Robin Hoods - as good as a Westfield but cheaper ?

[AndrewW]

I'm looking for a seven-type car and have been reading the mags / trawling through websites and so on.

My question to you all is why should I spend more on a Westfield when I can get a Robin Hood for much less and have it do the same thing (speed / handling / fun etc) ?

I can understand why c******ms are so expensive as they are made of metal instead of plastic (but probably not worth the extra) , but surely a Robin Hood and a Westfield are basically the same thing ?

Steel Chassis (stainless in the RH so isnt that better ?), plastic bodywork, Ford engines and gearboxes and so on - its all the same isnt it ??

[Richard M Green]

Er, no it's not "all the same":

Let's see if I can master quoting:

Steel Chassis (stainless in the RH so isnt that better ?),

The difference is that the Westfield is a spaceframe chassis(strength plus lightness) as is a C******m, whereas the RH chassis is simply a large sheet of folded S/Steel. The plastic to which you refer is simply a way of getting a decent cosmetic look without the expense of shaped and polished/painted aluminium.

and have it do the same thing (speed / handling / fun etc) ?

Whilst I don't dispute that you will have fun in an RH, its speed will be limited by weight (for reasons described above) and its handling by a multiplicity of other factors. I would strongly urge you to drive a few of each before deciding.....

Also if you're going to build it yourself, and you haven't built a kit car before then have a chat with a few builders and try to ellicit their honest opinions on quality of build manual, factory support, parts that fit first time, etc

Regards

Richard

[Phssthpok]

I would agree with you whole heartedly. Unfortunately, unlike you, I did not trawl the webb or read up on the various cars, so I stupidly brought a Westfield and have lived to regret my haste. The benefits of a Robin Hood are many and include:

A solid chassis cleverly designed to not feature single triangle.

Stainless steel body panels that might be heavier than aluminium or fibre glass but polish up a treat when washed with Fairy liquid.

The kit is quite comprehensive and all the supplied components are of a similar standard to the chassis.

You can use standard car seats in a Robin Hood which might not grip you tightly make up for that with armchair like comfort; which is good for long lap track days.

The only downside (or upside depending on your inclination) of Robin Hood ownership is their popularity amongst the gay fraternity but, that shouldn’t concern you unduly.

[Bananaman]

I guess you are new to this 7 kit car thing?

There is a definate hieracy which goes somthing like this

1. C*****m    

2. Westfield

3. All other 7 type kit cars *

4. * Robinhoods

This is based on several things such as

Heritage

Quality

Perfomance

Desireability

This all equates to a hieracy of price

C*****ms = £7,000-£40,000

Westfields  = £5,000-£20,000

Others       = £4,000-£12,000

Robinhoods = £1,500-£5,000

Theres obviously far more to it than this but you tend to get what you pay for, unless it's a C*****m then you get snob value, this tends to cost about £2,000-£20,000  dependent on how snobby you want to be.      

Before you all start shouting at me i know Westfields are better than C******ms but some people dissagree (fools)  

[Westfieldman]

Stainless steel is horrid for chassies as it work hardens and brakes this happens around the welds and anywhere else it has been worked cold or hot.

Stainless steel may not rot but does corrode if mixed with low carbon steel.

Stainless is a strange material as its hard to work but weak in a lot of other ways not very strong in resisting bending [chassie flex]

Its heavy, dificult to paint if you should wish to.

Most of the bits in a R.H. are donner parts from a Sierra so everything is a compermise from there on in only going to be as good as a Sierra if you are lucky or as Dave A. is talented at engine and car set up.

The Striker is probably on a par with Westfield in lots of ways and look a lot better with no screen light weight good handling good value for money.

The pionts I belive are good about the Westfields are

Steel space frame chassie

Good choice of engines with out price premiums for more power like c******m super sport,super light, super light R,then the big one the R500 that most c******m owners look up to and a lot belive they have a part of just by having a c******m [remember the Cosworth 500 Sierra and the rep mobile every one wanted a Sierra at the time]

You can build it more like a kit car if you want to getting bits from other supliers if you want to.[ I did]

Indipendent rear suspension

Front suspension designed for the car not for a donner car

Good technical back up

Good stores personel

Sales dept people are sales people

this list is not in any order just as i thought of it.

Paul.     Look at the link to my web site below.

[neo]

sorry to be blunt but just get a westfield,all the rest are second best including the c******m  

[crew15uk]

Andrew, can I suggest, as a recent Westfield purchaser that you think carefully about your options.

I too have been in the same position as you. I had come to the conclusion that it would be easier to buy a second hand MX-5 for the same price as a second hand Westfield, Tiger or R.H. For this you would get an open top PRODUCTION car, a purpose built car. While trying to work out what the best option was, I still looked through the 'free ads' etc.

I was fortunate enough to find a reasonably price 2.0 SE . Though this means I can't say that I built the car it does mean that I now own the car of my dreams !!

Yes, there are other kits available but, WESTFIELDS ARE THE BEST - BY FAR!

[Nick Algar - Competition Secretary]

Andrew,

Have a look at the sliding front suspension arrangement Robin Hood did when they first brought out the bent tube chassis, it's bl**dy dangerous. How anybody could put that together I don't know. They have now replaced it, but not on all of the kits. Made me very concerned about the rest of their engineering.

If budget is a low, chose something else. Robin Hoods arn't 4th as Andy suggested, more like 99th.

Nick

PS. BsHons in Mechanical Engineering.

[westy]

Andrew,

Get yourself along to your local meets for all of the cars you are interested in buying for a tyre kicking session with the owners.  Try to blag test drives if you can especially of the different engine types.

The overall factor is your buying a car that weighs in the region of 600kg running a normal engine which is open top.  So the performance and the lovely feeling of driving through the sunset roads will be fantastic.  What badge it runs will be up to your personal preference but not ours on here.  We can give you technical insight but the overall view is best learnt by yourself

hth.

Westy.

[Martin Young]

Hello there Andrew,

Before I bought my first seven I wrote to all the manufacturers I was interested in (c******m, Westfield, Sylva, Birkin, Dax and Tiger) and asked them to sent some product information.

Next I attended kit car shows, spoke to owners, went along to local meetings, etc. It's all about research to see which car best suits you in terms of looks, budget, performance, engineering, etc.

I also looked very carefully at second hand values as it is always worth considering what you will get for the car three years down the line if you decide to go for a major upgrade or your own financial circumstances force a sale.

Having owned two seven type cars my general advice would be go for a decent spec as once you've had the car for a wee while upgradeitis sets in and its generally cheaper to buy bits 'on the car  rather than upgrade later. This applies to second hand vehicles.

I eventually narrowed my choice down to either Tiger, Westfield or Sylva. The Striker is great if you're on a tight budget as Westfields and Tigers tend to cost more but are generally higher spec with VX XE and zetec engines installed whereas, in my experience anyway, strikers tend to be found with pinto's or x-flows.

Whatever you end up with I'm sure that you will have great fun in it.

As for Robin Hoods. All I can say is that I discarded ir ealry on purely on the grounds of looks and engineering.

All the Best.

Martin.

[neo]

Andrew imho i would go for a lower spec westy than a high spec robin hood, for the same money,failing that the Tiger would probably be my next choice,but the best advice of all would be to get your ass to donnington this weekend for the national kit car show,its the best place to see all the makes together at one place.  

[v8rush]

Ok, thats it for now, sorry its a bit long but as you can see I'm still working all this out

Assuming this post is a serious one, you must go to the kit car show at Donington this weekend (14/15 Sep).

Westfield (I assume), Dax, Tiger, Locost, Robin Hood will all be there, and there's no better way to compare them than looking at them all in the flesh (and in bits on the stands).

Whatever you choose, don't choose a RH...  

[Westfieldman]

I didnt realise that - thanks. However will this actually cause any problems long-term ?

 

The thing will fall to bits and to reweld is not an option from an engineering piont of view it just cracks again and again if you can reweld it at all it gos like glass.

The Food industy use large stainless cooking vessels [steem heated chilled water cooled] and after so long they split and we have then welded up and insuranse tested and they usualy fail dispite the use of codded welders this goes on for about six mounths then give in and replac with new ones.

Paul.

[Gazza]

Assuming you're not winding us all up with your complete mis-understanding of what a '7'-type car is all about...

Reading between your lines I don't think you want a car for the same reasons that we all have Westfields.

In the mainy we want razor-sharp performance/handling at a reasonable price, followed by a love of the look of the car (being a form that follows the function and looks RIGHT).

The RH has appalling functional qualities. An example is due to the direct use of Sierra rear suspension. They all sit a yard off the ground because the semi trailing arms will set the wheels at crazy angles if the chassis ever gets within shouting distance of the ground!

My 7 y.o old son can spot the silly proportions of the RH - the driver looks like hes sat in a shallow stainless bath! So it has neither pleasing form nor function. Next....

If none of our rantings are making sense then I suspect that you're looking at 7's for the wrong reasons.

[Maid Marrianne]

I personally like the styling of the "hoods". I believe that they represent one of the best ways a person can gain the seven driving experience. I've had one for a few years , and find the people very friendly and very willing to help.

Unlike some of the Westie owners. In fact my Dad was out in the "hood" the other night and some young whippersnapper "Westie" took the mickey out of his car. He didn't half laugh when he saw it broken down round the corner.

If performance and "Sod the cost" is what you want the best get a c******m.

If I were you, get a hood, enjoy it, save up and buy a Proper Seven.