Have your input to Westfield product development

[higgsti]

carbon fibre

[pistonbroke]

carbon fibre

Carbon fibre outboard bracket would be very popular with the freekin weather we get of late  

[Major Stare]

A build manual on a CD/DVD Rom.

This to include actual colour pictures like a Haynes Manual. Also pictures with SVA accessories fitted.

[juansolo]

Personally I think all the ideas for the electronic jiggery-pokery aren't the things that the type of person that buys a Westfield is interested in.  They want it pure and undiluted, that's the whole point.

What I'd be interested in as something new would be something along the lines of an 11 with more modern underpinnings.  Something a little bigger that could take a modern high output 4pot.  Give it similar proportions to a D-type Jag say (a good thing to base it on in my opinion).  Again, I wouldn't be interested in diluting it with electronics.  Just a raw, pretty, old school GT/sports car.  Keeping it as light as possible and keeping the underpinnings sensible to stop it being prohibitively expensive of course.

I don't think there's any point in trying to compete with the likes of the Elise as there are just too many of them out there and to be honest, they's so cheap 2nd hand now, you'd just buy the Lotus.  Stick to what you're good at, lightweight, good value, hardcore road/track cars.

[ljsanders]

I have a suggestion

For customers that want a factory built car, spend time in setting up the suspension and handling properly (even more important if its a demo car for customers and/or the press). - re: the recent EVO write up on the Mazda SDV.

It was actually quite shocking how badly set up my car (a factory built speedsport) was. Although I was pleased, I didn't realise it until I tried out someone elses and then I was following someone else of a similar spec car (in mine) and I couldnt keep up with them.

This alone would make a huge difference. It only takes about a day to setup height, camber, toe-in etc.

[Darrell O'Neill]

Have'nt given it much thought,

But as a quick idea, how about instead of selling parts off on ebay, give members of the WSCC or existing customers first dibs on your second hand and slightly seconds parts?

It would give owners an incentive to join the WSCC and existing members the chance to deal with the factory...

Anyway, just my thought..

[Mobsy]

Juansolo - I agree, nice idea for a car. Keep it simple and quick.

Darrell - It would have been nice for those parts to have been offered to the Championship race drivers. Nose cones and front and rear wings tend to be consumables. There's only so many times you can patch them up before they start to look tatty.

[Jenko]

Personally, I think offering a jacket in a prize draw would be fine......yes we would all like some nice bits for our car, but lets be realistic...the offer of a prize is a good carrot, irrespective of how small........Shame you don't know who has had an input so far (all you need is email address, in the additional comments, you could just ask people to put thier email address in to be entered into the draw)....

Some more ideas....Better hood system, RAC roll bar should be a standard item....

And how about this....A bit of development on the windscreen....It's currently as aero dynamic as a brick, but many do not want to go over to an aero screen and wear a helmet all the time......There must be a halfway house on this, something  little lower, and a little more wraparound and aero dynamic........

[Buzz Billsberry]

1)Option of an aluminium body

2)Total redesign of the existing chassis & body work on CAD/CAM so it all fits together correctly as there is a lot of discrepancy particularly at the rear

3)Re introduction of side fillets that enclosed the hole that the  front suspension  hangs out.

4)Update the SEiGHt to take a modern V8 or a more tunable V8 that hasn't got limitations like the Rover

5) Update the dash (ok we've got MX5) but something a bit different & simplistic and away from the traditional sytle

Buzz

[James]

Some decent suspension bushes instead of the standard rubber items which WILL need replacing before too long.

A  standard size boot box which will take an RAC roll bar but you still have the same size base area (So my new tool box will still fit)

By the way I can supply some nice carbon lids for the boxes if you like at a reasonable cost

Some nice alloy shocks like the protech (personally I think Gaz shocks are awfull)

A decent dash board for the Mazda SDV

an online catalouge for wheels ( I would have bought some from you if this was avaliable)

Produce a parts catalouge that will be shiny and glossy which is sent out once a year with the Westfield World dividing it into parts and Upgrades for sad Barstards like me to drool over.

Have more upgrade parts (We want to spend money with you!)

Make your consumable prices more realistic so were not tempted to get a ball joint at a third of the cost from a motor factors.

More Carbon bits yeh deffinatley more carbon!!!!!

BUT PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DONT fit the cars with electonics I want to drive the car knowing I took that bend properley, electronics will just make your car like everybody else's and then I may as well buy a BMW

[Muttleys V8]

My only comment is to make sure that the bodywork fits first time.

The amount of problems (and time) to fit the FW bodywork was a joke.

And it still does not fit properly! Maybe a new mould would be in order!

[lukeyboy]

A template to fit an RAC roll bar. I just can't face trying to chop up my boot box to fit the stays properly and I know I should really fit one to stop my head been removed should I flip it  

An updated build manual which closely relates to the actual construction process of the vehicle (waits for someone to say "it's part of building a kit car" - not when the car has cost £21k) PDF would be good!  

More idea of options -  i.e. alloys, steering wheels, seats, switches (nice shiney ones), mesh, badges, LED lights etc.

Carbon bit - Cycle wings, arch protectors, dashes, headlights, nosecones....

Decent prices on service items. I would be happy to pay slightly over the normal price to get all parts from one place (and to the right spec), but I will not pay for overpriced items when I can do a bit of digging and get them a lot cheaper! (i.e. brake pads / disc, clutches, spark plugs, belts, coolant pipes etc.)

More body colours - metalic

Engine upgrades and rolling road tunes. For example..... I have a 204 hp engine, I'd like it upgrading to 250hp, here's some money, what can you do?

I'm sure I think of some more......

[Bananaman]

Don't know if this has already been addressed but a lot of people seem to have problems filling up there tanks maybe a slight re-design for fuel filler?

[markcoopers]

Julian, we discussed this some time ago.

offer "packs".

Service pack/TLC pack like BMW etal.

Touring pack, [Comfy seats, inersha (spelling) belts, contoured dash, weather equipment etc.]

Circuit pack, [Plastic shell seats, full harness belts, no carpets, digi dash, aero screen etc]

GT pack, [comfy seats with full harness belts, a half way house]

Suspension pack, [ alloy shocks, lighter wheels and better 888 type tyres]

Engine pack, [stages of tune as the likes of dunnel/scholla etc]

Driver training pack, [as it says really, just tie up with a decent instructor]

Break pack, country legislation specific packs.......the list can be endless.

Start with a bum basic set up, for bottom dollar price, the entry/poverty spec, then add "packs" to build the car your customer wants.

The beauty if it is that you are adding value and a service and not just offering kit at high prices. You also help build the brand, keep existing customers comming back, offer more to new customers, keep residuals higher. Thinking further afield, you can get suppliers to construct alot of the packs for you, so that your parts guys only have to pick and post, no counting etc, this should improve quality/missing bit complaints, and remove a cost from the business......surprised you have not put this in place already.

I would of thought tieing up with one of your more "motorsport" orientated customers who also has a business fine tuning cars, a lot of Westfields included, to offer a Rolling road and suspension checked/approved 2nd hand "warrenty" would be a good idea as well.

Product wise, why do you feel the need to change. Evolution I would of thougt would of been the best idea, ie sort the bugs out of what you have. caterham 21 ring any bells.....sounded then and still today a good idea, best ask them why it flopped.

The only other area you should consider is the "now what do i do with it" question. It is no surprise that caterham have an acadamey, it gives all the owners (likeminded) something to do with the car. A varied and mixed bag of events, and don't just do motorsport, think laterally as well, would be a great selling tool.

happy to discuss these ideas further.

mark J.

[samcooke]

I like everything the Mark says. I've always though the lack of residual strength is because the cars in the second hand market have no consistency so to newcomers it's confusing.

Westfield have never had a 'halo' car like the R500 or the Supercharged Arial A(u)tom(atic), so have lacked the press attention this brings. Of course, a halo car nowadays would have to significantly outperform both the Atom and the CSR260 and I don't know how realistic that is.

QUOTE

caterham 21 ring any bells.....sounded then and still today a good idea, best ask them why it flopped.

It flopped because it arrived at the same time as the Elise but cost more and wasn't as good. If it had have been better and cheaper we could well have been laughing at the Elise now.