New Kit SR Car

[Purple Frog]

Interesting

https://www.osracer.com/

[ChristopherBernard]

I wonder if they’ve got one complete car yet.
I’d be curious what the weight was. 1600lbs with the Ford?
Just a Trackday car.

[phantomjock]

The FAQ suggests that racing is in the plan, but not clear:

When purchasing an engine, it is important that you consider how the engine will be used, track-days, sprint racing, enduro, in addition to your budget.

If just using for track days - many less costly, ready to go options available...

Cheers - Jim

[John Nesbitt]

Also from the landing page:

Safety and performance are uncompromised with low weight coupled with an SCCA specification spaceframe, front crush structure and FIA certified fuel system, harness and fire system.

So, maybe raceable. Competitive? Who knows?

[Fred Michael]

Basically a tube frame Sports 2000 with a modern motor but a FAR from modern gearbox

[TedV]

Being a Negative Nancy, right hand drive, right hand shift because not able to effectively do left hand drive, center shift. Porsche Boxter has it figured out. I also would like to see a completed running chassis with performance data.

Modified VW type 1 transmission. So a Hewland mk9 could be used?

On a plus note, since it runs a production automotive engine, slap a street car looking body on it and you can run the Street Car Club of America Time Trial Nationals and track days.

[reidhazelton]

I think the kit idea is a brilliant one. I toyed with something similar several years ago when approached to buy a bunch of older cars that were never completed.

This is well suited to where the market for SCCA used to be, and in my opinion, should be today if we want to get fields back to respectable levels. Offer the new cars as kits - let the buyer do the expensive labor. How many people can drop $50k on a car in one hit? Not many. How many can drop $5k here, $2k here, and spread that out over a year or two while they build it with their daughter or son? A lot more. $100k FEs ain't gonna get SCCA anywhere.

This makes sense for the mfg'er as well. Anyone who's built cars will tell you it's very hard to turn a profit and make it affordable when you have to do the assembly work. The NP01 folks seem to do it well, but that's not the norm.

I wish them luck - it's a neat sales concept that I hope works out and lets normal income racers get on track.

[EricP]

I can’t speak to classing, costs, business, etc but I LOVE the clean simple lines of that type of sports racer. I want one. I don’t have a use or place for one but I want one.

When my 6 year old son turns 12 or so, could be an awesome project for us..

[phantomjock]

This was the approach taken by SCCA with the Spec Racer Renault:

Offer the new cars as kits - let the buyer do the expensive labor. How many people can drop $50k on a car in one hit? Not many. How many can drop $5k here, $2k here, and spread that out over a year or two while they build it with their daughter or son?

And with it came a very prolific spec class with all the additional expense to maintain "spec," [sealed engine, transmission, spec brake pads, etc.] And now, keep up with creeping improvements that add even more costs; e.g., sequential gearbox, new uprights, bearings, A-Arms, not to mention the previous upgraded engine/transmission (Gen3), and before that the conversion from Renault to Ford (Gen2).

Another option - offered as full blown racer to daily driver coupe- is the Factory Five 818. Purchased and assembled by the owner bits at a time. But again what class to race in or just track days? Near the $50K completed [not associated--just following their model].

I agree with this:

This is well suited to where the market for SCCA used to be, and in my opinion, should be today if we want to get fields back to respectable levels.

Clearly, the SCCA should consider what is next and how to get there. The Champ Car series streamlines licensing, as do other forms of competition. Again models out there use brackets, Dyno data - not sealed engine, and other creative means to fill the fields with those leaving the SCCA. [I admit - not open wheel so much, but could be explored]

Hmm... hasn't there been these discussion a while back for the Open-Source best basic design open wheel car? But, even it would still require organizing, venues, scheduling, participation, etc..

Cheers - Jim

[billtebbutt]

I don't mean to be a jerk (some say it comes naturally to me) but having just navigated OSRacer's website, my observations are as follows:

- They have not built a single car yet. If they had, we'd see it on the website. There would be a little on track video, and a walk-around. There would be actual pictures of it even, not just (poorly generated) digital sketches. There would be some performance deets as well

- No mention of who is the brains behind the operation. Any fabricating/engineering/prep creds? Any racing creds at least? Ever homologate a race car before? Nope, not a thing. Just a "gearheads for gearheads" shout-out

- Not exactly a lot of attention to detail on the web site either. "Late breaking" is a reference to the time of a news story. "Late braking" is, well you guys all know what it refers to. The side profile drawing of the car is mirror-imaged, so the tire lettering is backwards but the car's racing number is correct. Huh?

Yeah, picky. I know. But these folks, whoever they are, look like dreamers to me. I'll bet they don't get a single car built let alone sold.

Cheers,
BT