Elio Kit, Would You Still Buy?

[Rickb]

Welcome OCS12 and congrats on the reservation!

 

[JF]

Doesn't the P4 have a Metro/Swift engine in it? I picked one up for $100 or so a couple of years ago. If you have every thing else..... dropping an engine in isn't that difficult!

 

[OCS12]

Tha

Welcome OCS12 and congrats on the reservation!

Thanks! I've been following the car for awhile, but finally pulled the trigger.

 

[Joshua Caldwell]

It appears as though one of the bottlenecks to production is the development of the scratch-built engine. That's ambitious, admirable, and probably necessary to meet the mileage goals, but for nutjobs like me who want to either boost or swap the motor of their Elio before the new car smell has even worn off, how about offering an Elio kit before production release? There's pretty much NO regulation on kit cars, and you can start selling product that much sooner, and generating some profitable revenue THIS YEAR. Getting the cars in the hands of kit builders may have a 'halo' effect for the production car as well, since while some builders will fit theirs with a Metro motor ala the prototype, undoubtedly some will fit it with a Vtec Honda, or a Hayabusa or something really radical to make it an Atom/Caterham eating track monster with working rain gear.

As a hardcore gearhead (note the profile pic is my home-built, not hardly bought, 12-cylinder AWD Ford Escort) I'd like to have my Elio on the cover of Grassroots Motorsports drifting past a supercar even before the very first one rolls of a proper assembly line. With press like that the petrol heads would love you as much (or more) than the tree huggers. (No disrespect meant to either group)

I'm not 'all in' only because I am skeptical that feature creep, funding, and a whole host of unknowns may push the actual production date into the infinite future. But offering gearheads like me a kit sans engine and sans certain refinements and shipping it THIS YEAR at an appropriate discount seems totally doable. AmIright?


Moderator Comment: Merged into existing thread

Welcome to the forums Lambkey

 

[Snick]

It appears as though one of the bottlenecks to production is the development of the scratch-built engine. That's ambitious, admirable, and probably necessary to meet the mileage goals, but for nutjobs like me who want to either boost or swap the motor of their Elio before the new car smell has even worn off, how about offering an Elio kit before production release? There's pretty much NO regulation on kit cars, and you can start selling product that much sooner, and generating some profitable revenue THIS YEAR. Getting the cars in the hands of kit builders may have a 'halo' effect for the production car as well, since while some builders will fit theirs with a Metro motor ala the prototype, undoubtedly some will fit it with a Vtec Honda, or a Hayabusa or something really radical to make it an Atom/Caterham eating track monster with working rain gear.

As a hardcore gearhead (note the profile pic is my home-built, not hardly bought, 12-cylinder AWD Ford Escort) I'd like to have my Elio on the cover of Grassroots Motorsports drifting past a supercar even before the very first one rolls of a proper assembly line. With press like that the petrol heads would love you as much (or more) than the tree huggers. (No disrespect meant to either group)

I'm not 'all in' only because I am skeptical that feature creep, funding, and a whole host of unknowns may push the actual production date into the infinite future. But offering gearheads like me a kit sans engine and sans certain refinements and shipping it THIS YEAR at an appropriate discount seems totally doable. AmIright?


Moderator Comment: Merged into existing thread

I can not agree more! I would love a "no-engine" Elio RIGHT FRICKING NOW. I'll just drop an air-cooled, motorcycle based 650-850 v-twin or boxer engine into it and figure out how to get the a/c driven later (custom bracket/pulley).

If they did this, they would turn a lot of unbelievers into believers, instantly; AND build a huge fan base of motorheads, too. Those are both good thinks.

 

[Jim H]

And I would like a new Ferrari in my driveway. Neither is going to happen.

 

[Rickb]

And I would like a new Ferrari in my driveway. Neither is going to happen.

Maybe Ferrari should offer a kit car.

Motorheads should be able to find an existing kit car manufacturer........Elio has a business strategy in place.......it's not going to change for a few motorheads that can build a car from a kit. I find it interesting that motorheads have an interest in the Elio.................it's a good thing and I would like to have motorhead skills.

 

[OCS12]

I can not agree more! I would love a "no-engine" Elio RIGHT FRICKING NOW. I'll just drop an air-cooled, motorcycle based 650-850 v-twin or boxer engine into it and figure out how to get the a/c driven later (custom bracket/pulley).

If they did this, they would turn a lot of unbelievers into believers, instantly; AND build a huge fan base of motorheads, too. Those are both good thinks.

I totally understand that Elio isn't going to change their business plan, and I've got no problem with that. I just love the idea of such a lightweight, affordable platform to goof around with. As silly as it sounds, my plan is to drop in an outboard power head from work. It won't be any heavier, and I think a 115 HP Elio will be a riot, and still get pretty solid MPG's.

 

[Jim H]

Read the forum to see the four basic principles Paul Elio laid out for his dream: $6800, 5-star rating, 84 MPG, 90% North American made. to accomplish that it remains what it is. Those who want to change it can do so after they buy one.

 

[Snick]

Read the forum to see the four basic principles Paul Elio laid out for his dream: $6800, 5-star rating, 84 MPG, 90% North American made. to accomplish that it remains what it is. Those who want to change it can do so after they buy one.

cool. They can sell me one without the non-existant engine that's pushing the timeline back 1.5 years