Million Dollar Skunksworks Kirkham - Page 26

1ntCobra · #1 (**permalink**) 09-06-2009, 08:56 PM

So where can we find the book online?

So I suppose the book in its current form might cost a bit less than your aluminum hard top option? I guess I have to take it off my Christmas wish list.

Perhaps a version of the book with regular binding (instead of the billet aluminum cover) could be produced at a somewhat more affordable cost?

Quote:

Originally Posted by David Kirkham

As for the book being for sale...

It is best to be honest about the situation here. The book takes right at 30 hours to make. 26 hours of machine time, 2 hours to polish everything, and 2 hours to assemble it. The printing is about $200 each copy, as the book is 300 pages long and the pages are all from "cover stock" paper.

This does not count the over 400 hours to write the book, the programming, or the design time.

When Larry got the book, he said it was much nicer than the book he got with his McLaren F1. That made me smile! It made me think all the work was worth it.

Full disclosure--I also gave a copy of the book to Jamo and one to Ron Richards. Now, there will be some who think I am trying to bribe, cajole, coerce, bully, beg, whatever, the moderators on this site. Well, they can think what they want.

The fact is, Jamo has helped our company for many, many years with legal advise. He has never asked for a dime in return--never. He helped my sister when she was first starting out in law. He has been a dear friend of ours for a long time. Those who see him moderate on this site know he is fair and will call me (and anyone else) an idiot when I deserve it. True friends do that sort of thing. If your friends won't tell you, no one will.

Ron Richards is the Kirkham Registrar for SAAC. He spends countless hours tracking the history of our cars--all without any compensation. Our company has been blessed with wonderful customers who have become our friends over the years. Ron Richard's wife thanked me for the book in an email, "My tears tonight are full of joy for you and your family." I hope he doesn't mind I posted that. They both called immediately upon receiving the book thanking me. I have been more than paid for the book. It was the least I could do for the many years they have helped us. Another dear friend of mine once told me, "You need to take care of your friends, or you won't have any."

Because of the expense of making the billet book, and realizing there are some who want to read the book and can't afford it, I decided to publish it on the web. I have decided to publish it online so everyone can read it who wants to see it. Sure, the book is cool to have in your hands. Sure I'd like to make a million of them and sell them. But it is simply out of reach for some people as the machine time is pretty extensive.

The book has 72 pages dedicated to making the aluminum body. Many of our secrets for making the aluminum body are laid out in detailed photos and descriptions. Alloy selection, including F1 material selection, is detailed in the book. Much of that information was given to us for free by experts in their respective fields...now we want to pass it on too, for free.

An Army Of Davids by Glenn Reynolds of www.instapundit.com (A great site, BTW) says the world is changing. I want everyone to be part of the information revolution who wants to be. Information is king. Supreme Court Justice Louis D. Brandeis once said "Sunshine is the best disinfectant." With the web, sunshine is now free.

David

David Kirkham · #2 (**permalink**) 09-07-2009, 07:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1ntCobra

So where can we find the book online?

So I suppose the book in its current form might cost a bit less than your aluminum hard top option? I guess I have to take it off my Christmas wish list.

Perhaps a version of the book with regular binding (instead of the billet aluminum cover) could be produced at a somewhat more affordable cost?

The book will cost much less than the aluminum hard top option

I am waiting on a quote for a standard binding, but I am afraid it will still be quite expensive because they will want to print 500 or a 1000 books. At a $100 printing price (just guessing here) that would be $5,000-$10,000 in books sitting until a lot of people bought the books. Maybe I should give Trevor a call and see what he thinks.

David

RedBarchetta · #3 (**permalink**) 09-04-2009, 09:29 PM

Wow, great book! Perhaps it's actually a Kirkham I can afford!

COBRANIP · #4 (**permalink**) 09-04-2009, 09:44 PM

O.K. It's a dirty job but SOMEBODY has to ask........Is this book "real" or just a replica of a book......? Or, based on the pictures of the "book" am I just dreaming?

Jamo · #5 (**permalink**) 09-04-2009, 11:19 PM

Oh...it's real.

I know one thing...after wiping fingerprints off the cover numerous times today, I damn glad mine doesn't have a polished finish.

Paul F · #6 (**permalink**) 09-06-2009, 08:32 AM

Once again, a couple of guys that are first-class. Thank you David, you're very kind.

John Seagraves · #7 (**permalink**) 09-06-2009, 05:34 PM

Dear David,

How do I buy the build book??? I am planning to order a Kirkham in the future, but until then I would like to buy a copy of the build book. I have followed all the pictures of the build and I couldn't be more impressed. Please let me know how to get the book.

Yours truly,

John Seagraves

David Kirkham · #8 (**permalink**) 09-07-2009, 07:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Seagraves

Dear David,

How do I buy the build book??? I am planning to order a Kirkham in the future, but until then I would like to buy a copy of the build book. I have followed all the pictures of the build and I couldn't be more impressed. Please let me know how to get the book.

Yours truly,

John Seagraves

Thanks for the kind words. I really do appreciate them.

I will talk to my brother and figure out a price for the book. The book has many more photos than this thread. Send me a private message here on Club Cobra with your email and I will get back to you. Or, you can call the office. I will not be in until quite late tomorrow, however.

Thanks again!

David

David Kirkham · #9 (**permalink**) 09-07-2009, 07:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul F

Once again, a couple of guys that are first-class. Thank you David, you're very kind.

Thanks!

David

David Kirkham · #10 (**permalink**) 09-07-2009, 07:57 PM

I always liked this photo. The shadows in the mountain form an arrow pointing right into the driver's seat. My sister (in the film industry) calls things like that a "happy accident."

David Kirkham · #11 (**permalink**) 09-07-2009, 08:12 PM

The small picture in the middle is of our billet calipers. Once, when I was talking to him on the phone, I mused out loud that we had made billet calipers, so why couldn't we make a billet chassis? He immediately jumped on with the idea. I had no idea what I had gotten myself into!

David Kirkham · #12 (**permalink**) 09-07-2009, 08:21 PM

This is when I delivered the first car to Larry at his home. He called and got his first car that was our SEMA car. He didn't like the side pipes and so we made him a new car with rear exit exhaust. (That request was really the genesis of the whole project). Notice his driveway is made from white granite. His home and landscaping is amazing beautiful. There was serious hardware behind those cedar doors. Behind me is a Bentley GT.

David Kirkham · #13 (**permalink**) 09-07-2009, 08:24 PM

I took a picture of the footboxes to represent my "dream" of making the car of our dreams. The picture is actually of the polished stainless steel heat shields on the driver's footbox. If you look closely, you can see the reflection of the motor mount in the far right of the photo in the footbox.

David Kirkham · #14 (**permalink**) 09-07-2009, 08:43 PM

That is the end of the "Introduction." I'll post the chapter on "Billet Chassis Design Team" tomorrow. If anyone has any questions or comments, I'll be happy to answer them! I'll try to post the pdf of the "Introduction" tomorrow as well so you can see the pictures and writing more clearly.

David

LoBelly · #15 (**permalink**) 09-08-2009, 12:08 AM

Hello David

Have you considered the services like:

www.lulu.com

or

www.blurb.com

that would enable you to 'create' your book and for those who want it to get it published on demand (perhaps on CD/DVD)

ta
LoBelly

computerworks · #16 (**permalink**) 09-08-2009, 10:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LoBelly

Hello David

Have you considered the services like:

www.lulu.com

or

www.blurb.com

I looked into those for David. Lulu doesn't do 12x12 format...
...and Blurb wholesale cost would be about $200 per book.

David Kirkham · #17 (**permalink**) 09-08-2009, 10:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LoBelly

Hello David

Have you considered the services like:

www.lulu.com

or

www.blurb.com

that would enable you to 'create' your book and for those who want it to get it published on demand (perhaps on CD/DVD)

ta
LoBelly

We made the book in a 12" x 12" format. Lulu doesn't have any way to take a book in that format. We made the book that way because it is unique and our literature over the years has been in a square format.

If you know of anyone else who can publish that size, please let me know!

David

David Kirkham · #18 (**permalink**) 09-08-2009, 10:52 AM

I can see Ron beat me to it! (I had to run to the back to check on some machine work.)

David Kirkham · #19 (**permalink**) 09-08-2009, 01:16 PM

Next Chapter:

David Kirkham · #20 (**permalink**) 09-08-2009, 01:23 PM

The "Billet Design Team" chapter starts with a Michelangelo quote: "The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short but in setting our aim too low and achieving our mark."

We set the goal very high on this car. All the members of the design team set their own personal goals for the project very high.

David