Hurricane Motorsports Update
 

Hurricane Motorsports Update

Just an update to help answer some of the questions raised recently and address some of the speculation going on (even though it is quite interesting :)). We are currently in the process of evaluating our business and simultaneously catching up on some internal projects. Cars are still being built and shipped regularly during this time. We are working hard on revising our business model and product offerings for 2008. Parts of those considerations are that we are strongly considering not offering the Hurricane Roadster in a "kit" form any longer. This is the reason we are not taking kit orders currently. We are evaluating what the business looks like as a turnkey minus only operation. Sorry we don't have more concrete info to share at this point. Give us a couple of weeks and we should have a clear plan by then.


Thanks,
Rich

Thank you for clearing the speculation Rich! That helps greatly!

My 2 cents
 

Rich,

Thanks for the update. It is unfortunate that Hurricane is considering not offering kits anymore. I was ready to place my order for a Hurricane but got spooked with the latest forum traffic.

One of the great things about Hurricane is that it is a replica for the builder. There are many replicas on the market that are turnkey minus, or really not the easiest for the garage warrior to fully assemble. I have been following the Hurricane forum for quite a while and the owners are great and seem to really be thrilled to be building their dream. I visited the factory and met Mike Arps, and had a really good time, as well as my first ride in a Cobra.

Obviously you guys need to do what is right for your company, but if you decide to not offer the kit, I'll have to go back to the drawing board to find another kit, because tunkey is not for me. I know I am just one, but I think there are a lot more like me out there.

Consider my name the first on the petition to save the Hurricane kit :D Or better yet, offer turnkey minus and the kit to brinng in even more customers. I am just an engineer, not a business man, and I know there's a lot more to it.....

Save the Hurricane!!!!

Good Luck,
Mark

+1

You are actually the 2nd person in less than an hour that I have heard say they would not buy Hurricane if they could not build it.

Rich, why not offer both? Don't you guys do that now anyways?

Make that 3. Turnkey minus plus one week-end = a finished car. No fun in that. To me, building is the fun part.

Jim

Rich, thanks for taking the time from your production and business planning schedules to check in with your "public". :MECOOL:

First and foremost, as a businessman I respect the process you are going through. Not to put words in your mouth, but I'm sure you are looking at things like long-term viability, market-niche and penetration, and frankly what ultimately is the most fun day in and day out. Contemplating a shift in your approach is no easy task, but apparently y'all have reached the point of doing some soul-searching. Here's to ya.

From the brief period of time I have been studying your offering, it appears you offer very high quality in what you deliver. Your car offers the builder a great chance of success in either ending up with a period-correct car, or a modern interpretation (custom). If that can translate into competing with the obvious established players in the quality turnkey segment is the $30,000 question (uhm, not necessarily anything implied by that number!).

I do echo the sentiments of those who have already replied that personally it would be a loss if you no longer offered the kit product. There really don't appear to be any other producers of original-dimension, high-quality, correct body-shape kits at your current price level. At least not any that I feel comfortable with.

Good luck with your endeavor, and just know that there are many of us that will follow your story closely.

Add my name to the list. I would buy the kit, but not the turn key, OFFER BOTH! Just my thoughts :) JIm

Add me too.. Just a kit.
I think i'm 6 or 7.
Thanks for sharing the info,
Josh

I am sure Hurricane would not be reviewing their business plan if they were selling all the "kits" they desired. You guys need to place the order. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

Rich, thanks for (finally) weighing in. One of the hallmarks of Hurricane has always been the customer service - particularly your and Mike's availabilty and responsiveness to owners and prospective owners alike. So I'm sure you can understand that your silence and unresponsiveness to calls and emails in recent weeks was disconcerting to many of us.
As far as your business model considerations, I echo what was said by others. In approaching the Cobra (oops, sorry CS I mean roadster replica) decision, my first decision was to build or buy. I chose the build aproach and then through the process of elimination, Hurricane stood out in my mind for completeness, accuracy, quality, customer service and value.
You certainly know the business better than I, but from my standpoint, it's a pretty crowded market in the turnkey-minus arena with some big players well entrenched. But in the kit market place, when you consider the attributes I listed above, Hurricane certainly comes to the top.
Best of luck in which ever route you choose, but my recommendation would be to stay in the kit business and offer various build options up to turnkey- minus. Just my $.02!
Matt

As usual, I agree with Matt 100%. Several offer turnkeys but nobody offers a kit that is close to the quality of a Hurricane.

Jim

need both kit and turn key
 

I am in the same boat as many others posting here. I am in the research portion and will place my order by June of this year. Hurricane was at the top of my list. I want a kit i can put together with my son and not a a turnkey. I vote for having both available.

Mike

I don't see why you can't do both.
Unique Motorcars and ERA have been doing it both ways for years.

I too had decided to go with Hurricane when I was ready to order, but if they decide to only offer a turnkey I will have to go with my second choice of Factory Five. A turnkey is not for me, I want to experience the build process and enjoy the results of my hard work. I hope that they continue to offer their kit.

All,

I went with the roller due to space and time restrictions. I am happy that I did, but would like to see Hurricane continue to offer kits as well.

That being said, it is not surprising that most of the input on the forums are coming from kit interested parties. I think most of the rolling chassis purchasers do not post as frequently.

Rich, I am solidly behind the product and proud that I have a Hurricane even though I did not assemble it from the ground up. Best wishes and god's speed in getting the roller/kit product sorted out. I eagerly look forward to hearing from you and Tamara, Mike or Jason anytime regarding 1038.

Why not "at least" offer a deluxe pallet kit like Unique, if you eliminate other kit options. This way you could help to eliminate critical variance of product going out, but yet the customer could do the final finish themselves to personalize some of the remaining details. Keeps the product consistent, eliminates phone calls for you, and they still get to put their hands on it and feel like they built it. Also, you might be able to offer it more cost effectively rather than spending time on the phone dealing with customers asking you about every little part when building it in kit form. Seems like a combo that works for others COs. Just my two cents. Good luck.

Better than a full turn key for a builder, but the Unique Deluxe Pallet kit is still very complete, and I'd buy a Backdraft of SPF before going that route. A lot of us want to start with the bare frame.

Save the Hurricane!

Mark

I am wondering if the FIA, or Slabside will be part of the rearrangement of the company?

I went back and edited my post, as I was really trying to say, this:

- Why not "at least" offer a deluxe pallet kit like Unique, if you eliminate other kit options, etc.

It sounded as if they were only going to offer turnkey cars, and if they scrap doing the kits, they will certainly lose out on the home-builder crowd for sure. Otherwise they would find themselves competing with SPF and BDR which would not be a good space to compete in unless you truly offered something special and high in quality for a better price than the competitors. Sure seems like a non-profit exercise for any cheaper... ugh.

Bummer.:(
I`m also in the "research phase" of cobra building, and am pretty much hell-bent on a Hurricane as my kit of choice.
$30-40K is easier for me to "digest" over a 3-4 year span than it is to drop in one lump sum.
Now than, granted, I`m not looking at purchasing til maybe late this year or next year.
I`ll side with the others and say "Save the Hurricane!" :D