Factory ending XTR production

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman]

Playing Devils Advocate   Would any maker invest major money in a new design (or big developments of an existing model) without Euro compliance and at least one eye on being able to sell it as a turnkey car only if the rug does get well and truly pulled out from beneath the kit car industry.

[nikpro]

Unfortunately they don't work as a road car in the long term. That's why you will see so many people selling after 4-5 years, people buy them, and for those very few occassions when you find a quiet bit of A road with no traffic on it, it all makes sense, for the rest of the time there are more cons than pros to using a Westfield as a road going car.

How come when I suggest the same six months ago everybody on here - bar a few, called me a w****r, t****r, t**t etc.?

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman]

Unfortunately they don't work as a road car in the long term. That's why you will see so many people selling after 4-5 years, people buy them, and for those very few occassions when you find a quiet bit of A road with no traffic on it, it all makes sense, for the rest of the time there are more cons than pros to using a Westfield as a road going car.

How come when I suggest the same six months ago everybody on here - bar a few, called me a w****r, t****r, t**t etc.?

They've met you?          

Runs and hides

 

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman]

Sorry

Serious answer, too many overdeveloped cars that are no longer road cars I suspect. Looking back over the years on here, and over on the Darkside, it always appears that the most heavily used and enjoyed cars are at a relatively mid level of development, OK, I know there are exceptions. There will always be aeroscreened nutters out in the snow   but touring spec cars with engines tuned enough to be fun, with screens and

Oh how it hurts to say it,

weather gear, just seem to be so usable.

[s2k7]

GTM , XTR, XI, SEI all obsolete cars. Drop them all dead except SEI & re-focus.

7 out of 10 clones in the US are Caterhams. US type seven are climbing (no jokes). Chris Smith thumbed his nose to US market. I know this for sure.

My friend and I were ready to finance the business, they refused due to litigation issue. Today, the Seven registry is healthy, never heard

anyone suing Caterham, Ultralight, Locost, Birkins, Brunton, Deman, DDR, Elfin & many more US versions.

Westfield realized the mistake. They now established a US dealership but way too late. I'm the only stupid who bought the Westy!!

[Martin Keene]

The story goes :

Passionate enthusiast makes success of low volume car produced in a shed.

Businessman sees that enthusiast makes money and reasons that with his business brain he can do much better.

Enthusiast sells for offer he can't refuse.

Businessman tries lots of new ideas for a bit.

Businessman fails to make a fortune.

Businessman decides to shut up shop.

Original enthusiast buys remnants of firm for next-to-nothing.

As far as I can tell no businessman has ever made a success of low volume cars. All the firms that have survived (and it is always just survival) have been run by people who love cars more than money.

Here are some examples :

Marcos

Ginetta

TVR

Chesil

It's impossible to get rich off low volume specialist cars. I'm amazed businessmen haven't worked it out yet.

Sounds very familiar...

[tex]

doesnt matter what we think tho - if they said theyre ending it then thats it - we canna stop them. public outcry or not - business is business - if it aint selling it aint selling.

personally it needed updating - the radical is a better looking car [albeit i bet its way more pricey]

factory support for race series costs money - when have westfield spent on support on anything in this country like that and tried to keep it going?

[dombanks]

Sorry

Serious answer, too many overdeveloped cars that are no longer road cars I suspect. Looking back over the years on here, and over on the Darkside, it always appears that the most heavily used and enjoyed cars are at a relatively mid level of development, OK, I know there are exceptions. There will always be aeroscreened nutters out in the snow   but touring spec cars with engines tuned enough to be fun, with screens and

Oh how it hurts to say it,

weather gear, just seem to be so usable.

dfinalty, a screen and and the side screens make such a big difference to the car. i went from areo to a screen and it was the best thing i did with the westy. i dont have a heater and maybe its something i chould consider, although my battery is in the way and i sold my heater  

nick i think why people havnt jumped on that comment is your comments whilst of the same neature seemed to come across as more of 1 westfields are crap road cars period. 2. the only place to enjoy/drive a westy id a track. personally i can see where your coming from.

i can relate to jaks comment alot. i bought mine so i could build it, i wanted the challenge and tbh i would build another without question if i had funds. i use mine solely for the road and ive only done 1 trackday in it. (and thats cos it was the cheap oulton one) mine is a 180bhp zetec on standard everything. i find it great to just cruise about. BUT. untill i changed the screen if i had the funds and something ame up that was more user friendly i would have changed. i think the 4-5 yrs is right. you get the thing out of your system, tinkering just becomes a chore and for a vast amount of the year you cant use it. i look at mine and think it worth what? 8K ish (maybe) i could sell this get a z4 3.0L roadster or maybe a boxter s (with a little bit more cash) and still have a quick car, have the open top experience, nice sound etc  but i can use it all rear round and go to work in it and have a radio and not go deaf everytime i go out.

it really doesnt supprise me that there are not so many road going XTR's and without a decent sales figures i would suspect its left westfield with no choice. lets face it they are a business and making money is what they, the owners, are there for.

[Guest]

Unfortunately they don't work as a road car in the long term. That's why you will see so many people selling after 4-5 years, people buy them, and for those very few occassions when you find a quiet bit of A road with no traffic on it, it all makes sense, for the rest of the time there are more cons than pros to using a Westfield as a road going car.

How come when I suggest the same six months ago everybody on here - bar a few, called me a w****r, t****r, t**t etc.?

i wouldn't worry about it Frazier , i had similar comments when talking about cages for westfields on track etc .

I still got the cages sorted with phill and now look how many people have them .

your right its a shocking road car , but then i think the same of the elise , in fact i think thats worse , compromised for track and compromised for road , but people bought them .

[jak]

Unfortunately they don't work as a road car in the long term. That's why you will see so many people selling after 4-5 years, people buy them, and for those very few occassions when you find a quiet bit of A road with no traffic on it, it all makes sense, for the rest of the time there are more cons than pros to using a Westfield as a road going car.

How come when I suggest the same six months ago everybody on here - bar a few, called me a w****r, t****r, t**t etc.?

That's because a lot of people are in the middle of their personal love affair with a Westfield. However, once the honeymoon period is over - usually 2- 3 yrs - they see the light.

[nikpro]

Anyway - back on topic; there is an XTR4 on Piston heads at the moment that looks good value for a track car & I quite fancy it - anybody any opinions on it - I have never driven/seen an XTR4 in the flesh.

XTR4

[scott beeland]

Ex Deefab/ AutoPro car....It ought to be good

[wilsonch]

There's also an ex Graham Hathaway racing XTR2 turbo car on ebay.

Lots of goodies on this one, and if Mr Hathaway has had anything to do with it you know its goig to be good.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Westfie....5f1d25b

[XTR2Turbo]

I wonder why Bob is selling. Haven't heard from him for ages. I wonder if mine is the last XTR2 registered in the UK?  I don't think any have been through IVA

[CedricTheBrave]

The Xtr4 has been on PH and ebay for months