Automotive

Velociphile - No longer in the building
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Barrier to entry...

Hi Salman,

Excellent points.  I too miss small, light and agile, but more the feeling of the old cars  - who owns that space today? I'm sure there is an opportunity there.

I was trying to explain this the other day to some young engineers.  How back in the 80s you could really feel the road up your spine and through your hands, that you could feel the squirm and squish of the contact patch like it was your own palm on the road, that you could feel that through your throttle (be it hand on a motorcycle or foot in a car).  Now its all drive by wire, ESP, DSC, like sex with a condom - yuck.

On the subject of the ways people can go:

1. Full manufacture:  the McLaren model to start from scratch and deliver the whole car (albeit with extensive help from Tier 1 and 3rd parties).  Epically expensive nowadays as both the legislative and customer bar is super high.

2. 'Bitsa model'. Garagiste.  Somewhat of a kit car approach  - call it what you will. Design the body in white choose the bits and buy in the whole thing.  Think Morgan Aero, Ascari.  Usually heavily compromised in some area as a result.

3. Leverage some historic and successful tie up and produce a product based on the collaboration. Brings us back to the start..... If really successful these can become an in-house brand - AMG? Alpina? .  The problem is, the 'real' engineering and content will always be little different to the mainstream product - i.e. badge engineering.  But these days it may be the only realistically financially achievable result.  Could still produce some unique takes on vehicles though -especially through the way the car feels  - it has never been easier to customise that (to my first point)

T