Lets hear some good news

With lots of press coverage in certain magazines about poor customer relations in the kit car industry you would feel that all was doom and gloom . However for, every piece of bad news there is often many times the amount of  praise that can be heaped on this industry , we just don’t always hear about it ( good news is no news ) .

So here is an example of  that good news , namely my own experiences of this varied and exciting industry .

Two years ago I flicked through the pages of one of the main stream car mags daydreaming about owning this month’s super car when an ad for a Westfield caught my eye . It took a few months to persuade Sally , my wife , that a kit car build was a legitimate and of course educationally sound hobby for me and Daniel our son who was six months old at the time (well you can’t start too young can you ).

After lots of phone calls , faxes and letters we felt that a “Lotus seven inspired sportscar” was the route to take and a few days away at the Donnington show would help to narrow down the choice . Well narrow it down it certainly did  we just couldn’t seem to sit comfortably in any of the cars on the short list , a problem down to us and not the cars themselves . So we returned to the hotel and discussed our requirements over dinner and drinks and decided to look for a project that would allow Sunday blasts as well as provide a touring option for holidays but definitely two seats only ( what else are grandparents for ).

The next day we wandered around the stands talking to the various firms and watched the track activity , and a Cobra replica of some sort seemed the ideal . Armed with all the new literature the homework began again when we got home , and a new short list was compiled . It included the Dax Tojero and the Gardener Douglas 427 .

Christmas arrived and I received a wine tasting evening and slap up meal at a Nottingham School of Cuisine , (now you see the need for plenty of space ) just down the road from the Gardener Douglas factory . A visit was arranged to the factory for the same day .

From the moment we arrived at the factory we were made very welcome , even though it was apparent the factory was busy with turnkey production and preparation of their mighty race car for the Jaguar G.T. Challenge . This did not stop Andy Burrows , the M.D. , from taking the time to show us around and talk with great enthusiastiasim and knowledge about his creation the G.D.427 and the industry as a whole . The advantages of the G.D. 427 have been stated elsewhere and I have no intention of repeating them , or will I bore you with a nut by bolt build diary .  Needless to say the attention to detail and continuing development of the vehicle was plain to see , as was the attention to safety and S.V.A. testing . Its not until you get up close and personal to a project of this nature that you realise the thought and expertise that is involved in such an undertaking .

The friendly nature and enthusiasm of Andy , Meena and all of the workforce were a definite bonus and after asking lots of questions ( most of which I’m sure Andy has been asked time and time again ) , we made our way to the hotel for the wine tasting .

As we left by the factory gates we had already found the right project and soon our garage would be graced by a Gardner Douglas 427 .

Two days later and they order for the 1st stage of the build was faxed through , and the donor items sourced via the adverts in the kit car mags classified pages .Whilst waiting I watched the build video from G.D. a number of times and eventually with the help of the relevant Haynes manual and playing with the donor parts the “mysteries “ of get to the rolling chassis stage became clear .

The chassis and relevant parts were picked up one Friday afternoon and once manhandled off the roof of my estate the build continued apace . The only real problems were the filing/losing of the build manual in the wheelie bin , a new one was sent via e-mail 20 minutes later . The next headache was where exactly to run the fuel and brake lines . Again the W.W.W. world came to the rescue with Andy sending back not only detailed written directions but also a comprehensive file of digital photos that evening illustrating the various placement of lines , all this in just a couple of hours for the price of a local call .

The rolling chassis is now complete and awaiting the body which will be arriving at the end of May . The build , thanks to G.D.’s  expertise and thorough  preparation and excellent fabrication has been stress free as solutions to any problems have only been a few hours away .

I appreciate this is only my limited view of a diverse industry but I would not hesitate to recommend anyone thinking of  starting a Cobra style replica build to give Gardner Douglas a call and experience the  factory and Andy at first hand , I guarantee you will be impressed .

I realise that there are problems in the industry , but unless we see how good it can and should be how can we make a full appraisal  . Not only do we need the kit car industry to hear what we think about it  we also need to give praise where it is due , this will allow and indeed encourage all the manufactures to raise their game and give us , their customers a better service all round . This means in the end we will all benefit .

Remember criticism only works if it is constructive .

Colin Gaskell