby you drive down your donor, strip it, split it on a two-post, and end up with a driveable roller. With at least one participant familiar with the process, it would be pretty easy to do that same-day. The idea is to have them open to the public and build up pictures and video for a nice YouTube series of video instruction manuals.

I can only imagine that doing this would multiply your sales by an order of magnitude.

Yes. As much as I would like to do it in my garage, the ability to do that would absolutely rock.

When do you expect the new shop to be set up?

Me too. I happen to have a running, but rough turbo Miata sitting in my dad's garage. The notion of towing it up to Atlanta, and towing one of these home in it's place is damn interesting.

ProDarwin wrote: Yes. As much as I would like to do it in my garage, the ability to do that would absolutely rock. When do you expect the new shop to be set up?

Heh, we were promised May 1st. City of Atlanta has been dragging their feet on permits. Our latest target is July 1, but we're expecting end-of-July. The good news is that it's an amazing location and building. We made friends with a guy that owns an exotic food distributorship (think truffles), he bought a complex with a separate building they didn't need. We negotiated for the space, and they're rebuilding it to our exact wishes. We had to promise the owner that we'd do some solid donuts inside the main shop before he'd let us sign the lease. Starting up a project like this is awesome when there are enthusiasts everywhere willing to help you along.

z31maniac wrote: You keep making me more and more interested in building one of these cars.

Ditto. Dear Warren: please go away and stop tempting me. Sincerely, All Too Likely Customer.

ddavidv wrote:

z31maniac wrote: You keep making me more and more interested in building one of these cars.

Ditto. Dear Warren: please go away and stop tempting me. Sincerely, All Too Likely Customer.

Building one of these necessitates a tow rig since I'd make it a track-only car (not sure if I'd keep it street legal).

So over the next 2 years I need to get privacy fence done, concrete poured on the side of the house, trailer/truck and the cash saved up to buy the kit.

Now to convince the wife she doesn't REALLY want to go on vacation.

Warren v wrote:

DeadSkunk wrote: So, now that the Exocet is taking off there should be some rust free shells sitting around for us northerners.

The first photo above, combined with the quote above, made that red hood resemble (in my mind at least) a wing. So the green Miata would, er, take off...

Warren, can I borrow the stencil used on the front of your Miata once I place my order for an Exocet? I'll probably still be driving the miata around for a bit, maybe even doing a few autocrosses

ProDarwin wrote: Warren, can I borrow the stencil used on the front of your Miata once I place my order for an Exocet? I'll probably still be driving the miata around for a bit, maybe even doing a few autocrosses

Nice. It's actually a vinyl sticker, matte white. Here's the file: http://i.imgur.com/r5C9Sr0.png

Change of donor for the UTCC car. '99 for $900, some damage from spinning into a guardrail, but mechanically perfect.

This whole Miata donor concept works so well for cases like this.

crazy how bad is the other side?

Jaynen wrote: crazy how bad is the other side?

Not bad, just took out the quarter panels and a wheel. We're gunna replace the rear left a-arms just in case, probably the rear subframe, too.

Kevin bagged and tagged most of it today. I was doing some fiberglass trimming when he tossed me the keys. (I dusted my suit beforehand, don't worry about our future office chair).

Check this video out: https://www.facebook.com/video/embed?video_id=10100547242982599

Warren used two very interesting and unexpected words in an email to me today. He's obviously insane. Fair to say that no matter what madness gets suggested in this thread, Warren is way ahead of you and has come out the other side.

Just get some kits into peoples hands (like Keiths hehe)

Keith Tanner wrote: Warren used two very interesting and unexpected words in an email to me today. He's obviously insane. Fair to say that no matter what madness gets suggested in this thread, Warren is way ahead of you and has come out the other side.

And what 2 words would those be?

"Turbo" and "LS1."

unk577 wrote: And what 2 words would those be?

I suspect it was the phrase "remote control". I was talking about our weight distribution numbers with a driver, driver and passenger, and no one in the car. I referred to the "empty" state as "remote control", I think he might have thought I was being serious. Of course I was joking...it's not like I have a hydropneumatic expert friend who keeps begging me try it out...

Always bugged me how Grant on the Mythbusters uses an electric motor on all their full size RC builds. It's always too slow for a human controller to get feedback on their inputs. An Exocet with power steering coupled with a high pressure hydropneumatic system would be able to keep up with steering inputs at around 900 deg/sec and eliminate their see-sawing issues...

Just sayin.

Jaynen wrote: Just get some kits into peoples hands (like Keiths hehe)

No kidding. Thankfully our tube supplier hit some good milestones today as far as retooling and programming goes. They also ordered the stock required for the first 10 cars. Hopefully we'll get some lasers poking holes in things later next week. I dunno if I'm allowed to say anything yet, but we have another very cool partnership that we cemented today with a Georgia-based automotive electronics company. They're going to use an Exocet as their demo/show car, and we'll have a provider for a custom lightweight Exocet electrical harness and ECU. Definitely a game-changer. With their harness, it will almost makes sense to buy the Miata bits piecemeal instead of tearing down a donor.

Warren v wrote: and we'll have a provider for a custom lightweight Exocet electrical harness and ECU. Definitely a game-changer. With their harness, it will almost makes sense to buy the Miata bits piecemeal instead of tearing down a donor.

NICE!

What type of ECU? What would be excellent is if the engine portion of the harness still matched the pin outs of XXXX year Miata, so people could still buy pre-assembled MegaSquirts or AEM's instead of having to custom build one with different pin outs.

Or are they going to be interested in keeping the two products locked together?

I can understand why they would, but I'd be seriously interested in a harness for these.

Oh another question, where are the "jack pads" located on this frame?

I'm guessing no one wants to put jack stands on that nice tubing when doing maintenance.

Harness and ECU will be separate. Should be useful for SM racers, too. ECU connectors stay. ECUs are an entire line of megasquirts.

There are specific jacking points, located at the corners of the floors. They are welded on 3/8" square stock, should be enough for any jack pad. If you use a rubber pad quick jack, place it under the joint at the middle of the floor. That has been FEA'd to 3x half-chassis-weight without crushing the tube.

Awesome. Awesome! AWESOME!

The last two sets of bodywork were a great demonstration on how color affects the visual impact. They have the exact same prep methods, same polishing schedule, same surface finish.

Reflection on bright orange (RAL 2009):

Orange panels:

Reflection on a dull-color grey (this is the top of the trunk cover):

Same grey panel (RAL 7043):

Order bright colors, or get something dark. Middle of the road colors aren't going to pop.

We've had a lot of red orders (RAL 3001):

Even deep blue looks good (RAL 5002):

I think a bright color goes well with dark powdercoated frame anyway

I'm thinking ours is going to have dark body panels and a bright frame. Heck, we want to show off the frame anyhow.

You would not believe how many of the staff at FM is considering building one of these themselves. I'm looking forward to seeing it in person.

That is great Keith. I like the bright frame idea myself. I think either way you want to create contrast