I know that I am totally crazy. I couldn't pick a worst time to be bringing to market not only new versions of my Dragon cars but also a Cobra kit too. I know that the economy stinks. I know that there are less and less people that are willing to build their own car. I know that the demand for the cars that we love is diminishing. Most of us that love the Cobra and other sports cars of the 50's and 60's are now in OUR 50's and 60's. UOCH!! I know that the younger generation hasn't grown up lusting after those cars. So, there are fewer potential customers.
It's obvious that the number of people involved in our hobby is diminishing. About 8 years ago, the now defunct Kit Car Magazine sold ( I was told)around 90,000 copies per issue. In the end is was in the 20,000 range. I go to the Carlisle show and I have been to the Knotts show. The number of people at those shows is down right miniscule.
The combination of these events has and is having a devestating effect on the companies that design, build, and sell the kits that we have been building. I won't list names but the number of companies that have folded is substantial and growing almost daily.
From a purely business stand point owning a Kit Car company is stupid! The work is long and hard. To develop the product and then to manufacture it, market it, and support it, is time consuming and expensive. How do you make a small fortune owning a Kit Car company? Start with a large one!
And, yet I can't stop waking up in the middle of the night and going into the garage to work on some part of my cars that I have had an idea for. It is a sickness. There should be a support group with monthly meetings. I would stand up and say "My name is John Chesnut, and I am a car-aholic". We would drink coffee, have snacks, and discuss ways to get through the next month without spending this months salary for the part we NEED to have!
For the past 8 years I have been working on my cars. I am never been satisfied and I have been redesigning and making improvements, it seems, almost daily. For the first time I can say that I am completely happy with the body designs, chassis design, and the C5 Corvette independent suspensions that I am using.
I have just started taking orders and delivering my 66 Snake replica. And, I have a few orders for my new C5 based Dragon. I have designed the Dragon so that the builder can customize it to their tasts. I have a full height windshield, a low wrap around one, 1 or double head fairings, or a spoiler, a Targa roof and a new Coupe version. I will show these for the first time at Carlisle in May.
If you are looking for a car with an extremely high level of performance I would appreciate you checking my cars out. My company will never be large. I like it that way. I like having satisfied customers. I will do what is necessary to make building the car of your dreams rewarding and fun. I plan to be around for some time to come! Have a great one, John
www.chesnutmotorsports.com,
www.dragonmotorcars.com
Is our hobby/passion disapearing?
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