Kirkham

Bridgett · #1 (**permalink**) 03-17-2003, 10:59 AM

Kirkham

I understand that we will never own a kirkham, But is there anyone in Texas that owns one that we can look at?

Jamo · #2 (**permalink**) 03-17-2003, 11:44 AM

Contact Brett J. Bolte of Texas, under that user name. Ask to see his "Kirkham". Tell him I sent you.

Hehehehehe........

OK--actually, "Bud Man" of Grapevine, Texas would be a great contact--wonderful car. Simply look him up in the Members List for contact info.

Bridgett · #3 (**permalink**) 03-17-2003, 12:00 PM

Thanks Jamo, we will give him a call. The guy from Grapevine that is.
We did get an oppertunity a while back to look at Bretts car. He's a great guy and let us spend some time with the car. He went above and beyond the call of duty for a couple of strangers and I can't thank him enough. He is proud of his car and rightfully so.
Thanks for the tip on Bud Man!!

4RE KLR · #4 (**permalink**) 03-17-2003, 12:01 PM

What part of Texas? There is one in Grapevine, and a new one in the Houston area. And why would you think you could never own a Kirkham? By the time you purchased a quality kit, and built it and repurched the cheap parts you get with kits, and tires and wheels and labor and ect...., You could have purchased the very best to begin with!

Never would, never could........... think positive!

Remember the very best products are the most difficult to aquire, however they will retain their quality and value, better and longer than any less expensive model.

Bridgett · #5 (**permalink**) 03-17-2003, 12:17 PM

We are from College Station. Houston would be closer than Grapevine. Who has the car? Can you give us any info?

REAL 1 · #6 (**permalink**) 03-17-2003, 01:53 PM

I would invest in a plane ticket to the DVSF. You will see a number of Kirkhams, Shelbys and others all in one location and all the owners willing to talk your ears off about them over a 3 day period.

Bud Man · #7 (**permalink**) 03-17-2003, 05:43 PM

Hi, Bridgett:

Any time you want to see my Kirkham, I will be more than pleased to show it to you. If you have the notion, it will also be my pleasure to take you for a ride in it.

Let me know, and I will plan for it. Hopefully, will see you soon.

Jim (Bud Man)

PS: Thanks, Jamo, for the kind words!

Bridgett · #8 (**permalink**) 03-19-2003, 07:08 AM

Thanks Bud Man, we will email you and see if we can get something set up. How far from College Station are you?

Gas_in_my_veins · #9 (**permalink**) 03-19-2003, 09:12 AM

Does anyone happen to know what the "average" cost of a Kirkham rolling chassis is?

Just curious if I should save more or just dream more?

Excaliber · #10 (**permalink**) 03-19-2003, 11:01 AM

About 60K I think,,,,then add motor trans etc.

Ernie

mickmate · #11 (**permalink**) 03-19-2003, 01:45 PM

Is there anyone you guys know of up in the Northeast that's as helpful and approachable as this guy? Inspiring to see such cameraderie amongst addicted motorheads!

Steve Kirkham · #12 (**permalink**) 03-19-2003, 02:26 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Excaliber

About 60K I think,,,,then add motor trans etc.

Ernie

$52,500 gets a rolling chassis. No engine, trans, exhaust or paint.

$58,000 gets a rolling chassis with the brushed finish and stripes on the body.

$61,000 gets a mirror polished rolling chassis.

Steve
Manager, Kirkham Motorsports

Lew Ledyard · #13 (**permalink**) 03-19-2003, 05:52 PM

$52,500 for a completed roller? That's less than I thought.

Lew

Excaliber · #14 (**permalink**) 03-20-2003, 12:54 AM

I would want the brushed finish myself, say $58K. But $52 would work if your gonna paint it anyway (allow $6K for that?). Add tax, shipping and misc costs (travel, etc.)? I'm thinking $60K by the time your ready for a motor!

And NO WAY you want any motor less than a 427 SO in a Kirkham? Hmmm,,,,wonder what those are going for these days? 351W would save a ton of money, it's tempting, but it just aint "right". Add a top loader, drive shaft, bell housing, etc.

$80K plus when the smoke has cleared, but could be done for less if you got "connections" or have that 427SO sitting around in your garage all ready (yeah, right)! Whats interesting about this is:
It costs about the same to build one as to buy a used one! That says a lot about their great "re-sale" value!!!! Try to match that with just about ANY other Cobra!

Ernie

mr bruce · #15 (**permalink**) 03-20-2003, 04:05 AM

How much for the FIA car(body/frame) like the one on E-bay a while back?Went for around $22K. Is that the everyday price?

jhl1963 · #16 (**permalink**) 03-20-2003, 06:34 AM

Steve, have you guys worked out any detail on the cheaper packages? aka using the jag rear e.t.c.?

Thanks,
Jordan

4RE KLR · #17 (**permalink**) 03-20-2003, 08:58 AM

Mr Bruce
Though the ERA is an excellant product, it is still a fiberglass car. Man, I know my ERA buddies will tear my head off for that one.

The ERA is the very best fiberglass product out there in my opinion. The kirkham is the very best "product" out there, period.

The very best of anything always cost a little more. In this case, very little more. I could have had a Kirkham for what I had in my Classic Roadster. I built the Classic and that does not include my time and labor. How many of us are there, that have more in our cars than we would have, if we had bought one completed. Superformance comes to mind. You can't build one for what you can buy one for. Especially in this market.

The Kirkham is the best, period

Steve Kirkham · #18 (**permalink**) 03-20-2003, 05:31 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by jhl1963

Steve, have you guys worked out any detail on the cheaper packages? aka using the jag rear e.t.c.?

Thanks,
Jordan

The prices above are the cheaper packages. As we come up with more economical options (always in keeping with the 'bolts to original' and 'equal to or better than original' rules) we incorporate them and adjust the price accordingly. Wilwood brakes and the Jaguar diff are now standard on our basic roller.
Specifically:

Jaguar Differential: It makes no noticable difference to the ride, uses exactly the same gears, and cuts significant dollars off the base price. It's actually pretty much what the AC Mk IV used. For the purists who still want our reproduction aluminum diff, it will set them back $3,500 extra. It used to be $2,500, but it's gone up.

Wilwood Brakes: They're lighter, work better, are widely available and cost less. We still offer the Girlings for the pure of heart.

So we've lowered the price of the basic roller a bit, while, as always, raising quality. Consequently we're selling at capacity now. We would dearly love to increase production, but we can't crank it up very much without compromising quality. So we're actually seeing some supply/demand issues cause a small premium in pricing.

On this same note, we like eBay because all the price dickering is taken care of by the bidders, and we KNOW when we list a car that it will sell on a certain date and time. Right now, clicking through our banner ads on Club Cobra doesn't take you to our main website, it takes you to the list of current Kirkham Motorsports' eBay auctions.

This is probably a good time to address another question: If we're selling at capacity, what are we doing with cars on eBay? It occasionally happens that a customer's personal cash flow projections get adjusted. When this happens, generally the customer asks to be bumped to the end of the waiting list. This causes cars, in varying degrees of assembly, to come available for immediate sale (eBay) while cars that haven't yet arrived in country have deposits.

jhl1963 · #19 (**permalink**) 03-20-2003, 05:51 PM

Thanks for your detailed response Steve, on my way home I was thinking that you used to quote $59.9..so the $52.5k price is indeed cheaper..hmm, gotta go talk to the wife about the fire sale you boys in Utah are having

mr bruce · #20 (**permalink**) 03-20-2003, 05:59 PM

How much for the FIA car ,like the one on E-Bay a while back?(body/frame) It went for around $22k, is that the everyday price?