Kit Cars

[N47HAN]

Anyone ideas where these are availiable?

the replicas / copycat stuff

cheers

[LivinLOS]

Getting them road registered seems to be a problem..

I have tried many times to get information on how to get them passed as road legal and no one ever answers.

[chinthee]

As I recall, a lot of those kits cars use commonly available chassis & running gear, etc., and some are even as simple as dropping a fiberglass body over an existing entire car set up and it all bolts up. You might research which models of cheaply available cars/parts/repairs here (hondas, toyotas etc.) could be used in that way.

Then, you would just need to import the body and whatever customization kits would be needed for body & interior. If you want some fun sound, you can just change out the exhaust and muffler system.

I wonder if a currently registered and legal car in Thailand could be adapted that way?

[N47HAN]

Does it appear there are n buisinesses doing this sort of thing? even in bkk ???

surely there must be a marketplace for it ?

For me , want to be able to purchase the finished product, not into (or have the time) to diy one.

Anyone know anywhere or weblink to start ???

cheers

[soihok]

I dont have any contact or info regarding kit cars in Thailand.

I used to own one though,,the shell was based on a Ferrai Dino and built around the floor pan of a VW beetle,,,

As Chinthee stated,,as long as you have a registered vehicle on which to base it on,the import would not be a vehicle,,,just a shell and the various bits and peices ,,not a vehicle.

As far as insurance goes is a grey area,,,,officer,sir.

There are untold amounts of obscure vehicles in Thailand that would fit a kit that is supplied in Europe or the US.

I would welcome the chance to have a go at this,,,as well as bikes,,

Maybe next year

Good luck

[soihok]

Seems that you have found an opening in a market that has yet to be opened up.

AC Cobra on an old Nissan?

[chinthee]

Seems that you have found an opening in a market that has yet to be opened up.

AC Cobra on an old Nissan?

Hey, I'm in. seriously. I have done lots of stuff like this (not personally- but had it done). Last project was a 1963 Maserati GT3500.

[soihok]

In Thailand?

As long as there is a market for it.

Good idea!

[A_Traveller]

When I looked at this, the main issues seemed to be that there was no equivalent for type-exemption for the finished vehicle, leading to insurance problems, further the dear old friendly customs authorities were unwilling {unable} to provide guidance on taxation issues importing the kit, except on an ad-hoc basis.

Regards

PS There have been a few articles re kits in recent Thai motoring mags. so maybe a change in the wind, or someone found the 'right' Thai partner.

/edit add PS + typo//

Edited June 17, 2007 by A_Traveller

[chinthee]

The advantages here are that you can find good basic hondas, toyotas, nissans, mitsuis all day long, and rebuilding is not expensive. The problem is that the basic acquisition cost never goes below a certain level. For example, 1993 Honda Accords are still selling for 150-250k Baht. So, by the time you finish a kit car, you may be into it for a lot of money.

After further thought, the best kind of kit car in terms of resale would be Mercedes, not Cobra AC or exotics. I remember those convertible Merc kits that fit on top of some type of chrysler in the US, but not sure if there is one that would fit on a Japanese car. Let me know and I'd be interested to be involved in that.

[N47HAN]

mmm, might be worth looking at i reckon, anybody Phuket way interested?

[chinthee]

mmm, might be worth looking at i reckon, anybody Phuket way interested?

I live in both Phuket and Bangkok. Let's discuss by PM

[hughden]

http://www.westfield-sportscars-thailand.com/