I think you are missing an important point here. These people you are calling out and questioning as enthusiasts are your potential customers. Don't forget that. No I haven't driven it or seen it in person and don't know how it drives, but not one person (outside of someone who buys everything because they have more money than they know what to do with) will know that until they drive it. Problem is you are only selling 15 per year which means you can't just go test drive one at your local dealer. So your potential customers have nothing to go on but looks and performance numbers. So when I see in those articles "performance comparable to a Viper" and a $200k price tag from a company with zero reputation and a website that doesn't work (as mentioned in the motor trend article)....sorry but I am moving on without a second thought.

And it's great that you got mentioned in a tiny little blip on those sites, but that hardly makes you relevant. I was in the newspaper once. I had an article published on a well known website once, but those things hardly make me a celebrity or a writer.

Don't get me wrong, I genuinely hope it works out and you find tremendous success out of the car. I hope you prove me and everyone else wrong because I would love to see a great American exotic car company emerge. Problem is we have seen similar projects before that never go anywhere. This AR is going to have to earn respect. Clearly it's not for most of us here in it's current state. That doesn't mean we aren't enthusiasts.

I wish you nothing but good luck and success. Thanks for posting.

 

Jeff, will the Mach 7 be OBD-II compliant? Will it be crash tested? I notice your car does not have an airbag. Will you be applying for an exemption from the NHTSA? Have you been issued a WMI by the SAE? Because I can't find any info of such on the NHTSA website.

I suggest talking to the people at Mosler about the challenges of bringing a fully compliant road car to the U.S. market. Because I have, and they told me it's not a task for the faint of heart. Warren Mosler, Steve Saleen and Jerry Wiegert all know a thing or two about building the kind of car you are talking about, in the kind of volumes you are talking about. And only Mr. Mosler is still at it. Are you as well financed as he is?

So please forgive us our skepticism. We see these kind of projects announced every six months or so. Have you heard of the Transtar Dagger GT? Even John Hennessey has taken his lumps here regarding his upcoming Venom GT.

However, if the Mach 7 is meant to be sold as an incomplete vehicle, it doesn't have to worry about regulatory compliance. As most people define it, this would make it a "kit" car, thus their use of the term. There are many fine "kit" cars available in the U.S. though, such as the Ultima, Roisson and Ariel. The label isn't necessarily derogatory.

Perhaps you can clear this up for us? In the meantime, good luck with your venture. If your car turns out to be everything you say it will be, your product will speak for itself.

 

Jeff, I wish you the best of luck but don't ask us to be impressed with a car that at this point is just a one-off and nobody besides yourself has driven. If it's just a prototype at this stage, what do you care what we think? Build it, put it in production, and then ask us what we think of the final car.

 

If you don't like the looks then that is your opinion and that is fine. I personally like the looks. Much more aggressive than the 458, and WAY better than the bland MP4-12C.

The main problem here is that people are bashing the quality and performance while knowing absolutely nothing about it.

It is also possible to respectfully say the styling is not your cup of tea without being a dick.

 

A Ferrari 458 Italia has "performance comparable to a Viper" and costs over $250k. Yet people love it. Why? With the extra dough you get quality, luxury, refinement, etc. Numbers written on paper doesn't tell you that. From what I have seen I believe Mach7 is going this direction. Yes, "performance comparable to a Viper", but add in the rest that isn't simply a number and you get that price tag. But, as said before, this is something we will have to wait for a review to actually know. This is what an enthusiast does, gives new car brands a chance, and waits for the final product before making such judgments.

Also, I went on their website like a year ago and I went on it recently and I never had problems.

I don't believe they are asking you to be impressed with a one-off prototype. They haven't bragged or hyped it like McLaren. They didn't even post this thread. I think you are on the right track, something others should learn. Do wait for the final production version to form an opinion.

 

^^^This.

Chris

 

But if the valets won't park it up front, what's the point?

 

I don't necessarily agree about defining an enthusiast this way. We shouldn't just like everything that gets built until we find something about it we don't like. I think it all starts with looks and has to draw attention there before anything else. If it doesn't look good, not many will care about the performance. Obviously you like the look and that's fine. Many here don't and you can't fault them for that (and gmac wasn't being a dick...spend enough time here and you will learn that is just gmac being himself ). I think ultimately it's up to the manufacturer or designer to earn respect and build something that makes people interested. I think my point here is that we don't have time to be doing research on every unknown car company that pops up to dig in and find out if they really are building a good car or not. The builder has to create interest. I could throw some parts together in my garage and make a car, but why should anyone care? That's my point. Where do you think SSC would be if it hadn't beaten the Veyron?

And I wouldn't quite compare a stock Viper with a stock 458. I bet they wouldn't sell many Vipers if they priced it at $200k. And that's what I am trying to say about the Mach 7. Put a Viper price tag on it and maybe it would be more interesting.

I am not bashing here. Again I hope it does well.

However, if you want to go to a forum that is very welcoming of these types of cars, go check out lotussport (LotusSport.org • Index page). "Ronin" is a member there that loves stuff like this. He will appreciate you all joining.

 

I do want to post here another time to let everyone know I broke my own rule. I promised myself I would not get fired up over internet bashing and start trying to make people understand or explain how things will get done, etc, etc. As stated above by Kevin358, this topic was not started by me to show off this car, I found this forum in a google search and started reading.

There are plenty of forums out there that love what this car is (so far) and are excited to see the finished product. This forum, not so much. I really don't mind that at all as I'm very aware this car is not for everyone. I think I was fired up the most when I read that the car was going to be crap because they'd never heard of it before so it must be crap. I felt that was ridiculous and I started posting. I wish I didn't do that because I really want the finished product to speak for itself. I LOVE sports cars and my expectations are high for this product. I won't let it out until it's right.

As far as the design all I can say is beauty is in the eye of the beholder. This car is MOST DEFINITELY a design based on my favorite GT cars of all time. Ferrari 288 GTO, Ford GT, Viper, Lamborghini, Corvette. This design is nothing outrageously new because it wasn't supposed to be. It's simply a fresh take on all the great sports cars I've ever loved. If you like it, that's great! If you don't, no problem, you can look the other way if it makes you hurl. People are different and I get that. I saw the new Porsche 918 at the auto show this year and it was one of the most amazing cars I've ever seen, but I'm sure many here would be offended if I let them know every Porsche I've ever laid my eyes on before that one has bored me to death.

I'm not opposed to keep on posting but it wont be to defend what's happening or to debate. I'll do things in a much more positive nature from here on out, no matter what bashing takes place. I'm not going to make any outrageous claims as to what the car will be, I'll simply let it speak for itself when the car is done right and ready for release.

Here are a few more pics of my fugly ass design in it's prototype/test mule form. Caution: Not for people with weak stomachs. It may also make your eyes bleed.

 

^^Those pics are better. Do you have any shots of the interior? Feel free to keep posting on here. I think you will like it once you get used to us. And again, good luck with the car.