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-   -   Is Hurricane Motorports still in business? (http://www.clubcobra.com/forums/all-cobra-talk/94953-hurricane-motorports-still-business.html)

BMK 02-25-2009 01:20 PM

Hi all,

I am surprised to see this Thread.

Having spent a week with Jay and the gang in Texas I was very impressed with the cars I saw. The blue Cobra was well finished and certainly looked the part.

I had the opportunity to view the new premises and really listen to plans for the future. At the time it looked very bright.

I really hope that Hurricane continues and as 392cobra has just said above, I believe under Jay's control the company has a future.

I do know things are tough over there - and here - and it is possibly a "..let's place it in hold" approach.

Mmmm maybe Jay or one of the gang will chime in here.

With a great product and strong management there certainly is a future for the business.

Bernie

Joe Wicked 02-25-2009 04:10 PM

Bernie,
Jay is no longer with Hurricane. That ended mid summer last year. Fred was stating that he believes that was the Fatal Mistake that they made. Not letting Jay run the company.

4RE KLR 02-26-2009 07:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 392cobra (Post 924128)
Just my opinion but their first major (possible fatal) phuck up was not letting Jay Nordstrom run the company.

Fred,
I think everyone will tend to agree with you.

However,
Some would call what is going on ... Karma!
:JEKYLHYDE:JEKYLHYDE:JEKYLHYDE

jdean 02-26-2009 02:19 PM

So true. I know I was seriously considering putting a deposit on a Hurricane so long as Jay was involved. I think there were more than a handful of us lined up at the time.

elmariachi 02-28-2009 09:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by patrickt (Post 923605)
Why on earth would anybody buy a company just to let it go out of business?:confused::confused::confused:

I think they bit off WAY more than they could chew. I visited the shop in October and was ready then to lay down the cash but with no guarantee of a date, I didn't. Finally in December they called me to come up and look at frame #1. Even then they didn't have a body completed and cited "struggling with the chemicals and temperatures" at their East Texas fiberglass shop. With no end in sight I wound up buying the turn-key minus Hurricane #6 from Burgs and don't regret it one bit. Its been great fun meeting the owners on the Hurricane forum and tearing apart and rebuilding this car to my liking has been a blast. Its a shame that such a wonderful car with really great owners is without a producing company to grow the brand and resale value.

elmariachi 03-05-2009 01:19 PM

For those interested parties:

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcont...1.4ab5a94.html

patrickt 03-05-2009 01:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elmariachi (Post 926916)


Oh yeah, now that's good news. :p

elmariachi 03-05-2009 01:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by patrickt (Post 926917)
Oh yeah, now that's good news. :p

Sorta like John DeLorean's demise, only without all the snow. :D

Prof 03-05-2009 02:09 PM

Sad! Jay N. was high on their product...so were the guys at KCM/Plano,TX location.
IMO, another "Unique Performance" situation where everything gets auctioned off, and vultures look for great deals.
I, too, am glad that I went with a different manufacturer after inspecting Hurricane's move and other situations. Didn't feel right--now I see why.
Sad!
Paul

jwd 03-05-2009 02:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jwd (Post 923607)
I'm guessing it was a combination of lack of research and the state of the economy.

Jim

Well, I stand corrected. The reason for failure is that they are crooks.

From Star Telegram.com
White “misappropriated and misapplied” much of the money, using it to finance his son’s car-racing career, to purchase Hurricane Motorsports, and to purchase a home and other property, the suit states. Hurricane has been seized and is in the possession of a court-appointed receiver.

cab 03-05-2009 03:56 PM

just read that too ,Hang um by his ball's I say.....

fastraxsg 03-05-2009 08:29 PM

A bit of Middle East justice should work nicely, crooks get a hand cut off, usually the left one...have to eat and wipe with one that way....

YerDugliness 04-29-2009 11:37 PM

I made a stop by the previous factory in Arlington, TX last week. There was a sign on the door that all assets were under the control of a receiver with information on how to get hold of the receiver. Most of the HMS assets were there (the fiberglassing operation is in a different city), although the receiver didn't know very well which went with the Hurricane business and which did not.

I took a lot of photos and put the best of them into a Photobucket album, the link is listed below. I might mention that you'll see a lot of shop tools, but not all go with the Hurricane businesss....ONE drill press and ONE air compressor, that sort of thing. There was a nice shelving system with parts on it and templates. There was a lot of uncut metal for the frames and also a lot of already cut metal waiting to be welded together.

Speaking of the welding, the work done while at HM Arlington is not exactly pretty, perhaps not safe. The originally developed Hurricane frame is there (you'll see some photos with "001" on the frame), as is ol' # 002, the factory's demonstrator car originally built by Dean Lampe.

According to the private investigator who was at the warehouse, the business can be purchased with or without the demonstrator car.

There was one fairly nice body there, a few interior tubs, a couple of kits under construction that had some nice aluminum panels already installed, and a couple of newly welded frames that I would consider scrap b/c of the welds.....you'll see.

http://s227.photobucket.com/albums/d...s%20inventory/

Like others, I have high hopes that the Hurricane name will rise from the mud through which the Whites have dragged it. One thing is for sure, the business will be auctioned off (including the frame jigs AND the computer and program needed to assemble the frames). I had been holding out for Hurricane to offer a 289 model, saw a 289 style body sitting on a frame a few years ago when I visited the Lee's Summit factory but never saw them offer that body.....perhaps it was a "one off"?

Good luck to those who end up with the Hurricane assets, I'd like to see somebody resurect the brand, it had a lot of great features!

Dugly :cool:

LMH 04-30-2009 12:42 AM

The welds do look terrible!
How did you happen to get in there Dugly?
Larry

YerDugliness 04-30-2009 12:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LMH (Post 944713)
The welds do look terrible!
How did you happen to get in there Dugly?
Larry

I just walked up to the business and in through the open door. I got there around 12:30 and the PI working for the SEC receiver introduced himself and welcomed me, asked some questions, then gave me the tour. Only 30 minutes later did he ask if I were one of the two guys he was expecting to come look at the two AA/Fuel Altered racecars....they had an appointment at 1:30. When I told him I was not connected with those two individuals at all, he laughed and told me how lucky I was to have arrived at a time there was somebody there, he was there only b/c of the other two guys he expected (they did show up at the time he mentioned).

Just lucky, I guess......I was SO surprised that he was willing to let me take photos, but then I suspect it is his job to get as many interested parties as possible so why wouldn't he be willing to allow me to take photos.

I'm taking possession of a used 427 bodied small-block turnkey Cobra replica within a week or so, but still holding out hopes that the Hurricane will eventually become available again--I want to build my own someday and the Hurricane was at the top of my short list.

Dugly :cool:

cdixon 05-05-2009 07:46 AM

???? does this make the Hurricane more valuble (limited production) or less valuble....?
As an owner it doesnt make you feel all warm and fuzzy.


Chris
HM # 1094

fastraxsg 05-05-2009 08:06 AM

I've got 1081 and I'm already as fuzzy as I'll get....:D

khansmith 05-05-2009 08:55 AM

I think that it some respects it threatens the perceived value because one must expect that support and parts might be hard to find. Luckily, the reality is Hurricane has a very supportive ownership group and outside of the fiberglass parts and the frame, all the other parts are over-the-counter. Very insightful and pragmatic of Hurricane's founders to use so many suppliers to build their offering.


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