Just day-dreaming; wouldn't it be relatively easy to create a locost version of the KTM Xbow? When you look closely, you can imagine having a panelled spaceframe, with only a few GRP panels over it (the orange parts). The rest is pretty straight forward (huge flat floor over entire length and width, flat panels around passenger cell). There are millions of interesting fwd donors out there, providing a suitable drivetrain.
I know the Sylva R1ot (Riot) is similar underneath the skin, but the skin is too much "sevenesque" for my taste.
Ok, the Xbow is a bit too much "transformer-robot-in-disguise" for my taste, but at least it looks modern.
The Atom is also very feasible (as succesfully proved by some members on here), but the xbow offers just a bit more protection against the elements. And is different.

Looks canny, who's going to be first to go for it??

[Edited on 28/1/08 by coozer]

I don't think that you can make it "locost".
You can probably make it cheaper, but take it from someone who knows, my last car cost over £8000 in parts and so far my Motaleira has cost nearly £14500.
And that is making most of the parts myself.
On the surface, most cars look simple, but there are a myriad of parts and any complex shapes are going to cost you more.

nitram how the hell have you spent that much so far? any updates and pics btw??

ROB

I like the XBow, I think it looks wicked. But I think that a copy would look crap as it would only take a panel or two to be out of line or at the wrong angle and its game over.

Also the thing I like about the xbow is the carbon on the tub. Not locost atall.

quote:

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Originally posted by nitram38
I don't think that you can make it "locost".
You can probably make it cheaper, but take it from someone who knows, my last car cost over £8000 in parts and so far my Motaleira has cost nearly £14500.
And that is making most of the parts myself.
On the surface, most cars look simple, but there are a myriad of parts and any complex shapes are going to cost you more.

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Hi Marcel, I like your thinking. I think that if you can go for a one doner car then it should be comparable to a 7 type build. I would go for cortina uprights from rally design.
I might sketch a few ideas on paper to see what a x-bow inspired car would look like. I don't think a straight replica would be a good thing.

Keep me updated.

Nah, I'm not talking about a straight replica. That would be daft. You'll just end up with a poor copy.
But I'm talking about a similar car (mid engined), with some strategically designed GRP panels, which cover up the typical "panelled spaceframe" design. It doesn't need much. I think the orange panels on the XBow are very clever in hiding an otherwise bulky tub. And they give the car an agressive stance, with the "bumper" and headlight arrangement. And yet it's only using three of those coloured parts.

I'm just amazed how little midengined kits there are (in the lower price regions) while the ammount of donors is soooooooo huge.

I see that rocks kicked up by the front tires have nearly a straight line-of-sight shot at the radiator, where the rocks will then pile up at the base of it... or at least that's how it looks.

You will be surprised how things mount up. £1875 for a low mileage R1 (650 miles), Alloy Radiator (custom £180), MK stainless manifold (£240), LSD Diff £350, Seats £300 (counting the pads and mount brackets), power commander £150, trickshifter £395, veypor dash (£150 s/h), Aero wishbone (£7 per metre, total £138) Air Suspension kit (£850, varies ride height), Rod ends (about £150), titan steering rack £475, uprights (about £500 including new hubs) Wheels & tyres (prorace + toyos £450), Tube rolling (£250), Carbon Mods cycle wings(£303 for 2 pairs), Chassis steel (£134), Reverse starter kit (£334), plus lots more for nuts and bolts, engineering and plating, wilwood pedals and calipers, innovate lambda gauge, spa oil and water gauge, savage switches, gel battery, atom nose, bubble screens, handbrake plus cables, paddleshift cable, etc .

It soon mounts up!
My prices are for all new as I want a new reg.
You could make a lot of this yourself from secondhand, but you still have to make bucks, moulds, panels and paint them too!

Rob check my archive for pics, I don't want to hi-jack this thread!


[Edited on 28/1/2008 by nitram38]

KTM have saved money by not specing seats in the X-Bow.

I don't think it looks quite right. More right than the new GTM



But still not quite right.

Crikey!!! well that's a crock of something if ever I saw one....The KTM on the other hand is the danglies.

Will be tad later than I really hoped due to the way seats of gone but there will be something equally as mad as the x-bow..

hi newbie on here, just come across this post while searching through. i am in the process of building a ktm locost, do people think there would be a market for it?