"...a more cynical man than myself might start wondering if these repeated threads are being used as some sort of advertising." Yes, and a more cynical man would be making a complete fool of himself.
And when defending the price of Reynard, Lola, G-Force, etc car kits it is irrelevant to include engine development costs since Reynard, Lola, G-Force, etc are not in the business of selling Mercedes, Toyota, Honda, etc engines.
Below are some vehicles with large composite structures that provide informative contrasts to Reynard, Lola, etc kit prices.
(See
www.viper-aircraft.com)
"So What's It Going to Cost?
ViperJet™ Kit Pricing:
Kit A: Fuselage, Vertical Stab, Rudder, Horizontal Stab, Elevators &
Associated Hardware. $57,900
Kit B: Wings, Spars, Ailerons, Flaps, Landing Gear & Associated
Hardware. $49,400
Kit C: Canopy, Latches, Seats, Quadrants & other finishing
hardware .$27,600
Total cost of ViperJet Kit:$134,900
Deposit Required: A 10% deposit is required ($13,490) to hold a serial
number position for a ViperJet™ kit. This deposit is applied against
total price or to last sub kit C.
Note: This introductory price will be for the first 10 ViperJet Kits
only.
Note** The ViperJet™ kit comes with our “Excel Build”™ Option standard,
which will save over 800 hours of build time.
Excel Build Airframe include the following:
Jigged fuselage, Fuselage bulkheads installed, vertical spars installed,
one side vertical skin installed, vertical stab ribs installed, Top
fuselage skins bonded, spar box installed, Wing spars bonded, wing ribs
installed, horizontal stab spars bonded, horizontal stab ribs installed,
ailerons closed, flaps closed, rudder closed, elevators closed.
All ViperJet™ structural airframe components are manufactured with
carbon fiber materials.
For further information call Viper Aircraft Corporation"
(For the one below see
www.twinjet.com)
"Kit Pricing
Basic Kit
Effective January 2000
Air Frame with pressurization
All fiberglass airframe parts, flight controls, landing gear.
$179,500
Engines ( 2 modified T-58 turbojets w/750 lb. thrust)
Includes 35-Amp alternator, alternator controller, and brackets
Note: Engine prices may vary subject to availability
$110,000
Options
Fast Build Fuselage
Major fuselage, internal bulkheads, and vertical tail members aligned
and glassed.
$9,800
Fast Build Inboard Wing
Spar, ribs, and bottom skin glassed, spar-fuse attachment bolt holes
aligned and drilled.
$6,500
Fast Build Outboard Wing
Spar, ribs, and bottom skin glassed, spar-spar attachment bolt holes
aligned and drilled.
$8,500
Wing Fuel Cell Installation
Installation of fuel cell interconnect hose fittings and sealing of fuel
cells
$3,500
Fuselage Fuel Cell Installation
Installation of fuel fittings, internal bulkheads, and sealing of fuel
cells
$2,500
Fast Build Horizontal Tail
Spar, ribs and bottom skin glassed, hinges aligned and drilled.
$4,000
Fast Build Ailerons
Spar, ribs and bottom skin glassed, hinges aligned and drilled
$1,000
Fast Build Elevators
Spar, ribs and bottom skin glassed, hinges aligned and drilled
$1,000
Landing Gear Setup
Alignment and installation of main and nose gear legs and retract
trunnion mounts.
$4,500
Heated windshield
TBD
Anti-icing System - wings, tail, engine inlets
$32,000
Speed Brakes
Synchronized, electrically operated
$3,500
Payment Terms
Airframe Deposit
$10,000
Fuselage Kit
$60,000
Wing Kit
$60,000
Systems Kit
$24,500
Balance
$25,000
Engine Deposit (month 6)
$40,000
Engine Payment (month 8)
$70,000
Above sub-kits can be ordered as a complete package and all options are
paid for at the time of sub-kit purchase. Above prices do not include
any applicable taxes, crating, and transportation charges. Engines
require four months to rebuild and test. Customers not accepting engines
when ready for shipment are subject to a 25% restocking fee."
[This message has been edited by Franklin (edited 05 June 2000).]