Talk Morgan Forums Community Vehicle Talk (non-Morgan) This or a Plus 4?

Peter, £25-£30k won't buy a Rocketeer, direct from them, with largely restored mechanicals.

The engine transplant is the tip of the iceberg and if an owner wanted to refresh the car, upgrade it, get into seam-welds, etc, the price climbs quickly.

I think it applies to alot of the restomod/upgrade market - I can understand things like the Porsche Singer and the Alfaholics offerings as you're modifying/upgrading cars that already have a considerably large price tag. As I've said many times before - I can't see the appeal of spending 10's of £1,000's upgrading an MGB or MX5 that looks pretty much like one you can buy for £3 to £5k......

This is a very personal and correspondingly different way of looking at things. I really like Chris Convertible's project, for example, and he will have a lot of fun with it. It makes a strong impression to own and to drive such a MGB...with the great sound and the whole quality of the interior, you see immediately that this is not a 3000£ car.

Tend to agree with Heinz ... a well done rest-rod is a special thing ... with the quality of workmanship even a lay-person would know they were looking at something out of the way of ordinary MGBs when they saw Chris-convertible's car ... even before it fired up. As for cost, it's all relative ...if you really want it and you've got the cash it's worth it ... it's a matter of personal choice ... I have the less popular view here that I wouldn't be gifted a Porsche ... but that's just me ... can't think of a car that's not stupidly overpriced these days ... but maybe I'm just getting old 😁

I have this theory that when the Musks of this world have reduced cars to appliances assembled in dark and unheated megafactories by tireless robots they'll cost the same to make and the only difference will be the materials ... we'll buy cars by the Kg ... 1000kg car £5000 ... big cruiser at 2500kg ... that'll be £12,500 mate! 🙂

K

My take on a RestoMod is that it is a rebuilt original but with better quality and modern upgrades.
Running gear modernised, electrics, interior, bodywork.
It is the opposite of restoring to original condition with original parts.
Not just modifying with bling, spoilers, wheels, wraps, etc that is the common route.

Agreed, I like restorod's where they respect the original car style and stance. Also some of the company's doing it show a great love of the car and know them very well.

If you look at the parts that Alfaholics have created for the 105 Giulia's they are quite stunning.

Titanium suspension arms. Mind you £6,750 does cause a sharp intake of breath!
Alfaholics Suspension

I'm inclined to agree Heinz.

For me, these type of cars fall into the 'passion project' category and creating something you really want takes priority over the cost element of the end product. Most people buying these cars have no plans to sell them and are quite content to spend what it takes to create something that is unique to them. The only downside, if one wants to think of it that way, is if that person choses to sell the car. Unless you are very lucky, and the company has created a strong, valued, brand (Singer and RUF are two I can immediately think of), chances are the money you put into the project is unlikely to be reflected in the sales price. Rocketeer & Frontline are both good examples. However, the same could be said for when people follow their hearts and restore a classic car - more often than not, once the project is done, the cost expended isn't reflected in the market value of the vehicle - hence why so many half completed restorations come up for sale.

Ultimately, it boils down to personal opinion and what the owner values - if resale / retained value is top priority, a modified car, no matter how well done, is more than likely going to be a risky proposition; however, if having something unique and the process of being involved in the creation of it is important, the money will seem well spent.

I love the look of this black one with red interior https://www.rocketeercars.com/build-options/restomod but I bet the price would be high.

This Australian company did a lot of MX5 builds using more power full engines and changing the front for their own distinct style. I don't think they do that anymore but the company still exists.
https://bulletcars.com/bullet-cars-history/

Or if you went the new MX5 route but wanted more power you could do this https://bulletcars.com/product/supercharger-kit-rotrex-2l-skyactiv-g-pe-vps/

Warning thread drift for a paragraph - About a decade again I went to a Electric car show, apart from a early Tesla Roadster everything else was home made. The majority of the cars were 20 year old bombs with cracked dashboards, torn seats, door rubbers hanging out or missing and people had spent a fortune on motors, batteries, engineering to be allowed on the road to drive around in something that feels like a $1000 car. I talked to a few people there who were converting Hyundai Getz which new you could buy for $12,000 at the time, they had the same idea as me that they didn't want to drive around something that felt so old, but both admitted to spending $55,000 and really it is not going to feel much different to a $12,000 new Hyundai.

I left the show thinking if I am going to spend a lot of money on the drivetrain I also want to spend money making the car presentable so I wanted something you can get still new door rubbers etc. for to make a presentable car. I read this thread and I know it not an EV conversion but I still feel the same way and agree with Simon about the tip of the iceberg.


Thanks Heinz. The first thing I noticed when I visited the workshop was the quality of the interior and I am pleased to say when I have seen my car in the flesh it looks just as good if not better than any of the other cars there. It really was something that got me interested more than the cars performance.


I am looking forward to going in a few cars shows and hope the lay-person like it even if they don't know what it is and hopefully some enthusiasts, but I expect there will be some MG enthusiasts that don't like that it has been modified.

I agree it is expensive but in Australia it was less than ordering a new Morgan +4 and by the time I had the opportunity Morgan had stopped the trad cars. I also agree if I need to sell I could lose a lot of money, or possibly due to the time frame to get a car built I could find a buyer willing to pay what I paid or even more for it just to save waiting. But I am really hoping to be driving the car until I can't drive any more, assuming petrol lasts longer than I do.

Yes, I look at new cars with huge waiting lists and dealers not giving any discount at all and I feel all cars are stupidly expensive.

A friend at work owned a Toyota Camry, wife had a RAV4 and he also had a Hiace bus he took on holidays with the 4 kids. He mainly drove the Camry but would bring the others into town for a run. I used to joke he owned appliances and would ask did he drive the Toyota Microwave, Washing Machine or Fridge to work today. I hope with more EV's on the road companies can make them exciting but I do fear you could be right that cars become a lot more boring.

Back on topic. I really like the first Mazda MX5 shape but most for sale are looking a bit tatty now. But assuming this article is correct the parts are available to restore one to new condition https://www.drive.com.au/news/mazda...riginal-parts-for-first-generation-mx-5/ I expect Rocketeer can build a car to a very high standard, especially as Mazda is remaking the parts but I expect the price would be rather high and as Simon says the engine is just the tip of the iceberg. As a toy I would rather a car like my MGB or a Morgan, cars I dreamed about owning before the MX5 was first released.

Whilst I doubt many people in Aus will know exactly who did the work, the quality will be apparent. It is a lovely Roadster Chris and I wish you many happy miles behind the wheel.

I've been over to Frontline and the quality of their work is obvious. What I also found interesting was the improvements they have made from the earlier cars to now. Later cars within the LE50 line up have improvements over the cars built earlier in the production and you can tell that Frontline have learnt, and improved, as they have gone along. I couldn't help but feel that there were similarities between Morgan (of old) and Frontline that were both positive and gave an authenticity to what they were doing. Their next restomod is a further step into interesting territory and I look forward to reading reviews on it when it is officially revealed. Having had the pleasure of seeing it in the metal, if it drives as well as it looks, I think they'll do well with it.

Exactly. No heartache, reliability, better finish, modern.