Superformance Group's South Africa Factory Visit

[jhwalker]

Great assembly pictures.

JW

[RedBarchetta]

Talk about vertical integration! I'm surprised Jim Price doesn't have his own herd of cattle grazing in the backyard for future leather seats.

It's really great to see how well-oiled this machine truly is. I do wish they would improve the header ports and muffler flow though...that's one of the few beefs that I have with the overall construction.

-Dean

[froggyman]

[Dominik]

Originally Posted by RedBarchetta

Talk about vertical integration! I'm surprised Jim Price doesn't have his own herd of cattle grazing in the backyard for future leather seats.


-Dean

He probably has!

Years ago Jimmy told the story about Bilstein not giving him the discount he wanted, so he went and bought shares in Bilstein to get a better price! (Hence the name "J. Price" ;-)

Dom

[somedayaurora]

good eye Sundude . now you have me interested . Fingers crossed ....maybe its the 289 they were bringing out last spring .
SDR
________
Honda Aircraft Company Specifications

[mr bruce]

get down to the Mitty at Road Atlanta, first of May, you might see one in action

[somedayaurora]

Now I'm really excited , Mr. Bruce you seem to know whats up any hints ?
SDR
________
Plymouth Plaza Specifications

[emberglo66]

Wow more !!!!!!!!!!!

[mr bruce]

sworn to secrecy, gave out enough hints already ( got pichers too, but will be eliminated if I sho them)

[Johan]

Peter Brock IS the honoree at the Mitty this year...
Really great photos of an impressive operation. Thanks!

[Riverside racer]

Unfortunately it seems as if the secret is now out.The reason why this car was kept under wraps was when I initially approached Amy and Gary (Shelby America) in 2008 at Sema to produce the 289 and pay them royalties, they obviously needed something physical to approve. All sorts of research then took place, hence quite a few knowledgeable people sworn to secrecy This was done, so out of respect to Gary and Amy, they would be the first to inspect it and then on to Walter Mitty for general announcement. The global Economic picture also helped in slowing this more than somewhat. The little you are seeing are all protoype pics and are all that will be publicly posted until Amy and the two Gary`s have had a chance to check it over and hopefully approve csx status as well.Thanks to all for your generously given knowledge and for retaining your sworn secrecy which I ask you to retain until Shelby has inspected it.I`m positive you will be more than impressed with the finished article.
Regards,
Ross Henry

[froggyman]

Assembly of the MKIII





To ensure the pins are consistent throughout ALL the cars over the years, when new drilling jigs need to be made to replace worn out ones, this original pin jig is used to make the new drilling jigs...



Then the holes in the body are drilled through the precisely spaced steel guides in this tight fitting "body cap drilling jig" mold...

[froggyman]

[somedayaurora]

riverside racer are you mk2gt40 ? Also I thought this was an SPF Car ? are you hoping for a CSX 7xxx deal or just a Shelby endorsement like the SPF 427 ?
SDR
________
Yamaha yx600 radian

[Mark IV]

Deleted post[

[GR997S]

Did you see the CSX line?

[Randall Thomas]

There really is not a dedicated CSX or SPF or Nobel or Rossion line per say. All the cars are in one area. The Hi-Tech factory is run much like the very unique and efficient Kentucky Truck Plant that makes the Super Duty Fords. They are versatile enough that you could see two Mark-III's in a row followed by a Rossion, a CSX, then a GT-40 and finally a Coupe all in a row, and all being assembled at the same time. It really is quite amazing at how they can even do such a thing without total chaos, but their procedure allows them to do just about anything, whenever they want. And, it is so calm and quiet while they are working you'd think it was a doctors office. Everyone knows what they need to do and each worker is the master of their own vehicle they are working on.

Literally, if you had the influence and necessity to force all the other cars in production back behind yours, you could order, say, a Gold leaf Cobra with Chrome Silver stripes and they could certainly have the ability to start completing your car today. They are that versatile.

I was amazed to see how much individual personal care they give each car as if it were their own from the beginning to the end of the build. While it certainly is a modern production facility, there is still a vast majority of hand craftsmanship present in each car, far more than calling it a mass production line. They've just been able to figure out how to produce hand craftsmanship on a large production scale.

/Randall

[SunDude]

These photos are wonderful and really help illustrate how our cars are made. I am truly amazed at the level of skill and craftsmanship which the workers at Hi-Tech clearly possess. Very impressive!

[Randall Thomas]

And what we could *not* capture in any photo, was the incredible enthusiasm all the managers and department heads had in their eyes and voices as they showed us each facet of these their cars. you'd almost think it was THEIR company they were showing us around in! They treated each car as if it were their own, and each had a story. And here I thought WE were passionate about our cars... that was nothing in comparison to how they love them. I can't imagine how they can even "let them go" out the door after building them. If those guys weren't so tough and manly, I could almost envision them with tears in their eyes as each car left out on their long journey to the destination of each new owners.

And the workers there were as focused on each of their tasks, and I could not imagine NASA workers being any more intensely focused while building a space shuttle. One interesting thing I noted, is it was clear everyone knew what their job was, and basically did their job without the need for a normal chain of supervision you would otherwise expect. Each were perfectionists, and all were fanatics for the cars they build. And all were very, very proud of their work, their team and their cars.

It was worth every inch of the 20,000 mile trip to experience this previously hidden wonder of the automotive world, which is remembered as the bright shining of light emerging from the legendary Dark continent.

The Superformance Hi-Tech factory in South Africa was truly an automotive enthusiasts utopia, and it was difficult and sad to have had to leave these new found friends behind, who share our passion as much as we do. Then I remembered, I actually own one of their cars! And once back home, now everytime I look at my Superformance I think of my friends so far away, and while there 8 times zone separating us, their memories are relived everytime I turn the key two clicks to the right.

Randall

[froggyman]