GRM Exclusive Reveal: Exocet Spec-A

My desire for one of these grows stronger on a weekly basis.

However, it would likely necessitate ditching the current DD and getting a truck/trailer.

It's official, I won't be looking for a new host body when I wreck my miata.

We got a new welder lead, apparently our old one's sleeve was pinched. Bam, instant pretty welds. This picture isn't cherry picked, it just has a bunch of welds next to each other.

Oh, much better welding.

I'm getting a lot of emails about what engines will fit. To head off these questions, I made a little overlay. I can't guarantee anything, but this should give you a good idea. The image is ~2700px wide, you can get the fullres here: http://i.imgur.com/KulwY6v.jpg

How wide can you go? You have a totally clear envelope from the red and blue lines of 26.5" wide. The distance between the red and blue lines? A little over 32". I promised you oodles, you damn well got your oodles.

For example, here is an LS3 and a 2.5" thick radiator:

Surprise me.

Your overlay features an "Exocet 3" with previously-unmentioned front aero. Is this something you're prepared to discuss?

I'm assuming the firewall in the Exocet is at the stock location, so the popular coolant reroute won't have a problem fitting?

I'm also interested in Aero.

Heh, oops. Don't mind that. Yeah, we've got a lot of add-ons in the works. That front wing mount will work with all past and current Exocets, and it can mount to just about any aftermarket wing. The rear one is a little trickier, and will only be available on the new Exocets due to using the DOM downtubes. No definites on pricing or timing, yet.

You can see how the front mount works here. It's just through-bolted on the radiator mount tubes, and has a bit of adjustability to fit different versions of the car. For example, the brit-built versions had radiator tubes 40mm high, we went to 1" and changed the tubes' positions so only 25mm of airflow is blocked versus 80. The bottom mounts are designed to be universal, just match your wing's mount tab width, drill your holes, and bolt it on. The front wing mounts weigh 3.8 lbs without hardware and will support up to 900 lbs of downforce with negligible deflection. I strongly recommend a 2D wing profile on both front and back.

Internally, the production chassis is on revision 3. Revision 1 is the UK-built car, Rev2 is the 3 overbuilt prototypes (DOM ALL THE THINGS), and 3 is the final production version with laser-etched part numbers, optimized tube thicknesses, and a few tweaks here and there. Nothing marketing-worthy, we're still calling the 3 the US-Built Exocet. A numbering system wouldn't make sense to market, since the Brits have made at least a dozen major changes to their car and it would get confusing quick.

Z31, the firewall is a little back from the Miata firewall at the center. The rear connections for the reroute should fit just fine. I thought Miatas had a lot of room in the engine bay until I started working on Exocets. Makes you lazy on your street car...

I'm in Lincoln, England on business and I've just seen an Exocet in the flesh for the first time. It was on the back of a lorry which was also towing a 7 clone of some sort. The Exocet had all black mechanicals and frame with green body and fenders, plus the full cage.

It looks a lot more cohesive and aggressive in person than the web photos indicate. This one would have fit right in to the green hornet's arsenal.

Initial negotiations with my primary financial stakeholder have gone well...

MattGent wrote: Initial negotiations with my primary financial stakeholder have gone well...

Same with me, though she would like one with full bodywork.

MattGent wrote: I'm in Lincoln, England on business and I've just seen an Exocet in the flesh for the first time. It was on the back of a lorry which was also towing a 7 clone of some sort. The Exocet had all black mechanicals and frame with green body and fenders, plus the full cage. It looks a lot more cohesive and aggressive in person than the web photos indicate. This one would have fit right in to the green hornet's arsenal. Initial negotiations with my primary financial stakeholder have gone well...

Always fun to spot one. My friends text me whenever they see one here in the states (which is pretty rare). It would be annoying if I lived in England, cause they're up to about 400 produced.

Well...

S2K is sold this Saturday. Miata is verbally held for me (buddy's car), and I should acquire during my next trip up to D.C. Exocet order to be placed... hopefully soon. Close on my house next week, so I have a lot going on at the moment.

Regarding Exocet suspensions, what spring rates are most people using on these? Reason I ask, is that I am purchasing a very well prepped STR Miata that is currently running 600/375 springs. I could probably drop it 100# per corner without much fuss, but I imagine more than that and I should look into revalving (FCM setup).

In reply to ProDarwin:

Don't buy springs yet. I've done all sorts of ride frequency analysis on this and have a nice little chart to answer this, but I'm on my phone right now. I'll get back to you.

^Excellent! Will you guys have any suggestions for wings in specific to purchase and appropriate changes in spring rate needed to accommodate the Aero?

This is getting very interesting.

Did I miss your web site for the US built one?

I'd put a COT wing on each end

Getting close to a flat floor and a big diffuser would be cool as well!

This is pertinent to my interests... I have been racing tin tops for a while and there are a number of irritating compromises they come with that have had me seekinga light, fast car that I can affordably assemble/prep/repair myself. Please make sure that bodywork is cheap to ship (no $200 size panels) and all the components are easy to repair (ala SRF).

Oh, right, I'm supposed to ask a question.

So... you have a spec racer in the making.... you need to promise big fields to sell spec cars. How do guys plan to overcome the that little catch-22 where no one races a car because no on is racing the car yet? My wallet and interest start to peak at around consistent 7 to 10 car fields on the east coast unless there is some financial advantage to being the early bird in car #1?

I'd be tempted to even get the caged version for my street car so I could use it later.

I keep bugging the miata challenge guys to find out if I can run it

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote: Please make sure that bodywork is cheap to ship (no $200 size panels) and all the components are easy to repair (ala SRF).

How does thermoformed panels à la ATVs and motorcycles sound to you? No need to pay for the labor of fiberglass, especially when modern methods can result in a stronger, more precise part. FIberglass was cool in the 60s, now I can build a gantry CNC for less than the cost of new fiberglass bucks and molds. The goal of the Exocet project is to be inexpensive, easy to build, cheap to run, and at a quality level that embarrasses the rest of the industry. If I do my job right, the bodywork will be cheap enough that everyone with an Exocet will want to upgrade. Still, that's next year.

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote: So... you have a spec racer in the making.... you need to promise big fields to sell spec cars. How do guys plan to overcome the that little catch-22 where no one races a car because no on is racing the car yet? My wallet and interest start to peak at around consistent 7 to 10 car fields on the east coast unless there is some financial advantage to being the early bird in car #1?

The answer is the private motorsport clubs. We've had great success at Atlanta Motorsports Park, and we already have a spec loosely defined between three cars up there. It's based off Spec Piñata, obviously. I think it will be quite attractive for a spec series, as it already is in the UK (MX150R).

z31maniac wrote: ^Excellent! Will you guys have any suggestions for wings in specific to purchase and appropriate changes in spring rate needed to accommodate the Aero? This is getting very interesting. Did I miss your web site for the US built one? Getting close to a flat floor and a big diffuser would be cool as well!

We'll have a few recommendations for wings, but the idea is to be very flexible in the mount position so you can make the ultimate decision. The CoT wings are a great suggestion. We still have a lot of testing and research before we can make a list, so those answers are a few weeks away (now I know why I was supposed to keep it under wraps!).

We have not done the new website launch yet. We're getting plenty of orders right now from in-person and forum exposure, and we want to make sure the enthusiasts get the new Exocets and build them right before we sell them to casual buyers. Right now the lead times are only a couple months. The backend of the site, support network, and build guide sections have been upgraded, so you'll have a lot of reference materials for your build.

The floor is already flat at proper ride height (slight rake, actually, which is great). We have plans for a center panel to close out the trans tunnel, but that's going to take a lot of testing to ensure good heat management. The diffuser is part of the new bodywork plan, again, at least 6 months off. I will not be willing to step away from this project until we hit 2G steady-state and a 0-60 under 3.5 for a build cost under $20k. Please don't take that as some sort of marketing promise, that's just my personal goal.

Jaynen wrote: I'd be tempted to even get the caged version for my street car so I could use it later. I keep bugging the miata challenge guys to find out if I can run it

Since the rollbar is designed to work in conjunction with the full cage, the actual cage only adds 44 lbs, but it's up high and forward (obviously). The steel floors (18 ga) add 25 lbs to the bottom of the car, but the intrusion protection is worth it to me. You will be able to order the cage with aluminum floors (16 ga), too.

Can the cage tubes be added later?

Jaynen wrote: Can the cage tubes be added later?

Obviously you would need to remove your chassis finish to do the welding, but yes. The diagonals, harness bars, and cage components were all designed to be added sequentially. The main diagonal slips out of the roll hoop, especially in revision 3. Theoretically you could buy a Base, upgrade it to a Sport, and then a Race. We will never offer a bolt-in cage for as long as I'm involved with the project. I want repeat customers.

Warren v wrote: We'll have a few recommendations for wings, but the idea is to be very flexible in the mount position so you can make the ultimate decision. The CoT wings are a great suggestion. We still have a lot of testing and research before we can make a list, so those answers are a few weeks away (now I know why I was supposed to keep it under wraps!). We have not done the new website launch yet. We're getting plenty of orders right now from in-person and forum exposure, and we want to make sure the enthusiasts get the new Exocets and build them right before we sell them to casual buyers. Right now the lead times are only a couple months. The backend of the site, support network, and build guide sections have been upgraded, so you'll have a lot of reference materials for your build. The floor is already flat at proper ride height (slight rake, actually, which is great). We have plans for a center panel to close out the trans tunnel, but that's going to take a lot of testing to ensure good heat management. The diffuser is part of the new bodywork plan, again, at least 6 months off. I will not be willing to step away from this project until we hit 2G steady-state and a 0-60 under 3.5 for a build cost under $20k. Please don't take that as some sort of marketing promise, that's just my personal goal.

This is great news. I like Jaynen, will likely end up buying the version with the full cage. It will be a barely street-legal HPDE toy for me.

I'm a big fan of your personal goal! Now it's just going to be saving up the coin to get it done........and buying a truck........and a trailer..........doh!

With the weight of an Exocet you won't need the truck. Tow it behind a car!

dculberson wrote: With the weight of an Exocet you won't need the truck. Tow it behind a car!

Would be a funny sight to see an NC Miata towing a Miata-based kit car!

Exocet tow Vehicle

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