Have any current SL-C owners thought of...

[Juice Lucas]

...customizing the actual body of their car to make it more unique than it already is? From reading through threads about the SL-C, I believe it was introduced circa 2007. I was thinking a body redesign is about due, but I know how difficult that would be from a kit car manufacturer to accomplish. From a performance standpoint, there are very few cars that are comparable. But as with all cars as they reach that 5+ year time in the market, they begin to look a bit dated.

Though some on this forum may not like it, I reference cars like the GTM and it's redesign to make it look a bit more modern and less kit-ish (We all know performance wise the only thing those two cars have in common is that they have 4 wheels and an engine :laugh.

Another build which caught my eye was that of Jon Olsson's Ultima GTR. Talk about bringing an old chassis and design into 2010+!
Regular Ultima GTR...

Jon's GTR

Rebellion R1k by Jon Olsson - YouTube

I'm sure ,as a professional skier, he doesn't have the same budget constraints as most of us, but it was nice to see a redesign of a great car to bring it up to times. Your thoughts on the matter? Would you put the extra $$,$$$ towards a body redesign? If so, what would you change?

 

[Greg Wolfe]

I will put in my 2 cents. When you are referring to car that is SO RARE, refresh is a bottom priority in my opinion. The car is gorgeous and I don't think a refresh would benefit Superlite at all. I am pretty sure the aesthetics of the SL-C are not causing any missed sales. The car is gorgeous, aggressive, and demands attention. What you like may not be what the next guy likes.

With that being said, if you buy the car, it is YOUR car and you can do anything you want.

Mr. Wolfe

 

[John Ross]

The only body redesign I'd want to see is one that lowers the drag coefficient and/or improves downforce for higher top speeds and quicker lap times. And I gather this is exactly what Fran is working on, if his new street front splitter option is any indication.

Maybe when I get my SLC in September and get it finished I'll end up hating it, but at this moment I feel like it's 1973 again, and I'm putting an L88 crate motor in a '65 Nova, along with a homemade nitrous system I got the idea for when researching a term paper on WWII German air power. (I actually thought I'd discovered a secret no other street racers knew about.)

My current energy level is higher than it's been for decades, friends are asking if I've been taking some new kind of vitamins, and the nines and tens now have a different gleam in their eyes when they look at me.

RCR gets the credit (or blame) for all of that...

SLC body redesign? Do you aspire to work for Mansory, or something?

JR

 

[TimB]

Fran is working on a redesign it's called the SLC LeMans

 

[Howard Jones]

Please post pictures of "9's & 10's".

As far as SLC changes, it's your's, so go ahead a cut it up, we all enjoy each others personal touches.

 

[Troy Truglio]

Since it is based on a Lemans car how about a more modern looking one, not that the SLC looks bad, but the new ones are just insane looking? I love the look of the new Audi and Toyota. Just make the body the only real changes so I can order the body later and just bolt it on.

 

[John Ross]

Please post pictures of "9's & 10's".

Here's one that's G rated...

 

[Will Campbell]

The target for the SLC is first a street car that can be tracked or raced, that echoes the iconic Group C and IMSA GTP cars of the 1980-90s. It already does what is was designed to do, and pretty well.

It's also already had one design update- the street tail- and as pointed out earlier, is on target for yet another (the Le Mans).

How can anyone expect more from a company that builds fewer cars in a year than GM loses falling off rail cars in a month?

Unless you only want a full-on race car, making the SLC more like the current LeMans P1 cars is a big step backward ergonomically, as the cockpits are very tiny. It just isn't sensible.

If you want an all-out P1 car, then wait a few months until RCR releases the Cadillac LMP. That has relatively modern looks, and is strictly a race car.

But the SLC has already had many more revisions over time than any other comparable car. Be glad that Fran is constantly keeping the car fresh! It's much more than has happened with the Ultima or the GTM, to name two obvious candidates for a refresh.

 

[Troy Truglio]

Will
I understand and like the SLC as is and why I ordered one. Do I like the more modern Lemans car also so they are both amazing. I am glad Fran did the new street tail as that is what I ordered and mine to be a street car. The newer cars are really skinny in the middle so really just single seater unless we have a super model.

That transformation on the ultima was impressive though.

 

[Juice Lucas]

I will put in my 2 cents. When you are referring to car that is SO RARE, refresh is a bottom priority in my opinion. The car is gorgeous and I don't think a refresh would benefit Superlite at all. I am pretty sure the aesthetics of the SL-C are not causing any missed sales. The car is gorgeous, aggressive, and demands attention. What you like may not be what the next guy likes.

With that being said, if you buy the car, it is YOUR car and you can do anything you want.

Mr. Wolfe

A Ferrari F50/360/430/599 are beautiful cars and are excellent performance vehicles that demand attention as you would say. It doesn't mean that the company rests on its laurels and stops development. But if the lack of development doesn't impede sales, there's no need for a company to make said changes. So I do see both sides of the coin in that regard. I wonder if Fran would be willing assisting someone with making a bespoke vehicle with his chassis as the base... just my thoughts though.

 

[Justin]

A Ferrari F50/360/430/599 are beautiful cars and are excellent performance vehicles that demand attention as you would say. It doesn't mean that the company rests on its laurels and stops development. But if the lack of development doesn't impede sales, there's no need for a company to make said changes. So I do see both sides of the coin in that regard. I wonder if Fran would be willing assisting someone with making a bespoke vehicle with his chassis as the base... just my thoughts though.

Yes. He will. Bring money.

 

[Juice Lucas]

Fran is working on a redesign it's called the SLC LeMans

Wouldn't say that that is a redesign, but a roofless version of a vehicle brought to market in '06/'07. No one is saying that the current model looks bad by any stretch of the imagination. I don't want anyone getting hypersensitive over the topic. I'd just like to see an update to the flagship superlite series of cars. Too much to desire :shrug:?

 

[Will Campbell]

It's not my company, so I'm not sensitive. But I note that the LeMans is more than just an SLC hit with a chainsaw. It has a new rear section, new interior parts, new windshield, modified doors, a different roll cage treatment and different window treatment.

Much less than that has passed for a re-design for most cars.

I still think that the SLC has had more design changes, variations, updates or whatever else you want to call them, than any other comparable car. You can always ask for more, but it's already been a pretty aggressive series of changes for such a low-production vehicle at the current price point.

 

[Mike]

Re: Have any current SL-C owners thought of... Nope......

 

[Troy Truglio]

Sharky. I love that pic and you are killing me. 3-4 months until mine is mine.

 

[Mike]

Sorry sir, may I please have another...

 

[Henry]

The car looks amazing as is. I think that different style/functional body panel options like the street tail, front splitter, and whatever else the future has in store is plenty. You don't have to change much to separate yourself in a small crowd of SLC's. Like mentioned above, if your composite skills are any good or your willing to pay you can create your own one off.

 

[Ted - LS MAN]

A Ferrari F50/360/430/599 are beautiful cars and are excellent performance vehicles that demand attention as you would say. It doesn't mean that the company rests on its laurels and stops development. But if the lack of development doesn't impede sales, there's no need for a company to make said changes. So I do see both sides of the coin in that regard. I wonder if Fran would be willing assisting someone with making a bespoke vehicle with his chassis as the base... just my thoughts though.

He already has.
This actually started off as a gtm project idea... - FFCars.com : Factory Five Racing Discussion Forum

 

[Dave]

Don't forget about Rob Mesa's widebody SL-C. He has perhaps the most radical body change of any delivered SL-C.

 

[Aaron M]

SL-C is a pretty specific tool.


Like a 911.


It doesn't require facelifts like mass production cars to remain 'fashionable', becuase its customer base doesn't care. What counts is that every time a new model is released, the improvement is so much more than cosmetic, just like the iterations of the SL-C.