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PostPosted: October 15, 2010, 6:55 pm 
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oldejack wrote
...which is why i think there exists a market potential for someone like eurokraft(who owns a body shop) to take on contracts as a boutique or "factory approved" assembler (distributor?) as well.

thanks oldejack but I have enough on my plate already, but that would probably work, if that's just a sideline of the business.

stiggymills wrote
Forgive me if I sound cocky or harsh, I like your forum, I am just not sure that it is appropriate to discuss business details so out in the open.


I couldn't agree with you more.
Good luck to you all.
:cheers: Tony


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PostPosted: October 15, 2010, 7:10 pm 
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Gosh, a lot of posts went up while I was typing my most recent one. Just a couple of comments:

Pete B wrote...

> I don't think that a 5% royalty is out of line on this type of product, a chunk of which could be structured as a prepaid minimum royalty in order to give Stuart his chunk o' cash.

Well then make him an offer! Just because something won't work for me doesn't mean it won't work for you. I offered 2-1/2% royalty, which is slightly more than the $100 he was asking for (because I think the US kit price would have to go up to $5000 in short order) and worked with my anticipated/targeted pre-royalty manufacturer's profit margin of 15%.

> ...I also think that Jack is being very fair in asking for drawings and technical and performance specs for the product.

I wasn't asking Stuart for drawings and tech info, I was asking if it existed. I wanted to know what I'd be getting if I bought into the deal, and what I'd have to come up with myself. I've not requested nor received any how-to-manufacture-an-Exocet information that isn't on public forums. I asked for two performance figures--front/rear weigh bias, and torsional rigidity--because one of my potential marketing partners needed to know. But the time to ask for construction drawings is after the contract is signed.

Wrote Nigel (whose post deserves a full response of its own, and I'll do so later)...

> I would not entertain anyone as a business partner/licensee until they had themselves personally
> gone through the process of building one of my designs. (Full Stop)

Well, I wouldn't myself personally build an Exocet unless I had a business plan for it. Stuart knows I've built locosts, he probably assumes I could build an Exocet.

> I quite simply wouldn’t want somebody whose never built one, talking to customers, trying to sell one.

I completely agree. I would expect to build one before I tried to sell one. As far as talking with possible sales and marketing outlets goes, that's part of market preparation, part of getting ready for 2011. I wouldn't try to sell one until I had US-made kits in stock, and had a demo car I had built myself.

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PostPosted: October 15, 2010, 8:19 pm 
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Nigel, I for one will miss you. This discussion wouldn't have been half as lively without you. Besides, Stuart might never have discovered it, and it would have died on the vine pages ago.
sonic7 wrote:
Announcing or claiming large profit margins on an open forum like this one, is not going to encourage investors
Well the large profit margins encouraged me, and I believed that alluding to them might encourage somebody else too. Stuart knew from Day 2 that I would not be meeting his terms without another investor, he sent me that profit information to get me to quit dilly-dallying; either send him his $15,000 or stop wasting his time. The profit motive is what encourages investment.
sonic7 wrote:
...but is more likely to annoy potential customers by leading them to think that there not getting value for money.
I quite disagree. Value is value, and when I buy a product--particularly a life-style product such as the Exocet--I want to pay what I feel is its value, and I want the manufacturer to be profitable, and preferably highly profitable. It keeps them in business, which adds to the value of my purchase because I'll be able to get parts and other support for it, and when it's a status item, the manufacturer's sucess adds to the status.
sonic7 wrote:
Jack, I’m sure you’re an experienced, knowledgeable and very competent individual who’s views and opinions are obviously highly respected on this forum.
And other places as well.
sonic7 wrote:
Therefore I wonder if it’s the colonial differences of language, customs and or just accounting practices/terminology that are getting in the way.
:wink: I believe "profit" means the same thing here in the colonies as it does in the UK.
sonic7 wrote:
Life’s too short to waste on people that talk a good game, but have got no intention or ability to play, and let me tell you this industry is full of them.
Surely the chat rooms are full of them. If you're thinking I might fit in that group, perhaps you're right in a tautological sense. I had the intention--the Exocet is more ready for US production than anything else I'm working on now, and in theory its development costs could be paid by royalty; it looked quite promising...but I did not have enough "intention" to sign up for it without further investigation, nor without anyone but me dependent on the project's success. I had the ability--the experience, the facilities, the US connections, the marketing plan, the staff, the vendors, the equipment, the capital--but not enough "ability" to lose it on a whim.
sonic7 wrote:
I hope you find a partner Jack
I'm not looking for one. Stuart withdrew his offer. If a partner had shown up before Stuart's withdrawl, either the partner or me (or both) would have figured out that Stuart's manufacturing program will not transfer to our country.
sonic7 wrote:
it can be made to work.
I'm sure it can, but better in the UK than here for reasons Stuart has spelled out on this forum. From the profits he quoted me, I gather the UK materials market has similar advantages to the labor market.

I hope you drop in now and then.

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PostPosted: October 15, 2010, 9:32 pm 
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JackMcCornack wrote:
rx7locost wrote:
Oh Chet, I think the title is accurate. The question is, just who is it that is wanting the US based shop.
Right you are. nether10 was the OP, he's the guy who wanted it. Stuart didn't chime in 'till page 3. If nether10 doesn't want it any more, then perhaps he should change the title, but it's his thread.

Make no mistake, I want a Sonic 7. Selling Exocets is a good start, so yes, I still want a MEV manufacturer on this side of the pond. The title is valid, even if the thread is getting way more in-depth than I intended.

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PostPosted: October 16, 2010, 12:23 am 
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This has been an interesting thread, but seems to have jumped the shark (passed it's prime, for our mother country friends across the pond). Let's call this one quits and leave professional/investment relations to offline communications, where they belong. Stuart has been a good sport and given us regular joe's an interesting perspective on his business. Let's not punish his good nature.

Unless Stuart has any new offers/announcements and thinks this forum is the place to make them, please consider this thread closed. I'll stop short of locking the thread, but here is notice that any posts following this one are subject to deletion. Efforts to restate past posts or simply to have the last word on this very bizarre conversation in particular will have a short shelf life.

-Dave "don't make me put my mod hat on!" Hempy

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PostPosted: October 16, 2010, 12:21 pm 
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Quote:
could be reignited in another thread.


No, I think we would prefer the subject go away. It just does not seem appropriate to have intimate business discussions in our forum. That is my take...

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PostPosted: October 24, 2011, 2:45 pm 
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Well at long last somebody has finally taken up the gauntlet 8) 8) 8)

MEV VEHICLE KITS are now available direct from the US:- http://exomotive.com/


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PostPosted: October 25, 2011, 12:27 pm 
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Cool! If anybody is going to SEMA, maybe they can check them out and report back.

Sonic, you might want to advise them to have a native (or at least colonial) English speaker review their web site text, it seems rather odd in spots, e.g...


> Why do we do what we do? Our questions are answered with the simple phrase "because race car."


I don't think us 'murricans say "because race car" in day-to-day conversation.

Is the current Exocet importer going to be a dealer for them?

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PostPosted: October 25, 2011, 12:44 pm 
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Yo Jack-
Not to embare-arse anybody, but that variety of Tarzan-speak is quite the rage amongst the kiddies on Facebook and such...

Why talk stupid?
Because cool!
No kiddin, I'm not makin it up...
:cheers:

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PostPosted: October 25, 2011, 12:57 pm 
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Yo JD, what up?

I'm familiar with dropping the "is" in text messaging, but what do you think "because race car" is short for? My guess is it's an English-as-a-second-language oddness, and if so, then hiring a local kid to sweep the floor and read the web site would be a wise investment. But it might be that they're just that much hipper than me and I don't get it 'cause I'm elderly.

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PostPosted: October 25, 2011, 1:13 pm 
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Yo Jack-
If you visit stunt/rally driver Ken Block's blog or facebook posts, you'll see that exact expression, likely more than once. I'm also way past cool, hip and trendy and therefore cannot explain it...
JDK


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PostPosted: October 25, 2011, 1:28 pm 
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JackMcCornack wrote:
Is the current Exocet importer going to be a dealer for them?
Update: I clicked the "About" menu item (doh! should have thought of that first thing) and it names Kevin Patrick as foUnder, and he's been the Exocet importer so it looks like he's broadening his line. If he can bring these kits into the states in quantity (container loads?) then he can beat the cross-the-pond freight problem and could do well with them. I think I was reading too much into Nigel's post of...

> Well at long last somebody has finally taken up the gauntlet 8) 8) 8)

> MEV VEHICLE KITS are now available direct from the US

...but maybe Kevin did buy manufacturing rights so maybe they are indeed going to be available direct from the US. I dropped Kevin a line, perhaps he'll come to locostusa with more information. Interesting cars, those.

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Last edited by JackMcCornack on October 25, 2011, 3:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Misspelled "founder"


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PostPosted: October 25, 2011, 1:48 pm 
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Oh god, there's a whole website: http://becauseracecar.org/
Unless you like things that make no sense, don't click on it.


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PostPosted: October 25, 2011, 4:07 pm 
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Hi Jack or should I say Yo J,

Defiantly not my idea but I guess Kevin has his own views of the US market. I’ll let him respond directly to your enquiry re what his plans are for the MEV designed products in the US.

Me I’m just so pleased that somebody has at last grasped the opportunity and I hope ‘Yo’ all wish him every success with the venture.

nigel


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PostPosted: October 25, 2011, 11:42 pm 
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Kevin gave me a call around lunchtime Pacific, and sure enough, I didn't get it because I'm a fuddy duddy. "Because race car" is to lolcar what "I can has cheezburger" is to lolcat. I warned him he may be too hip for the room (as the stand-up comics used to say) but then again, the Exocet may be best targeted to a more youthful modern and sophisticated crowd than is found here on locostusa.

Kevin has brought in a batch of Exocet kits, currently priced at $5999 for the base kit in Atlanta GA, and yes Nigel, I do wish him the best.

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