What's the demand like or interest for aluminum cobra body's
 

I mean, sure a well made full aluminum body including hood trunk and doors is expensive. But what would be an amassing price for a full aluminum body? Ideal price?

I believe that something is worth only what people are willing to pay. And I'm curious to see if there is such a demand.

Aluminum body's is what I make all day long. Mk4

Carlos,

Original Cobras came with aluminum bodies, hence the interest in them still, even on a replica chassis.

The trick for you, and the market to target, would be the Factory Five chassis. if you could build an aluminum Cobra body as a straight bolt on to their chassis, say for under 10K (US FUNDS), you could be on to a whole new segment of the market.

If you are planning to go head to head with Kirkham, McClusky, or Kimmons here in the states, you are in for a real uphill battle, as they have the history for doing things right, and you have no history at all in the Cobra/Shelby circles.


Just my two cents worth.


Bill S.

Thanks Bill. I think you are absolutely right. I asked out of curiosity. Just to get an idea . I wouldn't take it that far. They get rich. I just want to make a living doing what I know best. There is a huge difference.

Again, I asked out of curiosity. I believe I got the best answer and close to what I was expecting. I'll surprise a few people here in a couple of weeks. That's all I can say for now ;)

I agree with Bill that your target market would be Factory Five as they have sold more cars than any other replica manufacturer. I think even that would be small segment of them though. Originalists want aluminum bodies and a lot of FFR owners aren't overly obsessed with originality. The frame would have to modified to add the AL body as there's no tubing around the cockpit to support the body. Door/hood/trunk frames would also have to be made and skinned in AL to fit.
Now maybe THAT would be something more profitable... pre-made door/hood/trunk frames skinned in AL to fit FFR. Something to think about.
Larry

Didn't someone else try to crack this market by posting here? I don't recall there being too much interest.

Oh, it was you and here:

http://www.clubcobra.com/forums/all-...e-go-here.html

I would try to offer something different that the others aren't offering in abundance. Narrow Hip 427 bodies and 289 Slab Sides. If you can offer those with an inexpensive FFR chassis you might just have something?

Since you work at alloycars, just ask the owner?

Too many different opinions to get a true feeling for what the market might do especially since we are talking replicars. Wonder how I would have felt if when looking for a kit a reasonably priced aluminum body was available.
Will be interesting to follow.

OK, I'm going to go out on a limb here with some questions and follow with some sage advice...

First, you are asking questions about a market that I think you don't really understand.

Second, you work for a company that does aluminum bodies in some kind of volume. If the market were there what makes you think that they wouldn't be in it already?

Third, you sound like a young person or at least a person without much business background. If you've never started a business before, you are going to spend a lot of time getting the business going and growing it. You won't be left with much time to implement it.

I'm not asking any question here that any savvy business backer (bank or venture capitalist) won't ask you. Unless you already have enough money to start up, they will ask you "What is your product and business plan?"

No matter what, the TAM (total available market) for an aftermarket alloy body is small, would be saturated quickly with little continuing business after the gap is filled, and it is purely labor intensive and cyclical.

Good luck.

Another topic by the (then?) owner:

http://www.clubcobra.com/forums/all-...-opinions.html

Total available market size is an important consideration. Shucks who would be willing to risk their investment dollars on a product that at best only sold a few hundred pieces in its first incarnation before the manufacturer chose to stop producing it and later had to closed its doors. Even worse the last fifty or so copies took a couple of years to unload. I mean, really, what kind of ROI or business opportunity could that possibly represent? ...

Ed

Have you talked to replica manufacturers about supplying bodies as an upgrade to fiberglass? Might be an option...

As the owner of an "entry level" Cobra (under $35 thou) I would not even want an aluminum body if offered one for the same price as fiberglass. First, having owned an aluminum bodied car before, I have no interest in dealing with incidents or major or minor body damage. Fiberglass is an easy fix. I also don't see it adding anything to resale value. I don't see an aluminum body adding value to a vehicle with Mustang II suspension.

Maybe we should re body all of the early cars with fiberglass, then. I think a number of us would have gladly made the upgrade, if the price were right.

I think if ali hood/trunk and doors were available as retrofits, or better still offered to the main supplier as a factory-based option when the customer orders, then there would be a real market with the right cars (ERAs?). i have asked about this a few times in the UK, and its simply too expensive for a single (unskilled) individual like me to comission a one of for a single car. But maybe there is a margin in the numbers. I know that there are C and D type Jag replicas that have (or had) this kind of option available to potential buyers as a half way house between a GRP skin and big money full ali body fitout, but only available at the point of the original sales order.

There's been some great, straight-up advice here, and I'll just add my agreement and a couple of thoughts.

First, the idea of building an accurate alloy body that would fit on a Factory 5 chassis is an excellent one. The chassis themselves are reasonably good round tube jobs, and if the finished cost with an aluminum body that sits well and looks correct falls somewhere between the cost of a finished high-end 'glass car and a Kirkham, you might be onto something good.

Secondly, if you can convince FFR to offer your aluminum body (or parts like hood, doors, trunk, etc.) as an attractively priced option from the factory, their sales and marketing machinery might just produce the volume required for it to be viable. The big important kicker would be that it would have to be that much lower in price to stop a potential buyer from thinking "Why not just step up and buy a Kirkham?"

Other manufacturers like ERA, Unique, Hurricane and Superformance might also like to be able to offer alloy body parts as reasonably priced options or retrofit upgrades to existing customer cars.

Buyers who favor a modern day car that simply looks like a Cobra will likely be happier with a fiberglass body; and only those looking to build an accurate replica will shell out extra for an alloy body which, in truth, offers no REal advantage other than bragging rights. These buyers will not stand for a car that does not look right or have the correct stance, details and overall appearance that makes a Cobra really look like a Cobra.

It's an intriguing idea that I really hope turns out to be viable. Good luck and keep communicating. Maybe show us some more pics of the bodies/cars you've already built.

Buzz

This could make some sense. If FFR was interested they would supply him the necessary pattern cars (otherwise he'd have to buy at least two as part of his "factory" just to fit the parts to), and basically act as a subcontractor to FFR. FFR then absorbs all of the warranty costs (which anyone with a component supply knows has to be accounted for as a liability).

Just to avoid confusing the original poster: None of the cars listed here are interchangeable. If you happen to garner a contract with FFR and say SPF, each will require unique tooling, and you'll have to have a fitmobile from each one of them.

The volumes available here don't have a ROI that works, or I think it would have already been done. Surely, if FFR and SPF could offer an alloy body at a price point between their glass cars and Kirkham don't you think they would?

I think you'll be better in the one off custom car business. The work I saw on the website does look nice. And you'll get paid a lot better.

The FFR body, doors, trunk and hood are listed for about $6,700.

If FFR would be willing to discount the price of the base kit by about $5,000, you would only be talking about the difference in cost (whatever that would be).
But I have no idea if they would be willing to do that.

If so, it might be a little more feasible than it first seems.

SPF did make a car (or two?) with an aluminum body, I've seen it. I was told it was a cost study sort of thing but it was decided it wasn't profitable and they dropped the idea.
Larry

I know. Lance offered me the opportunity to buy their development CSX9000 alloy car. It would have been a heck of a car, but the haggled down price (with power train) was 200K.

This doesn't pan out. Noone is going to be able to hammer out by hand an alloy body for $10K above the price of a glass shell.