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  1. #1
    Senior Member Sulland's Avatar
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    Roadcar spin-off from Rally

    One thing is that the manufacturers learn from rally and use that in development of their roadcars.
    What is a bit strange is that they do not make some sporty and cool looking roadcars with wider Wings front and back, and a quick engine. That stopped with the end of group N.

    Most car buyers do not have a clue, and is not very interested in cars. So they buy what ever the rest is buying.

    But the few that is over average interessted in cars, and therefor they are the ones the rest are asking for advice when buying a car.
    And the few are the ones that are buying cool cars, because they want to.

    Here the spin-off cars from rally have their mission. Fun cars, that the petrolheads will buy, and look so cool that they stand out from the rest.
    The brand you own you normally also recomend to others, if you are happy with it.

    Subaru WRX and Mitsubishi Evo have done more for those brands than they could ever dream of. Especially for the "farmers car" Subaru.

    Skoda, Hyundai, Citroen, Peugeot, Ford and the others could get increased sales by using the petrolheads as their advertizers, as the ones talking up their brands.

    If they will not do it themselves, use a local tuningfirm to make it for them.

  2. #2
    Senior Member Mirek's Avatar
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    And that's why even Mitsubishi is abandoning this concept...
    Stupid is as stupid does. Forrest Gump

  3. #3
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    I'm not sure the WRC is the best place to demonstrate 'road relevant' technology. 1.6T, 4WD cars.....hardly ground breaking. The nearest car you can buy that you see in the WRC is probably the R-GT Porsche; based on the GT3 Cup car which is virtually the same as the GT3 road car
    Road relevant technology is what the WEC is for, and why more Manufacturers are signing up for it.

    Is there a better sound than that of Porsche engined Flat-6 ???

  4. Likes: stefanvv (18th May 2015)
  5. #4
    Senior Member Mirek's Avatar
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    The issue is that Porsche is on completely different market than the brands involved in WRC. Those can not sell anything for 150 thousand Euro. They make profit out of numbers and with novadays production methods it's extremely non-effective to produce anything non-standard. VW average margin is 2,5%. It's so small money out of one car that You can easily ruin it by using just few special components. First of all the manufacturers have to make profit and on today's market it's done by huge pressure on planning and effectiveness. Making some really different special versions is sadly completely uneconomic.

    That's also why the world moved from gr.A cars twenty years a go. They were no longer profitable even back then. For manufacturers it's cheap to give 100 million Euro to let's say a team of 50 high skilled specialists to play and build some prototype cars with the same marketing effect as investing billions into serial production of something similar which in the end would be so expensive that nobody would buy it.
    Stupid is as stupid does. Forrest Gump

  6. #5
    Objective observer stefanvv's Avatar
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    Current WRC car models are just not thrilling anyway some company to invest in road car equivalents. That's why the market is potentially even smaller than before.
    "With that car, your brain can actually never keep up"
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4IRMYuE1hI

  7. #6
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    We can dream about it. But it won t happen anymore. That s why i am building my own E30 M3 grA car and do some nice rally s with it.

    I have spend lots of money on subaru's and Evo RS and would spend my money on a 300hp 4wd fiesta wide body with mechanical diffs and manual handbrake without any doubt. But my hopes are gone.

    it was a fantastic time to watch rally s and see all the rally evo's and drift home in my Evo RS!

  8. #7
    Senior Member Rallyper's Avatar
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    Special roadcars built to lookalike WRC cars might make increased selling of ordinary cars and therefore could help manufacturers get more profit.
    It´s all hand in hand. If a manufacturer participates in WRC a special roadcar would be considered as the fuit of their efforts to make a popular brand giving the ordinary models a boost.

    I don´t know. It´s all theories anyway.
    "Reis vas pät pat kaar vas kut"
    Tommi Mäkinen, back in the years...

  9. #8
    Senior Member Sulland's Avatar
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    It could be as simple as a wide Polo with a beefed 1,4 TSI and front wheel drive.
    Not many need 4wd for the street anyway.
    And the some motorsport inspired seats, and some more instrumentation.

    It will sell in larger numbers if the price is right!

    Stage II could be with 4wd for the real petrolheads!

  10. #9
    Senior Member Mirek's Avatar
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    Keep dreaming guys... I bet You have little idea how production line and all the logistics and planning for it look like and how the competitive price on the market is reached. Of course You can believe in whatever You want but it's like living in some wonderland.

    I don't say some of these mass-manufacturers won't do it but if they decide for that it would have to be an extra expense as a kind of image maker, not as something profitable.

    You can ignore my babbling but I think I know a little about the subject as I'm part of the stock car development process...
    Stupid is as stupid does. Forrest Gump

  11. Likes: Franky (19th May 2015),N.O.T (19th May 2015),pantealex (19th May 2015),tommeke_B (19th May 2015)
  12. #10
    친애하는 지도자
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    having dreams is nice, having fantasies is plain stupid.

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