What is the build and delivery time of your RF?

Oliver · 10-20-05, 10:12 AM

When I first ordered my RF, I was told It would take 9 to 10 months for delivery. I orderd My car On 6/2/05. I recently found out it will now be closer to a year before delivery.I would like to know from other RF owners what was the time frame for delivery of their car. I don't want a pissing contest! I would just like to know if other owners have been told the same time frame.

Regards Oliver

David York · 10-20-05, 05:38 PM

When I ordered my RF I had researched the previous owners and found average delivery times of about a year. I chose the car knowing it was most likely going to be 12 months before I recieved it. If Robert keeps his current expectations in line he will deliver my kit 3 months ahead of my expectations. Good going considering a whole new operation was created in the meantime!

Robert Logan · 10-23-05, 10:48 AM

David,

I am in South Africa as I write this. It is almost evening on a Sunday and Rob and myself are finalising the workloads for Rob's staff for the next week. I have gone over the first set of body moulds which we took delivery of only two days ago and they are fantastic.

I am here to keep an eye on the first eight cars to be finished and all to be shipped before Christmas. Work is hectic and like all new ventures they take longer and cost more then expected.

David it is refreshing to see a person that REALY knows how hard it is and has an idea on what we have almost completed. I for one am looking forward to a well earned rest at years end with a "cold one and a shrimp on the barby".

Best wishes,

Robert

Oliver · 10-23-05, 11:27 AM

Robert,

Can we please have a update on chassis #'s and what stage of the build they are in. Photo's would be great too.

Regards

john
Oliver

Oliver · 10-25-05, 03:38 PM

OK! Enough is Enough!!

Since my post regarding delivery times, I have recieved several PM's and E-mails regarding what if anything, that I have heard regarding delivery times. MY anserw! "HOW IN THE h@#$%@#%LL DO I know".
If you have questions, "POST THEM". The questions that I recieved were all the same concern. I read the same round about anserws you did in the forum. Ask the questions so every body can read what your concerns are. That is what this forum is for...too anserw and ask questions. Like, Is my CAR RF ### going to be the shipped this year. Can I please have a picture of my build ECT...ECT...Nobody likes to ask the tuff questions. Well it should'nt be asking to much for some simple anserws. If people make it public, like the news paper..or television, people get anserws. The forum is no different.Now alot of the owners our now cheering for what I wrote because they are afraid to ask. WELL DON't.Just keep asking on a public forum and you question should get some anserws. Communication is vital for busineses to survive. No communication= no buisines. Now post away...!

Regards

Oliver

Robert Logan · 10-26-05, 03:30 AM

Check

Robert

Robert Logan · 10-26-05, 03:56 AM

John,

Well lets hope this one gets through as I have already spent over an hour trying to respond to this thread.

Firstly let me say that this forum was set up by Ron, Hershal and myself all those years ago to help all our GT40 family to get GOOD information and part of that was to "ask the hard questions" as you put it. This also allowed us to stop people ripping others off. This we have done on numereous ocasions and if you think that I am trying to do that to you please accept Hershal's offer of returning your deposit. This is not what I want to happen as I want satisfied and happy customers.

Regarding the progress of your car and others, your car is number 21 on our backorder list. This means that it will be part of the sixth shipment sent to the USA. I will explain.

As I have stated previously, there have been two major stumbling blocks regarding the build, those being the bodywork and the wheels. The wheels we can do without (they are ONLY bolted on at the end) but the bodywork is CRITICAL. This work has been done by an outside contractor and has taken longer than expected but the results have been excellent and I inspected the FIRST set of parts last Thursday, took delivery on Friday and they are currently being fitted to the body jig. I have been assured that we will get a set of parts every week and this together with photographs of the first parts I passed on to Hershal and Rick late on Sunday night (Cape Town time).

At present we have four chassis waiting their body fit and final assembly, another four chassis completed and powercoated and a further four welded but not powdercoated. This makes twelve.

This means that your chassis has not yet been started and nither should it have been started. I would expect that we would start your chassis just after Christmas.

As the body parts were the critical path, than with a set being delivered every working week than your car I would expect would be shipped in April.

This exercise / project of taking the whole build to another country was a very large ask. It has been all consuming for me and has been nothing short of VERY hard work. I believe that it was the correct thing to do and I still believe this fact. It is very close to happening and I know that poor Hershal who has been getting a lot of "flack" and myself will celebrate when the first car leaves Cape Town.

John, I will answer your e-mail seperately now.

Best wishes,

Robert

Keith Hardy · 10-26-05, 11:16 AM

Gosh! [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif[/img] Oliver, the Peoples Champion! Whatever next? [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif[/img] I would have thought that if you don't get answers to your questions old bean, then perhaps it's the way you ask them, oh, and wasn't it you getting your underwear in a twist recently because you were insistant that "RF was the best value and best built replica GT40 in the whole wide world bar none" and wouldn't be satisfied until everyone on the forum concurred?. Surely, this kind of quality is worth being patient for?

Oliver · 10-27-05, 11:30 AM

Robert,

First! I want to be clear that I know way intended or stated that you were ripping me off.
The thread was in response to buyers looking for anserws regarding the progress of delivery of their cars. I know now that I will not recieved my car for at least year! I can now plan accordingly. We as buyers need more communication because we are buying a car mostly buy pictures.
We cannot simply run down the road and see how things are going.

I surly can understand the task at hand of developing a new brance to your compnay. I commend you for that. You have been great with the progress but the delivery is the concern.

I do not plan on cancelling my order because I still believe you have a GREAT product and is surly worth waiting for. But Let us know! that is all were asking for.

Best regards

John

P.S Thanks to all who sent positive E-mails regarding the threads.

ChrisL · 10-29-05, 05:44 AM

It must be so difficult for the manufacturers of GT40s and like cars. The potential owners are so passionate and enthusiastic about the car, but such passion is a double edged sword. It gives the owners the highest of highs and the lowest lows. This is just normal human behaviour but I guess knowing this doesn’t help when you are just sitting and waiting for your car to arrive.

I have known Robert now for over 6 years and I can definitely say that he bases his business around keeping his customers happy in full knowledge of the effect that this passion has on them. It must be no easy task to maintain a cool head and to keep his customers positive under some conditions, but in my opinion, Robert does it as well as anyone and better than most.

I completed my RF40 almost two years ago and it’s interesting to look back now and think how quickly the four years that it took to build the car went by. The last month of the build process however saw the car at the Roaring Forties factory where the staff gave it the once-over before registration. Looking back, that one month was the single most unbearable month of the entire build, simply because it was now so close to completion and I was just sitting around and waiting. My family later told me that I was almost unapproachable during that time, so I hate to think what sort of pressure I was putting Robert under, yet I could see that RF were doing all they could to ensure that the car was completed by MY (irrational) Christmas deadline, which he did meet. All I can do now is be thankful that I was dealing with someone who is effectively one of us and therefore understood me.

Just thought it important to have a view from someone with a completed car to keep things in perspective.

**devaney** · 10-29-05, 11:32 AM

Oliver, It may be longer. I had decided on RF over a year ago talked to both Robert and Hersh. While waiting for the South Africa change I purchased Audi trans, I wanted to change the fifth gear and rebuild the trans while I waited for RF to get up and running. I called Hersh about the gear he was out of the country with Robert. No problem. I emailed Robert and Hersh about the gear, No response to this date. I even mentioned this on the forum, still no response. Thank goodness I saw Fran Hall's post, as I waited for replay from RF bunch! Chassis no 5 from Fran is now ready. regards, Mike D

Hershal Byrd · 10-29-05, 12:58 PM

Mike,
Congratulations on your purchase of an RCR. Fran is one nice fellow and I'm sure you will recieve the best of service. As to your e mail. I'm sorry but I cannot find any e mails from you on my system. I'm sure it was lost by me or a member of my family. If this happened then I apologies. Please don't think that this was done on purpose. I recieve many e mails a day in regards to all GT40s. I try hard to answer all the e mails I get. Obviously you felt slighted and again for that I do apologies. I wish you had been a little more tenacious but I'm happy that you found Fran. He's doing a great job.

Hersh [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

PS..We are having another batch of those fifth gear sets made. Hopefully they will be ready within the next couple months. If you need a set for the trans you bought let me know.

Chris_K · 10-30-05, 03:42 PM

Hersh-

Check your PM's, por favor.

Thanks,
Chris

Ben Buchsieb · 10-31-05, 12:12 AM

First I want to thank Robert for building my car. Second I want to thank Hershal for taking my order for #110.

I am responding to this thread because I want to help all those involved with future issues such as these that have come up.

First let me note that this purchase is a business to me. Why? Because my money left the country and by only the honesty and integrity of those involved will I get something in return. My frame of mind for my car will change only when I see it in person. For some out there, I suspect this may be the same thinking.

The above is informing you of whom I am, not bringing into question Robert’s or Herhsal’s ethics. They are men of their word from the above standpoint. I will get my car. Robert and Hershal, please don’t ask me if I want my money back anymore. If I want it back, I will ask.

Now before going further please note I TRULY understand manufacturing issues and the delays in my car have never been a problem for me. So please focus on what I say here: Robert, what has been lacking has been information.

I know we are not similar in how Aus. and the US do business. However I do think a commonality is for millions of dollars in orders to be transacted based upon a simple premise: give a delivery date. Yes this simple. However, manufacturing glitches occur and so businesses all the time must inform the customers when this will affect deliveries.

I was not informed until a month before my verbal (this is all I had until this week) scheduled shipping that the delay in production occurred. This delay has ended up being 4 months from original verbal ship date. Please note what I have said earlier. This is acceptable, just inform me. Unfortunately, I know of others who were informed of this delay only within the week that they expected their car to ship.

Your latest information was informative and complete in explaining your fiberglass problems and how they have been fixed. This was an unexpected surprise and led me to be relieved. However, I think that most can agree what is needed is just simple delivery dates. You are busy and would take short messages more often than one long one once within the production period.

Delivery dates are simple and quick and you Robert should not be held accountable to them if production problems occur. If customers have an issue, they will ask for their money back.

All of the above is to possibly help RF as well as their customers with future issues. I for one have in the past asked for the simple answer of a delivery and it took 6 weeks for the response. In addition, this response was not sent to me in person by Hershal. It was 3rd person.

Again, I am here to help, not hinder the discussion and hope for some this was. It has been a long delivery but mine is scheduled to ship on the week of 19 Dec. and look forward to it.

Robert Logan · 10-31-05, 12:58 AM

Ben,

We are online together and I am just reading the same thread to give a detailed update, I go to logon and come back to your thread. A detailed sitrep follows:

(next thread)

Best wishes,

Robert

Robert Logan · 10-31-05, 03:59 AM

Well I am just a little pissed off as they say. I have just spent the WHOLE time from the last post I made giving a FULKL update as to where we are etc and I have just lost the lot. I will start again and get the thing finished but this sort of s***t does not happen on MY computer in Australia.

Robert

Robert Logan · 10-31-05, 04:02 AM

Three hours bar a few minutes wasted. I will try again but will split it down to a series of small posts if I can not retreiv my work.

Best wishes,

Robert.

roaldin · 10-31-05, 04:46 AM

Robert,

Email a response to me and I'll post it for you if you like.

Tim.

Ron Earp · 10-31-05, 06:47 AM

Robert, one thing I learned long ago - compose responses in an email or word processor editor, PASTE them into the web forum where you wish to post. That way if the connection goes bad while writing you don't loose the whole lot. Once you do that you'll never have any issues and your frustration level will decrease remarkably! I know mine did and now if I write more than 3-4 sentences they are written outside the web browser and pasted in.