Exmo Closest To Lotus Seven?

[Guest gashair]

Is the exmo the closest thing to the lotus seven, or even the modern day counterparts? I'm interested in getting one of these styled cars and wondering which is best and which is the best way. Get a built one (How much £?) Or build from scratch. (How much £ and how hard?) Any comments or help most greatfully recieved!

[Guest brummy-ade]

tell u where you are on your profile as im in birmingham and your welcome to look at my exmo

[Guest jawald]

Exmo Vs lotus seven - million miles apart. Exmo verses todays kits - million miles apart - but monoque which is good. Excellent entry level robin hood £3500+ on the road - good but dream about double wishbone suspension. Make one yourself if you have the talent - I bought my exmo ready made and love it to bits - but am starting to consider (secretly) making my own 2b plus - Whilst still having my exmo to play with on the road. I'm over 50 so can (nearly) afford to do this. Go to a show and see the options is my advice, and definately talk to any off the many RH owners you will see there.

[Jon Bradbury]

I thought the Lotus 7 had a live axle...? That's got different handling characteristics to the Sierra semi - trailing arms. It also has a space frame chassis. And of course, the unequal length independent wishbones at the front. But most of all it was light, and that was part of the Chapman philosophy. A light car with good suspension and a modest power plant gives big thrills - and it's economical too.

 

So, I'd suggest waiting to see if anything comes of the new "Bolteon" that Robin Hood are working on. It is a monocoque like the exmo but it's aluminium and has independent wishbones all round. I'm sure there are some tricky engineering problems to overcome but if they can pull it off.... well, it'll be the 7 to have for sure. With a bike engine, of course!

[Guest gashair]

which one of these is the most comparable against a caterham 7 or a westfield?

[Guest gashair]

How about the 2B and the S7, how do they compare against the westfields and caterhams?

[Guest Greg]

They're different

Catering van chassis below

[Guest Greg]

2B chassis

[Guest Battery Bill]

And I know which one I would rather be in if there was a crash

(NB caterham rear crumple zone is the fuel tank)

[Les Welsher]

(NB caterham rear crumple zone is the fuel tank)

Whereas Bill and Joey's rear crumple zone is the battery

Couldn't resist that one

 

Les

[Guest Battery Bill]

Ha B****Y Ha

Thanks Les

[ibrooks]

Depends on your criteria.

 

If it's looks then all three.

 

If it's track day performance then none of them.

 

If it's "bang for buck" then Caterhams and Westfields can't even come close to matching any Hood.

 

Any Robin Hood is a Lotus Seven inspired sportscar (LSIS for short) and so looks like a Lotus Seven and so similar to the others. Westfields are also LSIS's and the Caterham is more of an evolution of the Lotus Seven (that last may cause an eyebrow or two to raise but...).

 

The S7 and Exmo are built differently and so they tend to be heavier (monocoque rather than a spaceframe). They are also designed to use the Ford Pinto engine which tends to be heavier and less powerful than the engines used by the other two. The 2B is a spaceframe but there is more steel in the panels than fibreglass and so again they tend to be heavier. Again most use the Pinto but some are now using the DOHC about which I know nothing (but I suspect it's still heavier and less powerful than a Vauxhall XE or K-Series which Caterham and Vauxhall tend to use).

 

So out of the box expect the Hood to be slower and not to handle as well (but it'll cost a fraction of the money). If you're prepared to play and get your hands dirty then the Hood can be made to match the others in pretty much all aspects apart from weight (and your grand total should still be significantly lower).

 

Personally I like the combination of a bit extra weight and the Pinto. The extra weight means the car soaks up lumps and bumps better and tends to be a more comfortable road car. I'm also a fan of the Pinto as it's bomb proof and very torquey so it makes for a much more relaxed drive at normal speeds (up to 100).

 

 

Basically any Kit-Car is what you make of it (or whoever built it made of it). The Robin Hood will take more effort to get to the same level but it can be done and it'll cost you less. The Hood is a better road vehicle but won't compete on a track.

 

Don't be fooled into thinking from this that a Hood is slow and doesn't handle. A basic Hood will embarras the most modified of hot hatches and you'll have to spend telephone numbers with the big boys like Porsche, Ford or BMW to match it for performance on or off a track.

 

Sorry it's long winded but it's a big question.

 

Iain

[Guest gashair]

No that's great thank you, i'll be honest and say that i'm after the performance amainly, i used to have an Impreza WRX but had to get rid of it because of running costs for a day to day car was horendous! So i'm used to 0-60 in 5.5 and poo to a blanket like handling, hence why i'm looking for a weekend option and Hood's seem to be priced accordingly!

 

Any other ideas or options always greatfully recieved!

[Guest gashair]

So after all that , which is generally the quickest and best handling? I'm after Hood for weekend fun use!

[ibrooks]

The one you've put most effort into.

 

If you're looking at a pre-built Hood then look for one with "proper" wishbones as these will be easiest to adjust with bolt on shocks and springs to get the settings you're after. This would discount an Exmo (unless it's been modified) and an early 2B (same caveat). The Sierra based Hoods also have IRS which is going to be better (again when setup properly) so maybe limit yourself to them.

 

The engine is up to you and what you're willing to spend or do yourself. If you look at a Pinto then a later engine will run unleaded and you'll have to use your judgement on what the seller tells you about what's been done with it. Get them to drive you in it or let you drive it and see what it performs/feels like.

 

Again every kit-car is different so apart from vast generalisations it's difficult to tell you to look for. It also depends on what you're looking for. If you want creature comforts then they all add weight and will make the car less performance driven. If you want a track-day weapon then you'll want to remove things like a stereo, carpets and boot linings but it'll be less practical. After that it's aesthetics I like the looks of swept wings but they are horrendous from an aerodynamic point of view. Stainless or painted etc etc etc.

 

Iain