So, what else did you consider...

[tonyb]

before deciding upon the Excoet?

I thought there might have been such a discussion before, but if so, I couldn't find one via search.  I also scanned back 30 pages, to early 2015, and saw no such thread...

I imagine some pondered the Miata-based Catfish, possibly a used Atom, DF Goblin, a Super Seven replica, maybe a Factory Five kit (818, Cobra...)?  I know there are quite a few others, some that I forgot, and others I never heard of...  Just today I learned of Velocity Rails - www.velocityrails.com/.  If anyone did some research on their offerings, please do share...

[gwnwar]

You will find the Exocet is the easiest and cheapest one to build using OEM parts. After that it is what your pocket book
can add in power and bling.

[tonyb]

Price is clearly a factor for most, as well as ease of build. Not sure the Exocet qualifies as easy, but compared to a Cobra and others, it does seem easier alright... I'm guessing the community here is a plus too.

On the above mentioned Velocity Rails, I've found very little information, no forum, build threads, etc...

Plenty of that here, also with Factory Five, the Atom community. An Ariel 3 Atom roller is over 40K though.

Curious what other rides people here considered, made their short list, before deciding upon the Exocet...

[kiwicanfly]

I went for the Rocket after declaring, after watching Clarkson drive the Atom, I would buy an Atom after I won the Lotto, then realised I would never own an Atom with that attitude.

I looked many times for an Atom-like kit but could find nothing close enough. Can't remember the models but there were a few I considered.

The first MEV I saw was the Exocet and it was close to my requirements but not quite perfect. Then I saw the Rocket and saw it ticked all my boxes.

Having never built a car, or even done my own repairs, I was a bit daunted by the prospect and did consider "practising" by building an Exocet first but in the end realised I would not be happy until I had built a Rocket so took the plunge.

I also didn't like the idea of refurbishing the bits on a donor so went (virtually) all new for the Rocket.

At the end of the day though I think most choose by aesthetics, could be wrong, however if the cost is prohibitive then they find the nearest aestheticly preferable compromise.

[tonyb]

kiwicanfly, thanks much for sharing your thinking, and logic. I won't drive an ugly car, as would most I imagine. Agreed there. That's subjective of course... Not sure the Rocket is sold in the States.

I'd like to get something that can have a weight to power ratio around 5 (US pounds / BHP). For reference, a 1,500 pound (682 Kg) Exocet, with 300 bhp does the trick... Certainly achievable, thus the appeal. Aesthetically, I'm ok with it. Some I've liked better than others...

If purely aesthetics, I'd probably lean toward a Porsche Speedster, 550, something like the Beck.

[dietcoke]

Was planning a v8 miata and then I saw a GRM article on the exocet. Was an easy decision.

[casesensitive]

Like Mr Kiwi, I became interested in the Atom after watching the V8 one on Top Gear. I'd never heard of kit cars, they're really not a thing here. At a track day I saw a Westfield with Honda S2000 innards destroy all the posh production vehicles, which really made me think about weight.

I initially bought the 'Make your own sports car' Locust book, but once I realised I couldn't make the jigs, much less do the welding, I began to research getting an engineering firm to make up a chassis for me. As part of this research, I discovered you could get a firm to sell you all the bits to make a car in a kit! Eureka moment. Back down to earth when I realised how much the initial outlay was.

I had recently had a run out in my cousin's Scooby WRX SRI and my first forays were all Subaru-based kits, the SDR Storm being the front runner for a while. I found a website that listed kit cars and their donors, which was eye-opening; I've never been interested in replicas, more into the lightweight eco cars. I hovered around the BMW-derived Indys and GKDs, just because the engines are powerful and available, but the 7-style shape did nothing for me.

Pragmatism kicked in, and I scanned the ones based on the Ford Focus, a car I was certain I could get cheap parts for, and the MEV models were the standout. I went to visit RTR in Nottingham, and fell in love with the car outside, turns out wasn't a Rocket but a MEVaBusa, love the size of the thing. Rocket was far more practical and easier for a novice, but I think if I did this again, I'd build an even smaller, lighter, probably bike-engined car.

[jon]

Lack of body work required sold me on building an exo car. Miata donor and parts support sold me on Exocet.

[tonyb]

Looks like I'm not getting instant notifications of responses....

jon, I too like the lack of body work, not just on the build, but with respect to maintenance too. There are other similar options though, but when factoring-in the Miata donor here, the pedigree that goes with that too, the aftermarket (Ecotec for us?!) that is huge for me. I have not seen anything comparable. There's an S2K kit or two, but I don't think like this (exoskeleton)...

casesensitive, thanks for sharing what brought you here, and to the Rocket. It often takes time to understand and appreciate such aspects... I don't believe the MEVaBusa is sold here in the States. I'd find the lightness very appealing.

dietcoke, sounds like you have or had a Miata before, so the V8 was being pondered. Not sure though...

[papabear]

Before the Exocet I looked at several other cars. Factory Five MK4 Cobra and 818. Factory Five cars are nice but even building a basic Cobra your going to be in for about 40k if using a new engine/trans. 818 is a good looking car in my opinion but some parts of the chassis design just do not appeal to me.
Also considered a Superlight Cars Nemesis. I still may build one of these at some point. The single seat formula car nature just really does something for me. And I would love to build one of there GT-40 or SLC cars but were in a whole different ballpark of cars at that point.
I really like the Catfish and if I had not went with the Exocet that is more than likely what I would have bought. I really like how they designed the body on that one. It is a great looking car finished.
The super 7 is a nice car but I have driven two of them that live close to me and with how low the sides are I just did not like the feel. I know its a preference thing but in a 7 I feel like I am sitting on a car and not in it.
Just my observations your mileage may vary, Everyone likes something different.

[einy]

In my case, I was practically "gifted" my donor car by a co-worker, and - once I found it to be mechanically OK - started to layout a design for a 7-like clone, but one that used the Miata subframes instead of a full custom 'everything'. I found out about the Exocet from an ad in the back of GRM, and never looked back.

So, it's all GRM's fault !!!!

[tonyb]

papabear, thanks for bringing-up the Nemesis. I had forgotten. I seem to recall it not being street legal, at least in CA, but maybe that has changed. Agreed on the Catfish's lines. I find it appealing, but as stated earlier, the lack of body panels on the Exocet is a plus, more so I feel. 818 follower as well, so much so that i've been on that forum for a couple years. The Cobra, aesthetically, probably my favorite, up there with a 550. The builds, by most accounts, very time-consuming, and yes pretty costly in the end... And, I'd prefer something well south of 2,000 pounds.

einy, GRM would be guilty on many accounts over the years. I hear ya...

[SeanW]

I'd been thinking about building a kit car for a while, first thinking that I might build an Ultima GTR. For a while I'd considered assembling a Westfield or a scratch built locost. When I first came across the Exocet I was almost immediately sold. Every other option was going to require a lot more time an effort that I wanted to put and the end result would be similar in philosophy to a seven. (Stripped down and basic.)

[tonyb]

Sean, thanks for chiming-in. Great to see yet another build in the Bay Area. A native, now in Morgan Hill....

The Ultima GTR never made my list, as I really want open air. Raw, spartan-like all the way, the essentials.

[Trenon]

I was looking at the 818 but cost and built time led me to the exocet. I also have a lot of history with subaru power plants whereas I never dealt with a mazda drive train before.