Carlisle Show

SSSammy · #1 (**permalink**) 05-15-2009, 04:55 PM

Spent today hanging with ERA and being an "impartial" witness to interested parties

This was the debut of the new ERA 289 Slabside body, which is pictured below. More about this car on the ERA forum, but it is gorgeous and well executed by ERA. Very true to the first AC cars that came over back in the day.

Just a few pics to give you a flavor, I have a lot more in the camera. Lots of GT40 pics for JRoss ..

Will go back Sat am before heading to the airport to return home.

Sam

Jim H.'s ERA GT:

ERA Slabside Prototype:

ERA Slab again, notice the wheels and knockoffs:

B&B HCS Coupe being readied for Clois:

Clois Harlan · #2 (**permalink**) 05-15-2009, 07:54 PM

I talked to Bryan this afternoon and he tells me the crowds were down this year as well as the manufacturers. Just another sign of the times or maybe it was because it was a beautiful day about 85 degrees and not a cloud in the sky and everyone was out enjoying the weather. Friday's are alway's iffy for shows like this.

Thanks for posting a picture Sammy!

Clois

jshel1 · #3 (**permalink**) 05-15-2009, 10:38 PM

Sam,

Looks great. I am envious of your trip. I watched Mecum this evening from Indy. A great week of vintage replica and the real deal between the two events. You photos are A+. Seriously, looks like the staging lanes at Mecum.

SSSammy · #4 (**permalink**) 05-17-2009, 12:17 PM

The ERA factory announced today that the 289 slab is part of the product family. Here is one more pic of the wheel, notice the custom made AC spinner ...

The FFR 33 Coupe chassis, with a 4.6 DOHC motor

FFR 33 Coupe complete with a Boss 302

Either a CAV GT40 or an Abrams Tank, not sure ...

Sam

1985 CCX · #5 (**permalink**) 05-17-2009, 01:25 PM

Thanks for posting pictures!

Clois Harlan · #6 (**permalink**) 05-17-2009, 04:51 PM

The last picture looks like Fran Hall of RCR GT 40 frame. The aluminium chassis sure looks like his! By the way Fran builds a beautiful GT 40 amoung other nice cars as well.

Clois

Cashburn · #7 (**permalink**) 05-17-2009, 05:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clois Harlan

The last picture looks like Fran Hall of RCR GT 40 frame. The aluminium chassis sure looks like his! By the way Fran builds a beautiful GT 40 amoung other nice cars as well.

Clois

That's stainless and not Fran's for sure

Cashburn · #8 (**permalink**) 05-17-2009, 05:45 PM

BTW the coupe looks promising. Where's the paint?

SSSammy · #9 (**permalink**) 05-17-2009, 06:08 PM

The above GT chassis was the CAV guys. They had a Gulf painted roller there and were telling people rollers were $75.9K. Same as the BDR folks were saying for the same chassis, if I understand correctly, and I may not ..

RCR was there, I have some pics. I was looking at their engine house and I thought: this is familiar .. then I remembered I have an abundance of pics of Dean's engine house from Hallett and RnG.

Sam

dlampe · #10 (**permalink**) 05-17-2009, 08:27 PM

Sam, Do you have any pictures of the open wheel car from RCR? I think it had an orange frame with 2 tone gray body panels.

Clois Harlan · #11 (**permalink**) 05-18-2009, 04:10 AM

Jay the Coupe wasn't ready for paint because we had to change some of the suspension from our original geometry. Need to pull some parts off and send them out for powder coating etc. Hopefully, the next pictures will have it with all of it's makeup on and ready for some time on the track. Scott Stephens at Hallet will be doing the final set-up in a couple of weeks (I hope). I have to make an appointment with him soon so I can get the absolute best set-up for track and street.

Clois

SSSammy · #12 (**permalink**) 05-18-2009, 04:23 AM

Dean, I looked through all my pics, no open wheel car from RCR, and I don't recall seeing it either. I just remember seeing two GT's there. I shot some engine pics of one of them. There was an electric Superlite

Hope it shows up at RnG

Sam

Cashburn · #13 (**permalink**) 05-18-2009, 05:00 AM

I would have to say it was the only car in the B&B booth that seemed to have a crowd around it. Interest was there.

I saw the RCR open wheel car. Looked interesting. But I think they need to get the cars they have already "developed" done first. They keep cranking stuff out, but it seems like the products that put them on the map are forgotten or not finished.

Clois Harlan · #14 (**permalink**) 05-18-2009, 09:42 AM

Thanks Jay,

I will be interested to see Tony's offering in the coming months. BDR has a standard of quality that few mfgs are willing to go to in their development.

Clois

dlampe · #15 (**permalink**) 05-18-2009, 06:10 PM

Jay, that is pretty far off base. The RCR GT40 is well developed and many are on the road and track. I have yet to see any other GT40's (except Hershel's) on the track with me to personally see how developed they are. I would welcome a chance to do that research. The superlite coupe was one of the very fastest cars at Run and Gun even with engine issues. Its easy to make a car "shiny", yet another to make it fast. RCR has done a great job of that. I love the innovative spirit of RCR which includes the single seater and the electric roadster. Innovation is how you stay relevant in a changing economy.

Cashburn · #16 (**permalink**) 05-18-2009, 07:46 PM

Dean,
Not sure if my comment was clear. I have spoken with a number of guys that have put the money out there for GTs and even the SL-Cs from RCR that have not taken delivery as promised, time slips, etc. It has nothing to do with what is shiny and what is on the race track. Simply completing one project before starting another.

It goes without question they put some innovative products out ... that Caddy deal being the top of the heap. I don't know what the definition of "many" would be, but it seems fewer than 20 GTs perhaps are on the highways (completed)?