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Monday, May 20th, 2013
- So this last weekend I made a trip out to visit my car and shake it down to find any last issues before I finally take it home. All I can say is...
WOW
- It all became real as I was driving down the main street and saw her reflection in a shop window. Here I was finally driving her after all this time, and she was incredible. This weekend alone made any and all headaches and fears that I had during the last seven years worth it. Despite the final few issues that remain, I was honestly ready to take her home right then and there because she was so much fun and working so well.
- It was 100% different from my last visit this previous November, when it just didn't feel right: the steering wheel felt too big, the stickshift felt out of place, the exhaust was too loud, and it was nearly painful to drive. This time, though, the work done on it since made all the difference. The modified steering wheel is incredible (props to Ryan from Suba Performance for finding it!) and fits the car perfectly, not to mention it makes the car feel like a go cart. The body still looks incredible, despite it only being washed right before I showed up (thanks so much, Steve!). The exhaust works very well, and despite still being somewhat loud, it fits the nature of the car; I realized that I don't have as much problem with a sports car being loud as I do a sedan.
- It got looks from so many people. Walking out of Autozone after picking up some supplies, I was greeted with a crowd around the car wondering what it was. One of the girls even insisted on getting a picture of the car with me in it. On the road, I had people in modified 350Zs, GT-Rs, Porsches, and AMGs staring, circling me, and asking what it was. Kids pressed their faces against their car windows, an older guy stopped us at a stoplight eager to know what the car was, and a gentleman did a U-turn in the road to follow me into the gas station to get the lowdown on the car (it probably didn't help that there currently isn't any badging on the car). I'm told this might get old, but for now, I'm enjoying it; it was a great experience meeting each and every one of these people.
- As for remaining issues, the biggest thing is tightening up the shifter: it's currently fairly loose and the reverse lockout is disabled, all of which made it really hard to cleanly shift and find gears.
- The second biggest issue would probably be the fact that the current two-piece driveshaft can torque and actually bend enough to hit the monocoque.
- Third issue is the Prosport A/F gauge beeping every time I let off the gas because it temporarily reads an extreme ratio. Hopefully this can be turned off, but I had thought that we had tried several times...
- Those are the big issues. The rest includes stuff like fixing seals and fine tuning components. This is all good, because I'm heading back to pick up the car in three weeks.
- I made sure to get more pics this time, but still, it never seems like I get enough when I get back from visiting. Regardless, check them out on the My Murtaya Pictures Volume #41 page.
- Once again, the biggest thanks and shout outs to Steve Bruns who has done a beautiful job on the body and interior fabrication and engineering so many fixes, Troy and the Suba Performance guys who have gotten the heart beating and running so well, Chris Monaco who continues to earn good comments on the interior and materials, and Scott and the rest of MoFab who built and installed the fantastic exhaust.
- Stay tuned for the next few weeks to see what happens.....
Friday, April 12th, 2013
- Is this really my first post of the year?? Well, things ARE progressing, so that's good news. The bad news? I missed April Fool's Day....but the C7 Vette isn't even out yet, so a picture of one in my driveway probably wouldn't fool anybody this year, anyways. Though a GT-R....
- Wheel rubbing on the frame at times: Spacers have pretty muched fixed the issue; the fact that I still have thick snow tires is probably the final thing causing any rubbing, so this issue is pretty much good.
- Window wiper arm coming into contact with the windshield: Still needs addressing; we're going to see if Steve Bruns can work some more magic and figure out a solution...
- Possible contact of the driveshaft with the monocoque: Turns out the sound wasn't contact between the driveshaft and monocoque but just the wheel contact causing the diff to lock up. Now that the wheel rubbing is pretty much gone, this shouldn't be an issue.
- The stock 2005 STi steering wheel is big in this small car: Ryan from Suba Performance found a great wheel replacement (literally replaces the wheel portion of the steering wheel, leaving the existing hub, cruise controls, etc.). The wheel is thicker but about an inch smaller in diameter and has a flat bottom. This was on special order and took a month or two to get in...but it is finally in and should help the look, feel, ingress and egress.
- The stock 2005 STi 6-speed shifter is big (tall) in this small car: Looking at the Kartboy or Cobb double-adjustable short shifters. The shorter throws would always be nice, but both of these kits also offer shorter-height stalks, which is what I really want. We just have to see if they fit...
- The exhaust is LOUD: The big news this update is that my car has been at MoFab getting a brand new exhaust, including resonators, mufflers, and large-diameter, smooth pipes. The new pics show the great work they did.
- The biggest thing that bugged me was how cramped I was: Between the smaller wheel, shorter shifter, and Troy promising that we can adjust the seat back when I'm there, it shouldn't be as cramped.
- Next up is getting the car back to Steve Bruns so he can hopefully fix a few final issues with his magic, including:
- Seal the headlight covers. If I remember correctly, the gaskets that came with the covers didn't fit, but maybe we can do something custom to seal them.
- Figure out how to make the windshield wiper work. Again, probably a custom fix (I guess I wasn't joking when I said this was a 'custom car'...everything really is custom on it).
- Get some missing weather stripping on the doors/windows.
- Replace one of the gauges which isn't working. I think this will be 2 out of 5 of the Prosport gauges that aren't working...Hmmm.
- After that, it could use a tune and then....well, the current pick-up date is in May. What? Why are you laughing?
Friday, December 9th, 2012
- So remaining issues include:
- Wheel rubbing on the frame at times.
- Window wiper arm coming into contact with the windshield.
- Possible contact of the driveshaft with the monocoque.
- We're gonna try lower-profile tires for the first one (hopefully we won't have to go smaller wheels, brakes, and tires), not sure about the second (at this point, I'm fine just bending the dame wiper arm to make it work), and I'm waiting for the Suba guys to get the car up on the lift and check it out again for the driveshaft contact issue (the Murtaya has been tested with all types of powertrains, so this shouldn't be an issue).
- Those are the big issues, but other things I'd like to fix that I encountered on the visit:
- The stock 2005 STi steering wheel is big in this small car.
- The stock 2005 STi 6-speed shifter is big (tall) in this small car.
- The exhaust is LOUD. I know this goes against being a true car guy, but I would love it a lot more quiet...time to find an exhaust person and some mufflers/resonators.
- The biggest thing that bugged me was how cramped I was...A smaller steering wheel, shifter, and seating position should help. I know this is a small car, but I remember having to reach for the pedals in the prototype and the seat barely being able to scoot far enough forward for me to get comfortable.
- The steering wheel size could be solved with an aftermarket and possibly removable wheel, but I'd like to keep the look of the stock wheel as well as the cruise control. Luckily, Ryan at Suba Performance found a great little kit that uses the stock STi center wheel and cruise control portion and replaces the wheel with a flat-bottomed, shorter-radius component. I'm thinking of going with the Cobb double-adjustable short-shifter (more so for the height adjusting than the short-shift) and probably Kartboy bushings. I also just fell in love with Sparco R100 seats after sitting in one...I might have to swap those out, too. We'll see what Santa brings.
Friday, November 2nd, 2012
- OK, so long story short--the car wasn't completely ready. I flew out to Denver and I did get to drive the car for the first real time. It got so many looks (I might have to get used to that); people would follow me around and back to Suba just to ask me what the car was and give compliments. Even though tuning wasn't finished (I had to keep it under 5k RPMs and usually kept it below 3k), the torque moves the lightweight car without even trying. It's a tight car (very solid) as well as a tight fit (have to work on my dance moves getting in and out with the hardtop on).
- Both the exterior and the interior are incredible--the body looks SO much better than the last time I saw it. In fact, there were Suba customers coming in and telling me how much better it looked now than it did the last time they saw it just over a year ago. The buttons and doors work perfectly and feel great. Thanks to Steve Bruns and Chris Monaco for the body and interior (respectively). I suggest anybody looking for similar services look them up! I will be posting contact info for them--until then, feel free to ask me directly until then.
- But some parts still weren't in, some tuning adjustments were still needed, and more testing runs were needed until everybody felt comfortable with me taking it home. So, I didn't take it home with me. But getting to see it, drive it, and give input was very useful, so it wasn't all bad. One thing I noticed was that the car is so small, that many of the parts that worked fine in an Impreza tend to be too big for this car, like the steering wheel, shifter, and seats. I might look at downsizing those, though all have issues with doing so. The steering wheel would most likely lose the cruise control functionality; the seats were beautifully redone to match the rest of the interior; the shifter change would probably require a transmission drop. Maybe I just have to get used to the smaller interior?
- So while yesterday I was seriously considering just looking for GT-Rs or a Lotus, after a good night's sleep, I am more excited than ever after the trip.
- Reminder #1: Murtaya Sports Cars is offering to sell the moulds for the Murtaya as well as other stuff. According to them: 'Murtaya Sports Cars is now up for sale as a going concern. Offers are being sought, all serious proposals will be discussed. Guide price I.T.R.O £20,000.' Contact: murtaya@hotmail.co.uk
- Reminder #2: Will Corry is still looking to sell the US Demo Murtaya. According to Will: 'It is 99% finished and will register as it sits.' If you want to know more, etc., go ahead and contact me and I can get you in touch with Will:
murtaya@live.com
Friday, October 26th, 2012
- Well, this should be about the last real update on Murtaya.com. Why? Because I'll be picking up my car in less than a week! And after I finally have my car, I'll be moving all my updates to my new Murtaya site...which I'll link to on here as soon as I do.
Thursday, October 4th, 2012
- A BIG announcement today...The plan is to pick up the car at the end of the month!
- Stay tuned for more updates and the big switch over to the NEW SITE after I get my car...
- In other news, Murtaya Sports Cars is offering to sell the moulds for the Murtaya as well as other stuff. According to them: 'Murtaya Sports Cars is now up for sale as a going concern. Offers are being sought, all serious proposals will be discussed. guide price I.T.R.O £20,000. Included in the sale of the business is:'
- All moulds and jigs for the Murtaya
- A selection of stock parts
- Initial prototype jig for BMW based kit car.
- All IP, facebook page, website etc.
- As a reminder, Will Corry is still looking to sell the US Demo Murtaya. According to Will: 'It is 99% finished and will register as it sits.' If you want to know more, etc., go ahead and contact me and I can get you in touch with Will:
murtaya@live.com
Friday, August 31th, 2012
- More importantly to a lot of prospective Murtaya owners in the U.S....Will Corry is looking at possibly selling the US Demo Murtaya. According to Will: 'It is 99% finished and will register as it sits.' If you want to know more, etc., go ahead and contact me and I can get you in touch with Will:
murtaya@live.com
- If you want to see more pics of the car, check them out on the US Demo Murtaya page: US Demo Murtaya page
Saturday, August 11th, 2012
- Is this really only the second entry of the year? Dang...Well, supposedly the interior will be done next week. Can you believe it? Neither can I.
- But if nothing else, there's an initial shot showing how the console is turning out; I'm hoping to have a 'Murtaya' emblem above the driver's side vent before all is said and done. See it on the My Murtaya Pictures Volume #38 page.
- When the interior is done, we'll just need to install it and put in the windshield. After that, I'll probably have it dynoed and maybe even...a photoshoot? I figured it's probably best to do that BEFORE I wrap it around a telephone pole...
Sunday, January 29th, 2012
- Being the last big task, once the interior is done, the car will nearly be ready to take home...Could it actually be nearing completion? I'll try to avoid jinxing myself by saying "maybe"...
Wednesday, December 28th, 2011
- It's been a long time, and even though not much has happened with Murtaya.com, my car has still made some good progress during this time (I've just been lazy--but I didn't want the last entry for the year to be an April Fool's joke).
- The powertrain is up and running thanks to the guys at Suba Performance.
- The body has been basically completely refinished and is looking VERY good.
- The dash has been redesigned (based on some renderings I created).
- The car is basically just waiting for the interior to be finished. As is, it's "hibernating" for the winter...
- I also have a brand new version (actually, a few versions) of Murtaya.com up and ready to go live when I get my car...
Friday, April 1st, 2011
- So it's finally happened: I GOT MY CAR! I picked it up yesterday and
have been too busy enjoying the car to post about it until now. Now that
it's in my hands, I can not only drive it, but finally add all my own personal
modifications to it, including (Most I have bought and are ready for installation; some--like the spoilers and exhaust tips--I'm still trying to decide which ones I want...any opinions?).
- Don't expect me to update for a while...I'll be driving around!
As for pics of the car? Well, I managed to grab a few; check them
out here.
- Update: ok, so it was an April Fool's joke.
Sunday, February 13th, 2011
- A BIG update this time. Actually, it's basically the first true update in one and a half years--the time since I last saw my car in person.
- Why the big update? Because I went to go see my girl again. As a refresher, my car is now in Denver being worked on by Subaru, interior, and body shop people. It's now running well, and the exterior is being worked on. The hardtop, doors, and bonnet weren't fitting, but thanks to some great specialists, those first two issues are nearly fixed and the bonnet is being worked on. I will also have the interior updated (the car is nearly five years old, after all, and due for an update, right?)
- So, we've got plenty of pics. First of all, as stated above, the pics from my last visit. Then, pics of the car being pulled out of storage and having the powertrain replaced can be found on the new My Murtaya Pictures Volume #35 page.
- Next? Some of the first images of the car from the body shop guys can be found on My Murtaya Pictures Volume #36 page. They tried to show the issues they saw in pictures, but the issues couldn't really be captured. So, the suggested I head down and see everything in person, and thus the trip. They were right: you can only see a lot of the issues in person. I was reminded of many of the things I saw the first time I was with the car: orange-peel paint, cracked GRP, ill-fitting bonnet, etc. BUT, some of the worst things I remember have already been fixed: bent and sagging doors and windows are fixed, hardtop is fixed and has tight seals, inner console is new, US-spec, and clean.
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- Then, all the pictures I took of the car in person are on My Murtaya Pictures Volume #37 page. It's funny how you can be so excited when you're there that you nearly forget to take any pictures. Heck, I only got one real picture of the engine, and it's blurry.
- So, there's a lot of work to be done, but it was a MUCH better trip in many ways than the last one. I knew I wasn't taking it home this time, and I've been lucky enough to find people who can, are, and will be putting it together and doing a great job. The work that's already been done on the powertrain is fantastic, and what has been fixed with the body is incredible. Just some more body work and a new interior, and I might actually be driving it...
- Oh, yeah--one more. The Murtaya community is so big now that I can no longer keep track of every picture, forum, or even car. However, I do have a bunch of great shots of the US Demo Murtaya (the only other Murtaya in the US) thanks to Ken F. See them on the US Demo Murtaya page.
Sunday, January 23rd, 2011
- A new year. The car is now running reliably. What's left? The interior, the delivery of some final parts from the UK, and some body fixes (door alignment, nick and crack repairs, etc.). And I'm actually really happy...
- ...Why so happy? Well, maybe I've lost it...gone off the deep end...three fries short of a Happy Meal...etc. etc., but I think I'm actually excited that some things on the car that I thought would never be addressed/fixed look like they will actually be taken care of between the new Subaru builders, interior guy, and body shop guy. Plus, work is again being done on the car, so things are looking up again.
- There is currently a wait on the interior work, so it's going into the body shop for the next few weeks. Looking forward to what can be done on the car...
Sunday, December 19th, 2010
- Last we heard, it looked like Mike was finished and his car was never going to be...
- ...but there might be hope yet: not only is the Murtaya now being worked on by some independant Subaru specialists (Who? I'll let you know in a bit, but they've done a GREAT job so far and have a lot of good cred in the Subaru community), the interior should also be redone (replacing the flocking I originally had). The fired loom has been replaced, and the car will now use a USDM engine, steering column, transmission, and gauges. The car still needs a few parts from
Murtaya Sports Cars (the new company that is selling the Murtaya, which has nothing to do with the now defunct Adrenaline Motorsports)
is getting ready to send me the last few required components.
- So it continues...
Tuesday, July 13th, 2010
So I got news from Will today about what the "minor electrical problem" was. Apparently, the wiring loom fried itself about a foot away from the ECU.
Well, the Murtaya was a big risk and a long shot, and unfortunately it didn't pay off. I tried to be patient, but after more than four years and quite a bit of money, I have a "car" that:
-that doesn't run
-is several thousand miles away with a fried loom that needs replacement (and even if it gets replaced, since we don't know how it happened, it might very well
occur again)
-has an untuned engine managment unit that nobody in the U.S. tunes
-has a US distributor that is never in the US and has no motivation to finish the car
-has a driver's side window that won't roll up
-has doors that won't close
-has a hardtop that's not assembled
-has a crooked shifter (though, since it's leaning toward's the passenger side, shifting into reverse might be fun with a date wearing a skirt...)
-has a crooked dash and scratched gauges
-has a backwards steering column and controls
-as yet to even begin the registration process, which has taken other many months to get done...And I don't even have all the papers from all the parts for the car.
-has constantly sagging doors
-has a parent company that can't help
-has nobody in the US that knows how to build it
Thursday, June 10th, 2010
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Well, as good as the recent week's news was, this week's news is that bad (if not worse). I finally got ahold of Will and he said he won't be back in Durango for the foreseeable future, meaning he won't be able to get my car done in the near future.
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That means my car is stuck with the "minor" electrical problem (still don't know what that means), all the other required fixes for it to be drivable, and no registration...I will probably have to find somebody else to finish it, even after giving Will more resources to get it done himself.
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I also don't know what this means for MurtayaUSA...If Will's not in the US to finish even the first customer's car, will there be other customers? And if so, will Will be able to build them?
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This is the most depressing update I've had in quite a while...And the first time in the last five years that I've seriously thought of just giving up on this car...The next update might be retiring this site.
Thursday, June 6th, 2010
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There's been no further news on my car over the last week. I know that--as last reported--it is "running and driving", but there is also a minor electrical issue. I hope Will updates me; I've been pestering him as I only blame myself for my car taking so long since I haven't pestered first Neil and now Will enough to get it done in a timely manner. As you can see, a week has already gone by with nothing happening, and if one isn't careful, weeks can easily and quickly turn to months, months to years, and poof...that's where I am today.
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Even after the car gets up and running, there's still a list of things that need to be done:
- Finish hooking up electrical stuff (reverse light, DCCD, engine starter, etc.)
- Fix the electrical problem
- AC needs to be hooked up and charged
- Get the driver's side window working and sealed
- Hardtop needs to have latches attached
- Straighten the shifter (hopefully this has been done....)
And that doesn't include things that I can fix on my own, like:
- Fix/reattach trim that is not on or falling off
- Fix and adjust doors so they open and close properly
And those don't include the things I'd like fixed on the car, if possible:
- Redo the dash flocking with leather
- Replace the scratched dash gauges with a new cluster
- Replace the Japan/UK-spec steering column with a US-spec steering column
Thursday, May 27nd, 2010
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A quick but exciting update from Will: my car is "running and driving"...more to come as Will gets me a full report...
Saturday, May 22nd, 2010
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So my car has been in the U.S. for over a year now. It was supposed to have the transmission installed by today, but I've got no word from Will. Needless to say, I don't think it got done...First the transmission was supposed to be installed after it arrived, and then it was supposed to be started a few Wednesdays ago, and then a week ago I was told it should be in by this weekend...no word. UGH.
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I'm also thinking about just having the donor car parts replaced with an 04/05 USDM STi while I'm waiting. Why? My car has no less than three donors (that I know of), and all the parts are mixed and matched (which could very well be a reason why it's not working, too)...
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I really like the layouts and features of the 2002-2007 Imprezas, and some of my components could be updated/fixed:
- The pedal placement is ideal for heel/toeing
- My dash gauges are scratched and set at an ood angle; this can be fixed
- I could get DCCD
- I could get the built in shift light/beep
- There would be time to replace the fuzzy flocking with a nice leather material...
- I could get cruise control
- I could get ABS
- I could get a matching engine/transmission that might work!
- I could FINALLY get a US-oriented steering column with the signal/wiper control stalks on the correct sides (BIG issue with me...I really don't want people to think I'm turning left every time it starts raining...)
- I have no clue how well my engine is going to work (if at all); it hasn't really been run in a year, and even if my car gets put together and starts working, the engine is really detuned. Just get it tuned then, right? Sure...Except the engine management is one that nobody here in the States knows about. Oops. Anyways, a new engine would be ready for tuning by anybody using whatever engine management they're comfortable with...
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SO you're wondering, "Mike, what are you thinking? It's already taken this long and you want to spend more money and time on it??" Well, I don't know if I expect any of this to happen...I think I'm just day dreaming about actually having my sports car...and if I don't have it this summer (looking less likely--I'm no doubt going to miss the big carshow I've been looking forward to getting to the last several years...AGAIN), I'd at least like to picture it being perfect--or even acceptable--when I get it.
Thursday, May 13th, 2010
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As for my car, Will says the work to put the transmission in should be starting; I haven't heard from him since. I'm hoping the new transmission is enough to get the car running and rolling...
Sunday, May 2nd, 2010
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Latest update: we have a new transmission for my car...Now, we just need to install it (and hope it gets the car up and running).
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Unfortunately, Will is currently busy in Ireland trying to sort things out with another company he worked for because they thought he was busy working on my car on their time. Well, Mr. Company, let me assure you: Will hasn't touched my car in nearly a year. Would I be whining about him not getting my @%#$&*! car done if he had actually been working on it?!
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So, no ETA for getting the transmission installed, which sucks since my favorite car show is coming up in mid-June again, and it looks like I'm gonna miss putting my Murtaya in it for the third (or is it fourth??) year in a row. :(
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Also, after looking at the U.S. Demo Murtaya, seeing my car's current dash flocking, and hearing about issues on the flocking wear, I'd really like to have the dash wrapped in leather while there's time...Unfortunately, that would require taking the entire dash out, which requires removing the front window, which probably won't be reuseable...At this point, I just want the car running reliably (don't get me started on how I'm ever going to get the SimTek ecu properly tuned here in the States...probably another bad idea; should have just gotten a standard engine installed) and water tight, and I'll be as happy as is currently possible.
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One of these days I'll get an update here that will include thread links, Murtaya tips (from owners like Bart O., etc.), and even the pictures from my trip last August to see my car...And one of these days I might also get my car.
Wednesday, January 13th, 2010
- I was hoping the first post of the new year would be a bit more exciting,
but unfortunately there's no news. I heard from Neil quickly over the
weekend and was supposed to hear a full update and plan for my car earlier
this week but nothing as of yet.
- It's now entering the fifth calendar year since my build started and
nearing the one year mark since my car arrived in the U.S. I'm afraid my
car's going to be too old to drive around by the time I get it--it's been
sitting in a garage for the last year and I don't think the engine has been
started in months?
- Even when I do get it, I am not looking forward to the fact that the
transmission will have many issues (angled shifter, binding performance center
diff, rally wear) and other annoying issues like the wipers/turn signal stalks
on the opposite sides of the steering column as all other U.S. cars.
- Since I visited the car last August, the excitement has worn off. It
was nice to see the car, but seeing it still so unfinished along with other
permanent issues (like the ones stated above) really woke me up from the
"happy dream" of this car. Hopefully it will still be fun enough to
drive despite these issues, but who knows when I will finally get to drive it
(remember, even if/when we fix the final issues, it still needs to be tuned;
the tuning software isn't used by anybody in the U.S., either).
- Maybe I should just have Will Corry put a new Murtaya together for me?
He managed to put his demo car together in less than two months and has been
able to drive it around already, which is more than my car, which was sitting
next to it. The problem is, I haven't heard from Will at all; I don't
even know when he'll be back in the country.
- I know the Murtaya project has had some recent hardship, but my car should
be very close to completion...at least in terms of having it move under its
own power. I REALLY don't want to wait another year to get it.
- OK, enough complaining. At least somebody has and loves his
Murtaya....Unfortunately, he now has to sell it...Check out the details
here.
Wednesday, December 16th, 2009
- A lot of people have been hearing news about Adrenaline Motorsport and are
wondering what the official word is. Neil Yates, Managing Directory of
AMS, released the following statement (from the
pistonheads forum thread):
Hi everyone,
Some time ago I openly and honestly told all who read P'heads about the fact that we were having a problem with an investor which was causing us some trouble.
Unfortunately a combination of this problem and a less than helpful banking community in the current economic climate mean we have not been able to resolve the issue and as such Adrenaline Motorsport Ltd has been placed into the hands of an insolvency specialist. I can not begin to describe how heartbroken Tom, Dan and I are at the way the situation has developed but despite trying absolutely everything under the sun it has not been possible to find a viable solution for the Adrenaline Motorsport trading company.
HOWEVER due to the way in which the business was structured the Murtaya project exists as a separate entity and remains fully available through the established UK and International distribution network. Anyone interested in the Murtaya should simply look up their local agent/dealer and contact them direct (http://www.adrenalinemotorsport.co.uk/ams-cars/murtaya/murtaya-distributors). The network can supply Murtaya in kit form or can work individually with customers on specifying a fully built car which will be constructed by the agent in question. This support network obviously also goes for all those who have already purchased a Murtaya as knowledge, parts supply and ongoing support also remain fully available through the same dealer network.
This is possible as we were already gearing up to move into a situation in 2010 where the car was only available through the network rather than direct from Adrenaline so all of the pieces were already in place for this change.
As a result of these developments two customer cars which were being factory built at Adrenaline have been subcontracted out to be completed - one at Arden Automotive in Didcot (a Murtaya agent) and one by an ex-Adrenaline technician here in Cornwall. In addition we are personally working with two other customers on the fulfilment of their Murtaya orders in the New Year.
I am all too aware of the rumour mill and the way that incorrect information spreads so rapidly through the internet so to prevent the inevitable Chinese whispers could I request that any and all questions you may all have are directed to me through the following e-mail address;-
enquiries@adrenalinemotorsport.co.uk
Everyone who sends anything through will get a personal reply - although I would ask that you allow up to 48/72 hours or so to get one as I am responding to, and dealing with all of the current issues by myself which means I do have quite a workload right now - hence the email request as I do not have time at present to be on P'Heads as often as usual (like everyone I normally have a click around while having a cup of tea!).
I would like to thank all of our suppliers who have worked hard with us through this period to ensure that our agents and distributors are able to continue offering the Murtaya direct to customers - and for all of the support that the P'Heads community has shown me personally over the last few years. Many members on here have become friends in the real world, some customers, and some both!
The Murtaya is a terrific car of which I am very proud and I look forward to watching it continue being a success through the agent network in the coming years.
I hope that everyone enjoys a fantastic Christmas and New Year.
Kind regards,
Neil.
Big changes with the creators of the Murtaya indeed--but luckily, the established Murtaya distributors will now be completely taking care of building, selling, and giving test drives of the Murtaya...So there should no worries to current and prospective Murtaya buyers...
- Nothing new on my car; Will is out of the country until at least Christmas and
I'm not sure when he'll be back. At best, the car might get its
transmission fixed before the end of the year and I'll have a working car with a
crooked shifter, a half-working driver's window, and unfinished trim that I can
at least drive home. Odds are I won't have anything new to report on until
the next decade. I'm hoping that Will will get back into the country
sooner than later and start continuing the car's progress again (or get it to
somebody who can help). I've got a feeling, though, that despite all the
stuff that Tom and Neil are going through, they'll be my best bet at completely
finishing my car--though I don't see them being able to help out until well into
the new year...
Tuesday, December 8th, 2009
- Not much new since talking to Neil a couple of weeks ago...He was going to have an announcement, but he hasn't released anything yet. I haven't heard from Neil, Tom, or Will for the last week or so...Will is hoping to have my car ready to drive before the end of the year, but he hasn't been able to get ahold of the guys that he hopes to look at my car, and he's in Florida and then Ireland until Christmas; I don't know when he'll be back in Colorado.
Hopefully I get to hear from somebody sooner than later...
Sunday, November 15th, 2009
- Been meaning to update (I've been lazy)...Talked with Neil earlier this week to
see how things were going. If there's one thing I've personally learned in
this journey, it's that it's never easy to start up a business--even less so in
bad economic times and especially if it's a car business in this day and age.
Despite that, Neil, Tom, and Dan have had the motivation, passion, and desire to
persevere and not only keep AMS but filled up order books for the Murtaya.
Could or can anybody else have done the same with AMS? No--not without
their passion from their dream. This is why I love the company and--more
importantly--the people who have put it together and are able to make a product
like the Murtaya. If I didn't have such faith and appreciation for them,
would I have stuck with them this longPeople ask how and why I can be so patient in this process of getting my
Murtaya. And I have no illusions that many (if not all) think I am naive to
stick with it. That's fine with me; I don't expect everybody to understand nor
will I even try to make them. The truth is, this is and always has been about a
lot more than just getting a car; if that wasn't the case, I would have just
gone to the local dealer and bought a sports car that (among other things, like
not being my ideal spec) I might very well be sick of already.
- To me, just as enjoyable as looking forward to getting my ideal car is meeting
all the people involved in this journey:
- First off, of course, is Neil, Tom, and everybody else at
AMS. I've had and
enjoyed many long calls with Neil, catching up not only on my car's status, but
on the status of AMS and even Neil himself. It's a friendship that you
don't get (nor would probably want) from your local car dealer. :)
- Also, meeting, learning from, and staying in contact with
Alan Jeffery, the original tuner of
my Murtaya, has been very rewarding (and I look forward to learning more about
tuning my car).
- Getting contacted by Greg
Robb--the original U.S.-side assembler of my car--keeping him up to date on
my build, and learning about his new endeavors is always fun.
- Watching Matt and Les make progress
on their New Zealand Murtayas is exciting, especially since it shows that
Murtayas are already in all corners of the world.
- Recently meeting Justin Williams from
TotalKitCar and learning about their Murtaya build-specific issue.
- And of course all of the fellow Murtaya enthusiasts, Martin, Crazy Eddie, Nick,
Paul, Bart, Andy, Ben, Dave, Don...that are and will be having their own Murtaya
stories...
- Last--but definately not least--is catching up with ol'
Will Corry Jr.
Listening to his stories, getting in trouble with the State Patrol with,
floating down the river with him and his fiesty :P friend Aubrey, and going on
cross-state roadtrips was one of the highlights of my last year. Not to
mention that he'll no doubt have plenty of new stories with his new U.S. Murtaya
demo car (Ive already heard a couple).
- And I apologize for any and all the people I haven't mentioned here--it truly is
a countless list of great people I have met in this journey.
- I've understood from the beginning that getting not only the first
(build-commence-wise) fully-built Murtaya but first fully-built Murtaya in the
U.S. was not going to be a simple and quick process--especially when the Murtaya
was still a prototype when I ordered it and the fact that AMS was not expecting
nor ready to export them for a few years yet. Who would have guessed there
would be some hiccups in this new, uncharted process? :)
- For all the times that I have found myself upset and fed-up with the wait, I
also realize that there have been far more times of excitement and
enjoyment...Of course, that's easy to say on a rainy day like today...I'll
probably be grumpy again on the next sunny day when I could be out driving with
the top off. :) I don't envy Neil for having to put up with these
fickle customers (like me)...and hought the banks would be the hard ones
to deal with... :)
- Anyways, enough rambling and back to my car...It looks like Tom won't be able to
get here soon, but the good news is that I also talked to Will this week.
He's hopefully going to be back in Durango in a week or so, at which time he's
planning on taking my car up to the Subaru guys in Denver and have them check
out my car to see if they can't fix it. With any luck, they should be able
to get it running on its own power. As for then getting it home, that's a
different story (with there being snow all over the place this time of year...)
Friday, November 6th, 2009
- Well, still no word on when Tom might be coming over. Originally it was supposed
to be end of October, then beginning of November, now...? I do know that AMS is
rather busy right now, and I'm probably not expecting Tom to get over here this
year realistically. That might sound a bit surprising, but considering that a
year and two months ago I couldn't fathom my car possibly still not being in my
hands by this time, I'd say it is probably being too optimistic if anything.
- However, I have been talking to Will, and there's still a chance that he might
be able to finish the car with the help of some Subaru techs in Denver...my
fingers are crossed, but Will himself won't be back until November 10th...
- ...which is the same day that I'm scheduled to get the car inspected by the
state patrol for its VIN (guess what's not going to happen?). This will be my
third rescheduling of the inspection since I made my original appointment back
in August, right before I was originally expecting to pick up my car.
Actually, I think I will be just canceling my appointment, as there is really no
clue as to when I might have my car ready.
- The inspections aren't the only thing I have missed...plenty of car shows,
including the 2007 Car Days, 2008 Car Days, and 2009 Car Days (a small hometown
show at which I have really been wanting to display the Murtaya) have come and
gone while waiting. Other things, like my high school reunion and my
cousin's nursing graduation (she wanted me to drive her to the ceremony in the
Murtaya) have also been missed...here's hoping that I might make the 2010 Car
Days show...
Friday, October 23th, 2009
- Still haven't heard about any finalized plans for Tom's trip. I'm hoping it will
be soon, and that no other issues arise, including the transmission--which is
currently not working, has been used in a rally car, has been opened a few
times, and has a rather stiff center diff (picture an STi being driven around in
full lock--both steering and diff setting)...
- The big news that I wanted to post was the official announcement that the
Murtaya Coupe is a go and will be launched at the Autosport International on
January 14-17, 2010:
To be honest, I'm not the biggest covertible fan; but when I first asked Neil
about the possibility of a Murtaya coupe, he told me that it was going to be
about 18 months before the coupe was ready, so I chose to not wait and get the
convertible. Three years and a month later, the coupe is finally unveiled. Am
I glad I waited? Well, I was before, since the coupe was not a sure thing...but
now that it is, and I am still waiting for my build to be finished...well, maybe
for my next one; I think it's a bit too late to swap my order. But for those of
you who were waiting/wanting a coupe version, don't wait: it sounds as if
they're only planning on making 18 worldwide.
- There's a new review for the Murtaya; this time it's the first review of Will's
U.S. Demo Murtaya. See it here.
- I'd also like to apologize to those on the mailing list for not sending out
notifications for Monday's update--I'm taking care of a few technical issues
with the emailing address.
Monday, October 19th, 2009
- Still waiting on Tom's flight plan to be finalized...Should hopefully hear more from Neil tomorrow.
- Otherwise, if you want a Murtaya that's already been built and is a prime example, word has it that
Complete Kit Car will be selling their Murtaya to make room for more of their upcoming projects.
Their Murtaya (the orange one here) is one of my personal favorites, with great attention paid to the
seats and interior...You can also go through the very build by picking up the
issue of Complete Kit Car's Build
Series for the Murtaya.
Monday, September 28th, 2009
- So Neil has made sorting out the last of my build issues his top-most
focus, and as such, the big man--the TAY in Murtaya--the head engineer at AMS--that's
right, Tom Taylor, is coming over to the U.S. to personally take care of the
final preparation of my car! So while there's not a lot of news this
update, there is that BIG news...stay tuned for more.
Sunday, September 20th, 2009
- How close can my car get and still not be done? I don't know, but it's
staying there for a while. As far as I know, still nothing has been done
on my car since the last update. We're two-thirds through September and
it's starting to look as though my car won't be finished by the end of the
month. Doing this for so long, I'm not surprised, just upset (again).
It also looks like no more work will be done on my car until Will and AMS come
to an agreement on how Will gets paid for all the remaining work; besides the
engine and transmission installation, there was a lot of other stuff left
for Will to do on my car that he wasn't expecting to do. At the same time,
even my transmission is not even installed and working, so both sides still have
work to do. Neil was supposed to call last week to try and get things
sorted out between the three of us, but I never heard from him...maybe this
week? Looking back at last year, I was half-jokingly/half-worryingly
stating how it might not be done even by this September...Sadly enough it turned
out to be true. The scary thing was that I would have been as surprised to
hear that it really WOULD be another year back then as I would be to hear now
that it might not get to me in September 2010...so who's to say it won't be
another year? I've heard many times that it "won't be long now"...but it
has....every time. So many cars have come out since I started waiting for
this car...The next-gen Subaru STI, the next-gen EVO, the next-gen R32, the new
GT-R (when I first started waiting for my Murtaya, the GT-R seemed SO far off in
the future), the new Camaro SS, the second new Mustang, the Challenger SRT-8,
the new C6 Corvette, the C6 Corvette Z06, the C6 Corvette ZR-1, the C6 Corvette
Grand Sport, the Tesla, the Elise SC, the Exige 240, the Exige 260, the Atom 3,
Atom 500, the Artega GT, the Saturn Sky Redline (came and went, actually), new
SHO, the Hyundai Genesis Coupe, Cobalt SS turbo,
Cayman S, new 911 Turbo, new 335xi, new 135i, new M3, new M5, new M6, new
second-gen Z4 hardtop convertible twin-turbo, 370Z NISMO, the YES! Roadster
turbo, new Tundra, new Supercharged Tundra, new F150 Raptor...I'm hoping I'm not
missing out on too much fun waiting for this thing...
- Tune in next time for more drama...
Saturday, September 5th, 2009
- To start with some good news, there is a new resource for Murtaya enthusiasts:
www.murtaya.nl. This
is a site that Murtaya owner and builder Bart O. has put together and includes
information as well as some of the first Murtaya platform modifications and
tricks discovered by owners. Be sure to check it out--Thanks Bart!
- As for my build...This month we reach the second anniversary of the commencement of my build
and unfortunately my Murtaya is still sitting with a non-functioning transmission.
I have found out that the U.S.-sourced transmission is from a rally car; while
this is understandably unsettling, I am assured by Will Corry that it will be a
reliable unit. Hopefully it will also be fixed and working soon.
- As for the small issues that still need attention on my car (trim attaching, gap
closing, finally assembly, and some electronic issues), it looks like I will
most probably be attending to those myself after it gets delivered (which will
hopefully be soon). Will is running out of time, busy working on his demo
Murtaya,
and has spent more time on my car than he budgeted. Also, the longer my car stays in his hands, the more I have to pay for its storage over there, so I REALLY want to get it running and delivered to me.
I just want the engine and transmission running reliably and some of the other
things that I won't be able to do myself done (driver's window together and
working properly, AC, handbrake, and reverse light hooked up and working, etc.).
- Hopefully my next update will have some good news in it; again, I am supposed to
get my car this month. If in fact I do actually get it, though, it will
most likely not be done; stay tuned to see what happens.
Tuesday, August 18th, 2009
- What a difference a day and some communication can make! Neil called
me to help sort out the issues I encountered during my trip to see my Murtaya.
I was able to get him more information about the transmission issues, and he
will be talking to Will tomorrow and hopefully sorting that out.
- The other big issue that I had been recently worrying about was the weight
of my my Murtaya (as recorded on the standard plaque on top of the firewall
and underneath the hood). The inscribed values came to a full mass as
high as 2500lbs. I thought that the plaque was something that was used
(among other things, like noting the build number) to save the actual weight
of the given car it was on. Turns out, it is actually the GVWR (that is,
the maximum weight of the car, two occupants, any luggage, and all fluids
filled), NOT the curb weight of just the car. This is required in the UK for
road checks. So, my car will in fact still be about the weight of an Exige--phew!
- As far as the other issues, many were cleared up with some information
from Neil. For example:
- The driver's side door seems to have its window angled out from the car,
creating an opening between the window and the hardtop/windshield...Most
likely from the dockworkers UPDATE: The mirror triangle at the front of
the doors can be angled in and out in order to adjust the gap between the
window and the roof/windshield. Not only will this easily solve the
alignment issue on my car, this was part of the design so that any gap from
the rubber insulation softening as it wears (over time) can also be
eliminated.
- Reverse and fog lights were not hooked up UPDATE: The reverse
light is just a simple matter of connecting it to the transmission; the fog
light is even less of an issue: it is designed to work only when the
headlights are on...guess what I didn't do when I checked it?
- The hardtop's rear window defroster didn't seem to have any way of hooking
up to the car's power system; I assume it is a functional defroster from what
Neil has told me...UPDATE: actually, I forgot to ask Neil about this
during our call...
- Finally, I am also
(still) waiting for the headlight covers and replacements for the broken hood
latches to be sent from Neil over at AMS; I hope that after all my emails to
them that they will in fact finally be sent. UPDATE: Neil
wasn't aware that my hood latches had been broken at customs, only the glass,
and thus replacements weren't set. As for the headlight covers, the last
time Neil and I had spoken, production was underway with them, so I was
expecting it would be no problem to get them in my replacement window
shipment. However, the passenger side moulds (driver's side in UK) were
defective, and that is still being sorted out, and thus the headlight covers
aren't ready (and from what I hear, there are many people all over the world
waiting for theirs).
- So, a much happier day. My car still needs some sorting, but it is
on its way, and even the biggest issues don't seem very bad right now....Keep
coming back for future updates...
Monday, August 17th, 2009
- Well, the plan was to launch my new site at the same time I got my
car...However, as you can see, the new site is not up...and this is because I
still don't have my car. :( I flew over to Durango, CO to pick it
up a few weeks ago. However, many things were still not done, the main
thing being that the transmission was not working. While we were able to
complete some things (getting the exhaust back in and welded, despite the fact
that what was sent over from the UK was 4" too short; replacing the driver's
side window after the dockworkers broke it during import; straightening the
sagging doors, etc.), many things were not going to get finished before I had
to leave. So, I flew back early instead of driving the car back.
- The new agreement is that my car will be done in September, and Will is
working hard, but the transmission is still not working despite Will's
efforts. There are also some minor-to-not-so-minor trim, electrical, and fitment issues that
need to be addressed (these are off the top of my head):
- Driver's side window (the one that was broken by the dockworkers) still
has problems going up/down
- Window trim needs to be attached
- The driver's side door seems to have its window angled out from the car,
creating an opening between the window and the hardtop/windshield...Most
likely from the dockworkers
- Hardtop latches need to be put on (there was a gap between the windshield
and the hardtop without them)
- Stick shift was angled unnaturally towards the passenger side; Will is
getting this re-welded/straightened
- Some of the inner Alcantera needed to be glued in at the edges
- The interior carpet needed to be fastened/glued at the back where the
hardtop comes into contact with the rear of the cabin
- The rear brakes are a different color from the front brakes
- Reverse and fog lights were not hooked up
- The hardtop's rear window defroster didn't seem to have any way of hooking
up to the car's power system; I assume it is a functional defroster from what
Neil has told me...
- Finally, I am also
(still) waiting for the headlight covers and replacements for the broken hood
latches to be sent from Neil over at AMS; I hope that after all my emails to
them that they will in fact finally be sent.
- Another thing that I noticed was the weight of the car. Every
Murtaya has a plaque above the firewall under the hood that states--among
other things--the measured weight of the specific car. Mine was listed
at over 1100kgs, which puts it in the 2400-2500lbs range...Granted, I knew
mine was a road-spec, but that was quite a bit heavier than I was expecting
(which was around the original area of 925kgs/2000lbs)...
- So there are quite a few things I'm curious about and have yet to hear
from Neil on...Hopefully he can clear things up for me in the near future.
- I was able to get some pics, but I figure I'll save those until the new
site goes up.
- Will is busy working on the car, but he also has a goal of
starting/finishing his demo Murtaya within the next month. I wish him
luck on getting everything done--he was a great host while I was there.
- Again, the new agreement is that my car will be (truly) finished in
September. The main reason being that Will goes back to Ireland after
that...and if my car is not done by then, it might even slip to NEXT year, sad
as that sounds...Keep on checking back to see if the date is met...
Thursday, July 23rd, 2009
- Again, a long time since any update...BUT, it looks like the long road
finally has an end in sight! In fact, my car should be pretty much
finished as of this posting...and I plan to pick it up in just over a week (if
all goes well; no promises)!.
- While I am excited, I still have a lot of stuff to get in order now that
I'm actually going to be getting the car...for now, I'll post some comments
that have been waiting for a long time. I still have pics and threads,
but I'll get those up at another time...
- ...but I will relay some other AMS news...First of all, AMS is finally re-locating into a new place complete with showroom as they really ramp up production...And not just production of the Murtaya R, S, and C...apparently they are getting ready to unveil their second model, which is rumored to be a big departure from the Murtaya format. What will it be? Neil hasn't even told me yet, so I'm as curious/excited as anybody...Stay
tuned...
Sunday, June 15th, 2009
- Ok, so needless to say, it's been a while. The good news is that
I've known for a while that my glass (along with the U.S. Demo Kit) had been
shipped on the 26th of May and will be getting into port tomorrow. The
bad news is that it's estimated that Will won't be back into the States until
around the 10th of July, and my car obviously won't be done any time before
that (and who knows how long after that). So, another month of waiting.
- I have a few pics, comments, forum threads, etc....but you'll have to
understand if I lack the motivation to put them up. Next time.
Sunday, May 3rd, 2009
- Bad news...While Will was supposed to be back in the U.S. now to finish up
my car, it looks like it might be another FOUR weeks until he gets back now.
It seems that he and Neil are having problems over getting his demo car kit
here, and Will can't make it back over here until all that is sorted out.
This is very unfortunate, as I've been hoping to finally get my car, enjoy it
for the summer (another sunny day missed today), and even get it to some
upcoming car shows...I REALLY hope they get their issues worked out.
- Other than that, not too much else. Just a few more online forum
threads about the Murtaya here.
Wednesday, April 8th, 2009
- I haven't been updating often, mainly because my car is still in a holding
pattern waiting for the replacement glass for what broke going through
shipping. Will is off in Ireland also, but he has done a great job getting the
car put together and taking care of all the little issues like getting the
correct flywheel, getting the transmission gears sorted and installed, getting
the proper clutch in, and getting everything cleaned.
- Unfortunately, I still have not heard from Neil as to the last few details
that need to be addressed for my car. This includes things like the rear
brakes matching the front ones (in make and color, not size) and--most
importantly to me--the status and delivery of the headlight covers.
Hopefully I will hear from him soon.
- Even though I haven't been updating this site recently, I have been
preparing something new and exciting...Let's just say that in a little while,
my site won't look like something out of 1998. Maybe 2008, but not 1998.
All you will need in order to view it is Microsoft Silverlight (you can think
of it as Microsoft's version of Flash), which works on Firefox, IE, and some
Safari browsers and both PCs (Vista/XP) and Macs. If you watched the
last Olympics on the Internet or have visited such sites as the
HardRock
Memorabilia site (you'll get a preview of some of what my site will do
from HardRock's site), then you probably already have it installed on your
computer. Otherwise, you can install from the new page as soon as it's
up or install it from
Microsoft's site here (then feel free to check out some of the many cool
examples of Silverlight at
silverlight.net/Showcase/).
- Oh, and if you have Silverlight installed and have enjoyed the Murtaya
Game on AMS's site, then you might want to check out Murtaya.com's Racing
Game...Ok, so it doesn't have the Murtaya as a selectable car...yet...I just
haven't gotten the license from Neil yet to use his car in it. Plus, it
would put the other cars to shame, wouldn't it? :) You can still
choose your car, engine, and even color...But the scores aren't saved
yet...sorry. Check it out:
Play Race Game!
Sunday, March 15th, 2009
- The U.S. Distributor, MURTAYA U.S.A., now has its website up! Check
it out at
www.murtayausa.com. More information (including pricing, etc.)
should be up tomorrow (Monday) even if it kills Will. But as he says,
where there's a Will... :)
- Besides getting his website sorted, Will has also been busy at work on
getting my Murtaya together. He's kept me constantly up to date with
pictures, which you can see on My Murtaya Pictures
Volume #33 page.
- There's some new online forum threads on the Murtaya...Which yours truly
may or may not have had a hand in starting. See them on the
Murtaya Online Forum Threads page.
- Also, some constructive criticism of the Murtaya on the
Comments page.
- Hopefully I'll be talking to Neil via the phone this week to take care of
very final details (headlight covers, brakes, etc.). Also, Will should
be more or less finishing up the build, so it should prove to be a very
exciting week...
Saturday, March 7th, 2009
Welcome Back
- Success! My kit has made it through U.S. Customs! Now it just
needs to be assembled and combined with its U.S. engine and transmission
combination for the first time.
- Will Corry Jr., the official U.S. distributor for the Murtaya is
responsible for that job. He was also half of the help that got my
Murtaya through customs and picked up my car from the Texas port (15 hours
from his shop in Durango, CO). Will has been in constant contact with me
by both phone and email giving me updates to the status of my car. He
has been doing an outstanding job and going out of his way to tend to all the
big and small issues of retrieving and assembling my car...More about this
later, but for now, a GREAT BIG THANKS to Will! Though it's not up at
the time I'm typing this, his website should soon be up, and anybody in the
U.S. who wants a Murtaya (yes, it is now officially possible! :) ) needs to
check it out and contact Will (preferably before everybody else gets their
orders in)! The website is (or will be in the very near future):
www.murtayausa.com,
Will's email can be found on the Emails page.
- Brandi Tribbet was the other half of that help of getting my car through
customs. She is the agent from Trans Global Auto Logistics that helped
with all the paperwork, etc. necessary to get the kit through customs.
She did a fantastic job and made everything easy--I suggest people who need to
go through the same process look her up and give her company a call (or check
out their website: www.tgal.us).
Thanks so much Brandi!
- Greg Robb of
www.nobleperformance.net also deserves a big thanks for the advice he
supplied in helping get the kit through customs (remember that he's also done
this a few times for his Noble/Rossion customers). Greg also has a new
website that offers many things that Murtaya drivers (among others) will find
very interesting--Check it out at:
www.performanceracingonline.com. Thanks Greg!
- I had to add this: future Murtaya owner/driver Martin Thom is showing off his Murtaya
shirt on his Murtaya's Build page.
- And so starts the U.S. assembly of my Murtaya, the last stage of the
Murtaya build process. Will is attending some small issues that he found
after receiving the parts of the car: the flywheel is for a 5-speed, not the
6-speed I have; the 6-speed's 5th and 6th gears are shorter than I wanted; the
exhaust was different from what I expected; I seem to be missing the rear
Brembos on my car, and there are a few damaged parts from shipping that need
to be figured out (nothing major, just some latches and window damage from
dock handlers and U.S. inspectors who had a hard time figuring out the
Murtaya's unique (and arguably unintuitive, but cool) ways of opening its
doors and clamshell). Again, Will is doing a fantastic job taking car of
any and all of these issues while at the same time getting the car put
together (AND taking pictures and keeping in touch with me). From all
I've seen so far, Neil and AMS have done a WONDERFUL job selecting their U.S.
Distributor! Thanks again Will!
- And stay tuned for more pics of my car going through its final assembly
process!
Monday, February 16th, 2009
- I forgot to show the current state of New Zealand Murtaya Distributors
Matt's and Les's Demo Murtaya build on my last update...They are having great
fun bombing around NZ in their Murtaya while breaking it in. See the
latest picture of it right before it goes into paint shop on their
New Zealand Murtaya page.
- I also forgot a quick comment from visitor HairyMan--on the
Comments page.
- I also forgot...to add the rest of the pics I had of Martin T's Murtaya build. See them on his
Murtaya's Build page.
- Good news and bad news on the home front--My kit should be in port as I
write this and getting ready to be scanned. Unfortunately, US
Distributors Will Jr.'s and Sr.'s kit did not make the same shipment...I'm
hoping that their kit gets here soon so they can get the US Demo car build
going and start enjoying it as much as their New Zealand counterparts...
- Last update I mentioned that if I were to do this again, I would probably
choose to have my engine tuning done when I had my car over on this side of
the world. This has nothing to do with Engine Tuner; I still have the most
respect for them and still think that they do great jobs. The fact of
the matter is, though, that they are--like any engine tuner would be--in a bad
position when it comes to tuning a car that will be driving in a completely
different environment. Normally they can tune for both power and safety
because they are in the same environment as what the car will be.
However, concerning U.S. cars, they don't have access to the same type of gas
or conditions, making tuning for both optimum power AND safety all but
impossible, and this was what I was pointing out. Instead
of having it tuned over there for safety and then over here again for power, I
would have instead have had Engine Tuner build up my engine and then I'd have
it tuned over here, which would have been a better way to spend my money
(i.e., one build and one tune vs two redundant tunes). I just didn't
know until recently that the power levels would be as low as they turned out
to be because of this reason.
Monday, February 9th, 2009
- More shots of Martin's Murtaya (complete with a build-spec design from his
daughter on his Murtaya page.
- My kit is scheduled to get in this week and then hopefully through customs
a little after that. Will Corry, Jr. will be picking it up and getting
to the build site where he will personally be putting it together. I
also got a dyno sheet for my engine. It's on par with a stock US STi...Despite
being specially built with a large front mount, bigger turbo, and custom tune.
It's supposedly a very safe tune for US gas, but considering a US STi with a
catted turboback and off-the-shelf engine map can get much more than this, I
will probably be looking for at least another tune on this side of the pond.
- In retrospect, if I were to do this again, I might very well just take
whatever engine is stock from the donor and get it built/replaced/tuned over
here. I really like the idea of the on-the-fly map switching with the
SimTek, but nobody over here knows what it is much less how to tune it.
That functionality is also not unique to SimTek, and solutions like AccessPort
allow many more maps (though not instant real-time map switching). Plus,
the final power differences between my two maps was not really enough to
warrant two maps (I'm guessing the fuel mileage wouldn't be that much
difference at those low power levels, either).
- I still haven't heard much information from Neil--again, their Internet is
out. But from what I've gathered (usually I've noticed when not much is
said--Internet access or not--some things aren't going as well as planned),
I'm assuming some things like the headlight covers, U.S. steering column
orientation, and front lip-protector shield aren't gonna happen. Some
aren't that big an issue, but even then, I would have much rather had a
right-hand-drive car than my windshield wipers and turn signals on the
opposite sides of all other U.S. cars...I'm really hoping this won't be an
issue with registration, etc.
- I'm sure the car will still be great, but after more than two years of
waiting, the price, and things continuing to not reach hopes and expectations,
I might not be as happy as I had hoped on delivery day. Or maybe I'm
just a grump. :)
Sunday, February 1st, 2009
- And I should be a bit more specific when I say my "car" has shipped...The
body has shipped; the engine is still awaiting shipment, as Martin Thom
took a picture of it at AMS while recently visiting and watching the progress
on his car. See him in his car on his new Murtaya page and my engine on the
My Murtaya...#31 page.
- I dug up some pics of what the Murtaya softtop looks like...The pics
aren't of the best quality, but they are the only ones I have (or I have seen,
for that matter). Check them out on the Murtaya Pictures Volume #42
page.
- Other than that, I haven't really heard much from Neil and AMS or Alan and
Engine Tuner...I have yet to see dyno sheets from the second and final dyno
session, and a lot of details are unknown (when does the engine ship, are
things like the headlight covers ready, what's the time table for the Corrys
to assemble my car after it arrives on this side of the pond, etc.). I
hope to hear from somebody soon, as several of my emails have gone
unanswered...
Monday, January 19th, 2009
- Mark Edwards has a new build page up for his Murtaya. I have been following Mark's path to Murtaya owner ever since his
first review of the Murtaya in the wet, to his debate about trading in his Ferrari, to his recent status update on his car. Though it didn't get to him before the new year, progress is being made, and he has sent me the pictures to prove it. His Murtaya should be going from Arden Automotive to AMS headquarters for paint
and final touches...Check out his
build page and keep checking back for future updates on his car.
- Neil sent me some final pics of my car right before it gets shipped.
These are the first ones of the fully assembled car with the hardtop on.
See them on the My Murtaya Pictures Volume #31 page.
- My car should be shipping shortly...and then three weeks of boat time
before it hits the US, where it will go through final assembly at the hands of
the Corrys...
Thursday, January 8th, 2009
- Happy New Year! It's been another long time since I've updated...In
fact, even AMS updated their site before me! After not updating it for
all of 2008, they've finally launched their new site,
www.AdrenalineMotorsport.co.uk (or
www.murtaya.co.uk).
There's even more coming, so keep checking their site often.
- Also, the December AMS Newsletter is out. See it
here.
- There's a lot of new magazine articles on the Murtaya; mainly because of Complete Kit Car's own Murtaya build. See the articles on the
Murtaya Magazine References page.
- The Murtaya ended the year much like it did last year: earning an award. See which one on the
Murtaya Awards page.
- Finally, my car is set to arrive in the States on February 11th...After
that, it will go through final assembly and I should be picking it up...so not
too long now. As you read this, it should be going to Engine Tuner for
final tuning...
Sunday, November 23rd, 2008
- Yeah, it's been a long time since my last update...I'm having a contest
with AMS to see who can aoid updating their site for the longest amount of
time. :) Granted, I lost, but know that AMS will be launching their new site
very soon...
- Many updates, not the least of which (for me, at least) are some new pics
of my car running around the British countryside during the break-in process.
See them on the My Murtaya Pictures Volume #30 page.
- For potential U.S. Murtaya customers, I now have contact information for
the U.S. Distributor, Will Corry, Jr.. His email is now listed on the
Email Addresses page. As for the their website...stay tuned...
- Also, the November AMS Newsletter is out. See it here.
- Finally, there's a couple new videos from AMS - a quick one of my Murtaya taking off, and a general advertising video for the Murtaya. See them on the
Murtaya Videos #17 page.
Sunday, November 2nd, 2008
- Visitor Jack B asked a question about the US distributor for Murtayas...I told
him what I know on the Comments page.
- I noticed Paul C. has been updating his blog about his Murtaya build.
I saved some the pics from his build and put them up on Paul C.'s
Murtaya Build page.
- As for my car, I haven't heard much lately. Hopefully an update will
be getting to me shortly...
Tuesday, October 25th, 2008
- The pics of the Murtaya fleet caused quite a few comments...See them on the
Comments page.
- There's a lot of new media on the new silver competition Murtaya.
This is a high-spec build that includes a 6-speed dog box and plated front and
rear differentials. If you look close, you might also notice some slight
differences in the Murtaya body work: the vents on the hood are
reversed, the gas filler is not in the standard position, etc.. See some pics of it on the
Murtaya Pictures
Volume #41 page and a video of a shake-down drive in it on the
Murtaya Videos #16 page.
- And an interesting quote from Steve of
TotalKitCar
concerning the Murtaya (one of these days I'll have to create a page for
Murtaya Quotes):
"As I always say, if you’ve never been to the Nürburgring, please do make
the pilgrimage at least once, to experience the soul, excitement and
adrenaline (now, the Murtaya would be a great car to drive there wouldn’t
it?! Now there's a thought, Mr Yates!)..."
So how about it, Mr. Yates? There's been a lot of competition going on at the 'Ring lately, including the ACR Viper, Vette ZR1, and
Nissan GT-R...Time for the little lightweight AWD roadster
to take on the giant-killers? :) (and if it was able to top them,
would that make the Murtaya a giant-killer-killer??)
Tuesday, October 21st, 2008
- There's a new comment from Eddie--another AMS customer--up on the
Comments page.
- Neil sent me some fantastic pics of the current group of Murtayas.
Well, ok, the pics themselves aren't of the best quality (as Neil himself
admitted), but the content is some of the best so far (in my opinion).
See the pics on the Murtaya Pictures Volume #40 page.
- The October AMS Newsletter is out already; see it
here.
Wednesday, October 15th, 2008
Monday, October 13th, 2008
- Neil posted a new video of my car being driven around by himself.
It's currently being broken in before the final tune, but you can hear the
engine purr...Check it out on the
Murtaya Videos Volume #15 page.
Thursday, September 25th, 2008
- The September 2008 AMS Newsletter is out; read all the news and see several built cars by
checking it out.
- My Murtaya is done with the initial mapping and is being broken in by Neil
and the crew. After that, it will go back to Alan's and have its mapping
finalized...
Saturday, September 20th, 2008
Monday, September 16th, 2008
- There's another review out on the Murtaya. This time it's from MSN
UK, which is pretty cool. Find the link on the
Online Reviews page.
- My car was scheduled to be tuned today, so we'll soon see how things went...
Tuesday, September 9th, 2008
Saturday, August 30th, 2008
- There's also some (very similar) threads asking experiences with specific
kit cars, including the Murtaya. See them on the
Online Forum Threads page.
Tuesday, August 26th, 2008
- There's a new question on the Comments page
which I try my best to answer.
- Neil also contacted me and said my car should be going to
Alan Jeffery's by the
end of this week to get tuned...
- Neil also sent out a reminder about the track day taking place at Llandow
this weekend:
Hi everyone,
Just a quick reminder about the track day taking place at Llandow this
coming Saturday.
It is being arranged by Complete Kit Car magazine and OMEX and is open for
everyone to take part in any vehicle so you too can get out on track.
The price is a superb £95 for the day which includes lunch and there are
still some places available.
We will be there with both Murtaya and Toniq demo cars giving free
passenger rides to anyone who fancies having a blast around this
entertaining circuit.
RAW will also be in attendance with their extremely rapid demo car running
OMEX management.
We have several customers planning on taking their Impreza road cars out
on track and it promises to be a nice informal fun day out.
Llandow run excellent days with maximum circuit time and China John has a
unique approach to briefings and ensuring that all of the attendees get to
have a great time.
If you have not already done so get the booking form filled in, get it
sent off and we will see you at the weekend!!
Even if you are not going to get out on track come along for a chat,
decent cup of tea and a ride in one of the demo cars.
Look forward to seeing you all there!
Kind regards,
Neil
Saturday, August 23rd, 2008
- Even though it's been a while, it was not because a lack of news...In
fact, Neil got the full shots of my build the day after the last update; I've
just been really busy lately. The new shots are finally here, on the
My
Murtaya Pictures Volume #26 page.
- There's also a great update on the New Zealand Murtaya from Matt and Les.
See the cool and unique paths they're taking on their Murtaya on their
New Zealand Murtaya
page.
- There's a review of Arden Automotive's Murtaya opening day--find out where
on the Murtaya News page.
- As mentioned by Neil in the newsletter, I'd like to bid a farewell to Tim Ashcroft, one of the technicians at AMS who
played a big part in developing the Murtaya, not to mention putting many (including mine!) together. I was lucky enough to meet Tim while I visited AMS,
and can vouch for the fact that he will be missed. Good luck in Australia,
Tim, and thanks for all your hard work!
Tuesday, August 12th, 2008
- ...and according to Neil, some shots of my fully-assembled Murtaya
tomorrow! Stay tuned...
Thursday, August 7th, 2008
- It's been a while since I've posted, but not because of lack of news--I've
just been really busy (and apologize to all the people I told I'd update
earlier).
- There's already another new entree into the Murtayas section: Bart has
sent me some pics of his build, which seems to already be very well along.
See them on Bart's new Murtaya page.
- I heard from Alan from Engine Tuner; he said he'd recently talked with Neil Yates on my car and several other Murtayas and that he's ready for the tuning. My car should be also close to ready; Neil said he'd it should be finally finishing up this week and actually heading out to Alan's. Some pictures are hopefully on the way in the near future. Stay tuned...
Monday, July 28th, 2008
- According to Neil, the Arden Automotive event this past weekend was
attended by some serious, potential Murtaya owners.
- Also, I should be getting some more pictures of my car this week; my car
should be "almost complete" this week, as Neil wrote me. Keep checking
in...
Friday, July 25th, 2008
- In the future I will start pages and links for people's Murtaya builds and
cars...Until then, be sure to check out some of the current builds going on:
- Paul C. from the UK just got ahold of me; he left a comment on the
Comments page. He also has a blog where he is documenting his Murtaya
build. Check
it out to see how he's doing.
- Paul Rayner from RSR Performance in Australia also reached me. They
just got their car (remember their initial pics of the kit arriving on
Murtaya Pictures Volume #35?).
We'll be sure to keep an eye on their build...
- Also, don't forget the New Zealand Murtaya guys, Les and Matt.
They've currently got build reports on their
news page.
Monday, July 21st, 2008
- A big comment from Brian with a big answer from me on the Comments page.
- No news on my car recently, so stay tuned.
Thursday, July 17th, 2008
- Finally, a newsletter from AMS was sent out regarding the Murtaya, kit
cars in general, and the Goodwood Festival of Speed. See it on the
latest AMS Newsletters
page.
- Keep an eye on
AMS's website...It's
getting a great makeover. I'll also be sure to let you know as soon as
it's up.
Monday, July 14th, 2008
Tuesday, July 8th, 2008
- A lot of people have been asking me about how long it's been taking my car
to finish. They are curious if they should order one themselves...I will
just say to watch the site here and make your own conclusions; that's one
reason I set this site up. People will see the turn around time, the
final result, and my opinions of the car. As for other cars...
...Neil says that future cars will be completed a lot faster. If other
people with builds would like to have information, pics, etc. of their
builds/cars put up here for others to see, I will be happy to do so.
Just let me know!
Tuesday, June 24th, 2008
Hello again! We've got two exciting events for you this month! First of all, put
this date in your diary...
Sunday 27th, July
10am to 5pm
BBQ and Refreshments
Didcot Autocentre. 5. The Cobden Centre. Hawksworth. Didcot. OX11 7HL
There will be loads to see on the day, including the 350bhp Cabriolet Factory
demonstrator and the Factory built rally car. We'll also have a COMPLETE
ROAD-SPEC KIT on display, so that you can take a look and actually see how much
you are getting for your money!
Joining the Murtayas at the open day will be the Toniq R – and so that you can
sample the vehicles first-hand, we will be offering passenger rides in all of
the cars.
As an added incentive to get yourselves down here we’re making a very special
offer, WE WILL PAY THE SVA TEST COST for any orders taken at the Open Day – and
we won’t stop there! In addition to this one-off SVA offer, there will be a VERY
SPECIAL AND INDIVIDUAL PRIZE for one lucky buyer on the day... but you'll have
to be here to find out exactly what it is!
To help us with the catering, we’d like some idea of how many people we can
expect at the Open Day and if you would like a ride we will be booking
time-slots – so please click here to complete the
ONLINE BOOKING FORM.
If you can’t wait that long to get into one of the very special factory cars you
should get yourself along to the ‘Speed on Wheels Show’ at Bruntingthorpe in
Leicestershire on the 5th and 6th of July. This promises to be an excellent
weekend with loads to see and do. To book your tickets for Bruntingthorpe, click
here.
Arden Automotive will be supporting the boys at both the indoor Murtaya static
display and the outdoor stand at the show. The Murtayas and Toniq R will both be
there, with passenger track rides for ‘the serious contenders’!
If you want something just a little more special National rally contender, Steve
Simpson will also be on-hand, offering passenger track rides in his TEG Sport
prepared, tarmac rally-spec Murtaya.
The ride slots for Bruntingthorpe are filling up fast so you really do need to
book early to avoid disappointment! Again, please click here to complete the
ONLINE BOOKING FORM and we will get back to you with an approximate time-slot.
Both days will have something for everyone, so we’re looking forward to seeing
you at Didcot and/or Bruntingthorpe!
John &
Russell
So if you're around, be sure to check out the show!
Thursday, June 12th, 2008
-
Neil also sent me the status of my car in a detailed list-
Jobs remaining to be done are as follows:
-
Build up inside of doors (mechanisms and electric window motors)
-
Fit door locks/catches and solenoid operated opening system
-
Final fit seats
-
Fit seat belts
-
Final fit dash board
-
Final trim dash board infill panels
-
Trim door cards when door inner build completed
-
Fit indicators/side repeaters to front clamshell
-
Finish installation of front clamshell latch/catch arrangement
-
Fit front and rear windscreen and associated trim rubbers
-
Fit boot carpet
-
Fit intake cooling system
-
Final nut and bolt check
-
Map engine
-
Remove engine, exhaust and gearbox
-
Comprehensive clean and pre-shipment check
-
Ship to the US
When it gets to the US the following will need doing:
-
Refit engine, exhaust and gearbox
-
Gas air conditioning system
-
Complete road registration process
Wednesday, June 11th, 2008
-
Still no big update from Neil today...However he left me a message and said
the build staff was either sick or on vacation, so we have a bit longer to
wait for the car progress...Hang in there.
Tuesday, June 10th, 2008
-
I still haven't gotten the big update, but Neil did get me a few pics
yesterday (would have posted them sooner, but my power was out last night
thanks to some of this crazy weather we're getting over here). See the
pics on the My Murtaya Pictures Volume #22
page.
-
No update from Neil today, but he said he'd be getting some more information
to me soon (supposed to be today, but nothing so far)...Stay tuned...
Thursday, June 5th, 2008
- Yes, it's been a long while since I posted. Neil's been away until this
week; hopefully my car is coming together (looks like it won't be shipping in
May, despite what the last newsletter said).
- First off, I would like to introduce Russell, John, and their
Arden Automotive
as the Oxfordshire Murtaya dealer and the first UK agent for Adrenaline
Motorsport. Check out their site and their company if you're lucky
enough to be in their neck of the woods:
Hello and thanks for taking the time to drop by to see us on the Murtaya
stand at Stoneleigh. There was a lot of interest, which kept us fully occupied
for the whole two days.
Preparations for Arden’s launch of the Adrenaline dealership in Dicot,
Oxfordshire are in full flight. Very soon we will have the delivery date for our
first Murtaya demonstrator kit, fresh from the brand new Norco moulds – and
we'll keep you updated of with the progress of the build online.
As promised, we are busy planning our Open Day, which will take place within the
next couple of months. Over 30 people have already registered their interest, so
the event will be very well supported. We will be inviting some of the first
customers that have built Murtayas, to bring along their cars for you to see and
you will be able to discuss the details of the build with them. Additionally we
hope to have the Murtaya rally car back with us, also the blue soft top factory
built car and the Toniq should also be making an appearance.
There will be a one-off special offer for everyone who attends the Open Day,
more details will follow shortly with your invitation.
It was great to have met everyone at the show and we look forward to seeing you
again at the open day.
John & Russell
- Benji is asking when the next update is...I let him know on the
Comments
page.
-
What else....Ah! There's some news about the Murtaya from the Stoneleigh
Show, courtesy of MadAbout-KitCars.com. 0-100mph in 7 seconds?
50-80mph in 2.1 seconds? Nice. See it on the
Murtaya News page (it's about half-way down the page).
-
Neil said he wanted to get some more shots and videos of my car, but he's out
of the office again tomorrow. With any luck, he should get them to me
next week sometime, especially since I have made my last build payment.
:)
-
What happened with the EVO test of the Murtayas? I don't know; hopefully
Neil will let us know, and if there will be an article in a future issue...
Tuesday, May 13th, 2008
- A quick but exciting update: Neil sent me some more of my engine in
action, this time with more components added. See it on the
Murtaya Videos Volume
#12 page.
Thursday, May 8th, 2008
-
Also, see a few more pics of the lime green Murtaya in the shop and the Rally
Murtaya and Toniq R at the Stoneleigh Show on the
Murtaya Pictures Volume #32 page.
Thursday, May 1st, 2008
- A new newsletter is out from AMS today; a lot of news things going on and
cars going out (including a certain Murtaya I'm keeping my eye on... :) ).
Read the newsletter on the May 2008 AMS Newsletter page.
-
Those of you who are interested in seeing AMS, the Murtaya, and/or the Toniq R
can go to the famous Stoneleigh show this weekend (those of you lucky enough
to go be sure to say hi to Neil and the rest of the AMS guys for me!).
Friday, April 25th, 2008
- There's some more news on racing Murtayas; see it on the
News page.
-
Finally, see an online forum thread where people are giving their opinions
what they think is the best kit car (in terms of quality and the best product) out there...See if the Murtaya pops up by
visiting the Murtaya Online Forum Threads page.
Tuesday, April 22nd, 2008
- The upcoming schedule for my car:
- My car should be having its interior finished up in the next week.
- It will also be going to Alan's for the tuning in about a week.
- Finally, my car will be representing Adrenaline Motorsport in the near
future...Stay tuned to see how and where...
Thursday, April 17th, 2008
- A bunch of people have been curious about Adrenaline Motorsport's website,
as it has been down for a little while. Don't worry, they're not gone;
their web guys have just been on vacation. Also, as I found out today,
the site's up
again.
- Neil Gould sent me some more pics of my car, which just got back from the
painter. I know, the painting should have been done a while ago, but
apparently there was another issue with the hardening process; hopefully it's
now ready to get the interior put in. Amyways, see the new pics on the
My Murtaya Pictures Volume #19 page.
Friday, April 11th, 2008
- Today is the 2-year anniversary of my discovery of Adrenaline Motorsport
and the Murtaya (back then known as the AMS1).
Saturday, April 5th, 2008
- It's been a busy few days, so I haven't been able to update as soon as I
would have liked. But today there's a few new things for you to check
out...
- Also, I found another magazine article on the Murtaya:
Chariot of the God!, KitCar, October 2007. It's a great
article (and very favorable to the Murtaya), so if you're interested, check it
out wherever you can get it. As far as future articles on the Murtaya,
be sure to keep your eye on EVO Magazine for the next few months...There will
be something showing up that I, personally, am looking forward to...
- Finally, a succinct comment from "S J" concerning April 1st's update...See
it on the Comments page.
Wednesday, April 2nd, 2008
- Ok...Where to start...Well, a good place would probably be to tell you all
I didn't actually buy a Vette...I didn't decide to quit on the Murtaya; I'm
still eagerly excited and waiting for it. The Vette story was just my
April Fool's Day present to you all. I actually thought it might be a
bit obvious, but I got more than a few people with it, including many friends,
my dad, and last--but not least--my good
friend Neil (Managing Director of AMS), who called me up a bit concerned this
morning. :)
- So I'm still here and will be here for a long time to come. As for
this update, I'm afraid it will have to be a bit shorter than I wanted, as I
have been busy today...Soon, however, I hope to have more Murtaya pics and other
Murtaya-related news
up. Until then, take care, and be happy that April 1st only comes around
once a year. :)
Tuesday, April 1st, 2008
- An important update today...After a lot of waiting for my Murtaya, I
finally broke down and did something that might be pretty surprising...I
bought my new baby...
- It's a 2008 C6 Corvette, 6-speed with the 6.2L LS3 engine, in black, of
course. It also has the dual-mode exhaust option (as found on the Z06).
Why not a Z06 or a ZR1? Well, the latter was a bit too expensive for my
tastes (and I find the hood window and carbon fiber roof a bit tacky). As for the
Z06, I actually prefer getting the more daily-driver-friendly base coupe and adding forced induction to
it later on.
- As excited as I was with the Murtaya, I just needed to get into a sports
car NOW and couldn't wait any longer. So, I took the easy way out and
visited the local Chevy dealer. After a few hours (they had to find the
exact Vette for me: coupe, 6-speed, black, dual-mode exhaust), I drove out in
my new toy. I haven't been on it yet (still breaking it in), but I can
only imagine what it will sound/feel like when I give it full throttle and let
the exhaust valves open up and the 436hp kick me in the butt!
- I haven't told Neil yet, so if you see this before I get ahold of you
Neil, we'll work something out concerning my car. I'll also be happy to
update this site until somebody else can take it over.
Thursday, March 27th, 2008
Sunday, March 9th, 2008
- The New Zealand Murtaya Distributor,
Murtaya New Zealand, have started
building their Murtayas...Check out their
site and see some
early pictures of their builds on
Murtaya Pictures Volume #29. Also, there's a few pics from Neil of
the Murtaya being viewed at a recent show by the people from Prodrive.
- What about my car? Well, still no pics, but I hear that the painting
is complete and looks great...Hopefully Neil will take and send pics soon...
Monday, February 25th, 2008
- The Demo and Rally Murtayas were out at Llandow this past weekend giving
out rides. Mark Sansby was there and took many pics of the cars in
action. See the Pistonheads.com thread Mark (a.k.a., Black5)
started on the Forum Threads page, and
see the Murtaya pics on the Murtaya
Pictures Volume #28 page. To see all of Mark's pics from Llandow
(including Toniq R pics I don't have) and other track days, check out his site
HERE.
- Still no word or pics on my car (which should be finished painting
soon)...but hopefully soon.
Tuesday, February 19th, 2008
- Neil Yates himself left a comment today giving an update on AMS and my
car. See his message on the
Comments page.
- Also, there's a new forums thread about somebody being impressed with the
Murtaya. Check it out from the Forum
Threads page.
Monday, February 11th, 2008
- Got a comment from visitor Nick...Check out what he has to say on the
Comments page.
Thursday, February 7th, 2008
- As for my Murtaya, it should be headed off to the painter either Friday
night or Saturday morning. After a week or so, it should finally be
wearing its final color and ready to get tuned...Stay
tuned yourselves...
Monday, February 4th, 2008
- Still not too much lately...Matt and Les from the New Zealand Murtaya
distributor (Murtaya.co.nz) left a comment this morning. See it on the
Comments page.
Sunday, February 3rd, 2008
- As far as my Murtaya, supposedly the team has been working on the interior
and the AC. This week, it should be going in to get painted (again).
Hopefully I'll have some pics soon...
Sunday, January 20th, 2008
- Things have been slow lately...Neil and the guys at AMS have been busy
after the Autosport Show...However, I have been able to find a forums thread
on the Murtaya (specifically about Murtaya competition cars). See it on
the Murtaya Forum Threads page.
- Also, Neil says that my car is still coming together; the interior and
carpeting are scheduled to be going in next week.
Sunday, January 6th, 2008
Friday, January 4th, 2008
Happy New Year!
Tuesday, December 22nd, 2007
- A quick update before I'm away for a little while. There's a new
video up of the new Rally Murtaya being driven for the first time. This
murtaya looks a lot like mine will, so it was exciting for me to see it moving
and in the "flesh". See it on the
Murtaya Videos #8 page.
Have a good one!
Tuesday, December 18th, 2007
- Neil called me up today and we talked for a little bit...Unfortunately, I
had to get to a meeting, and therefore it was a brief discussion. He's
planning to call again tomorrow.
- Even though we didn't get to talk much, he did manage to get some more
pictures of my car. Here they are, in
My Murtaya Pictures #17.
Saturday, December 15th, 2007
- Last update, I added a YouTube video of Murtaya pics from the London Motorsport Show (on
the Videos Volume #7 page). Since
then, Ali - the creator of that video - sent the actual images from the video.
See those pics on the Pictures Volume #24
page. Thanks Ali!
- Unfortunately, Neil hasn't gotten in touch with me yet, so I have yet to
find out the status of my car. Hopefully I should be talking to him
soon...
Thursday, December 13th, 2007
- Neil sent me some pics of a new Murtaya at the London Auto Show.
Though it's not mine, it is very similar to what mine will look like (the
exterior differences being mine will have darker wheels and headlight covers).
See the pictures in Pictures Volume #23.
- He also directed me to a YouTube Video of the London Auto Show that
contains many good shots of the Murtaya. A link to it is on the
Videos Volume #7 page.
- I should be talking to Neil and getting some updates on my car tomorrow...
Tuesday, December 11th, 2007
- I found not only several forum threads about the Murtaya, but a web page
that contains links to even more threads about the Murtaya. See them on
the
Online Forum Threads page.
- There's also a semi-new video up of the Murtaya running around the Brands Hatch
track. You'll recognize a lot of the footage from the recent AMS ad
video, but it's still pretty cool nonetheless. Check it out on the
Videos Volume #6 page.
- Otherwise, not much news on my Murtaya...Neil has been at a London car
show with the demo Murtaya and supposedly the new rally Murtaya...With any
luck, he might have some pictures for us and some news on my Murtaya in the
near future...
Wednesday, December 5th, 2007
- I haven't heard from Neil in a while, but he has been making his presence
known on the Pistonheads.com forums. See the newest thread on the
Murtaya and Neil's comments by going to the thread via the
Online Forum Threads page.
- Also, there's a news article on the Great Western Kit & Car Builder Show on
MadAbout-KitCars.com; there's a bit about the Murtaya
about hwlf-way down the page. Get to the page from the
Murtaya News page.
Wednesday, November 28th, 2007
- The Exeter Kit Car Show has come and gone. Thanks to some of the
people who attended, I have some more pics of the Murtaya. They're on the
Pictures Volume #22 page.
Wednesday, November 14th, 2007
- Attention potential New Zealand Murtaya prospectors: Les and Matt from
Murtaya NZ Ltd., a new distributor for
Murtayas in New Zealand, reached me today. They are already set to get two Murtayas and will eventually be selling kits and doing full builds.
Check out their site (still in progress; check back often):
www.Murtaya.co.nz
- Last but not least, Neil sent me a link to another article on AMS.
The article focuses on the international export hurdles that AMS hit much
sooner than they expected and how they dealt with them. See the article
here.
Tuesday, November 13th, 2007
- In other exciting news, the Murtaya won its first award. In
celebration and anticipation of many others, I have created the
Murtaya Awards page. Premature?
Well, we'll find out...(but I don't think so)
- Neil also mentioned that there is a new article in the magazine Kit Car
Builder. Apparently, that article has generated (more) interest and
awareness in the U.S. with the Murtaya. Neil and I have not even seen
the article (yet). I added a Magazine
Reference to the
Kit Car Builder site for the issue in focus; be sure to pic up a copy to
see what they say (like I will be doing shortly).
- Finally, a new forum thread pops up with a reference to the Murtaya...and
some other info. Check out which one on the
Online Forum Threads page.
Tuesday, November 6th, 2007
- Neil sent me a link to a local TV news segment that was done on Neil and
his company. It's a great little spot that shows how Neil (along with
the others at AMS) have taken a big chance starting AMS and just what they
have managed to accomplish in such a short time. Also, there's some nice
video of the demo Murtaya. Go to the
Videos Volume #5 page to see how to view the video.
- Also, a family member of the first third of Murtaya's namesake
gives a shoutout...Also, long-time site visitor and future Murtaya owner Andy
also left a comment and a heads-up to a multi-part magazine piece on a Murtaya
build. Read their comments on the Comments page.
- On that note, I added a Magazine
Reference to
Complete Kit Car site
- the magazine that Andy references in his comment. Be sure to pick up a
copy this month for the first article of their Murtaya build series.
- Finally, a quick news article from
www.motor-sport.uk.com. Nothing really new, but it shows how word of
the Murtaya is still spreading.
Monday, October 22nd, 2007
- Finally, new question and answer await on the
Q&A page.
Thursday, October 11th, 2007
Saturday, October 7th, 2007
- According to Neil, my engine is all together and awaiting to be put into
my car and tuned. Pictures should be coming any time now...
- ...Until then, Neil also directed me to some online pictures of the demo
Murtaya running the 1/8th mile. See the proofs on the
Pictures Volume
#20 page.
Saturday, September 29th, 2007
- A new video of the Murtaya in action; this time doing the 1/8th mile.
This Alan Jeffery's (of Engine Tuner Ltd.) run. The length was
originally supposed to be a standard quarter mile, but heavy rains earlier in
the day made organizers limit it to just an 1/8th. Still, the Murtaya
ran a 7.6 second at 93mph on the wet track. See it on the
Videos Volume #4 page.
Monday, September 24th, 2007
- I had a nice chat with Neil on the phone today. He was busy dodging
tornados (!), yet still managed to fill me in on current events.
- My car is still set to be shipped in December.
- Neil linked me to a video of some of the 0-60 runs that the demo Murtaya
had done at the recent TRAX show (again, where
it came in 2nd OVERALL in the 0-60 contest). See the video on the
Videos Volume #3 page.
- Along with the video, Neil also sent me a dyno of the current demo
Murtaya. Check out the nice torque curve on the
Pictures Volume #19 page.
- The demo Murtaya was also busy with some recent dragging...While the
competition was originally going to be a quarter-mile-long drag, heavy rain
caused the organizers to shorten it to an eighth of a mile. Still, the
Murtaya ran a 7.6 sec 1/8th at ~93 mph. Again, this is with the 340hp
road-spec demo setup.
- Finally, see some more coverage of the recent 0-60 sprint of the demo Murtaya on
MadAbout-KitCars.
Saturday, September 8th, 2007
- Neil sent me some pics of the demo Murtaya at the recent TRAX show (where
it came in 2nd OVERALL in the 0-60 contest). See the pics on the
Pictures Volume #19 page. The pics
are also thumbnails now, so click on them to see the full-sized picture.
- I also dug up a thread on the SouthWestScoobies forums that has Alan
Jeffery of Engine
Tuner, Ltd. talking about his time in the Murtaya. See what he says there.
Tuesday, September 4th, 2007
- Neil has been busy lately, though still able to give some updates.
Today he sent me the following:
Hi Mike, I am away traveling the country at the moment visiting suppliers and
having meetings with various transport agencies here in the UK.
I though that I would update you with some information regarding a show that the
demo car attended at Silverstone Race Track last Sunday (I missed it
unfortunately!).
The Murtaya demonstrator attended the massive TRAX show at Silverstone last
weekend (www.traxshows.co.uk).
The car completed several track sessions around the international circuit, and
in the 0-60mph shoot out (not a place where there is anywhere to hide!!).
Pitted against the cream of the UK tuning world, along with various exotica from
the Gumball 3000 Club (including Porsche GT3, Porsche Carrera GT, Lamborghini
Gallardo and Ferrari 355/360's) the Murtaya finished an astonishing 2nd OVERALL
on the day, recording consistent 3.5 second passes (independently timed and
verified using state of the art equipment).
The winning car was a very special 550bhp Lancia Delta Integrale running with
launch control, flat shift and anti lag, along with sticky race rubber.
The demonstrator Murtaya was in full road trim complete with hard top and
electric windows, Toyo Proxes T1 tyres and in 340bhp specification. The gearbox,
rear differential and all mechanical parts were standard road car equipment from
a 1996 donor vehicle requiring a shift into 3rd before reaching the magic 60mph.
Further proof (if any were required) that the Murtaya delivers true supercar
destroying performance and blistering point to point pace at family saloon
prices.
I am away until the end of the week but will ring you early next week Mike.
Take care Mike, speak soon, all the best,
Neil.
- Neil has also started a thread on the PistonHeads forums concerning kit
car companies breaking into the main stream (along with the SilverStone news
mentioned in his email above). See the thread
here.
Monday, August 20th, 2007
- I haven't had an update in a while, but I've got a big one today to make
up for it.
- I also got a comment from Tom. See it on the
Comments page. He has a couple of
questions about the Murtaya...
- ...Which Neil is happy to answer; see Neil's response on the
Q & A page.
Thursday, August 9th, 2007
- Neil sent me pics of one of the first Murtaya rally hardtops. The
scoop is a bit different than the final version: it is about 12mm taller and
more angular. The first set of new spaceframes are also in; see them and
the rally hardtop in the new Murtaya Pictures Volume #17
page.
- Neil also found time to call me today for a talk. Where to start...
- As stated above, the front spaceframes are in and work is continuing on my
car. The ETA is now Dec/Jan timeframe.
- I asked Neil about the upcoming rally-spec Murtayas...I was curious if they
were going to be of carbon fiber or GRP construction, and to my surprise, they
are basically the standard Murtaya (including GRP construction), with a
different front spaceframe and some other details. This impressed me, as
those rally cars can and do take quite a pounding. Also, thanks to the
Murtaya's inherent light weight, when Murtaya teams add weight to get to the
minimum race weight, they can add the weight exactly where they want for ideal
weight distribution, etc. This is in contrast with other cars, which a
lot of the time can't even get down to the minimum race weight much less
achieve ideal weight distribution.
- The production version of the Murtaya has seen many, many improvements
over even the demo Murtaya:
- For example, the pre-production boot lid weighed in at 10 kgs (22 lbs);
the production version weighs in at 4 kgs (<9lbs).
- Neil was very excited to talk about even the smallest details, like the
new boot hinges, which are lighter and allow a greater opening angle the the
pre-production hinges. Neil says they are pretty cool looking also, not
to mention the fact that they're built by the same company that does the
bonded alloy work for Aston Martin.
- The doors are completely different from the original versions. While
the doors look the same, the window mechanisms, etc. are completely designed
and integrated rather than just added to the door. Also, a few other
changes - including hidden little finger slots to pull the door open - were
added.
- The roll bar is a new, stronger metal. It also has a smaller
diameter and a new shape (hopefully Neil will send some pics...)
- In test drives with the hardtop on, it was found that the sealing was
tight enough that prolonged use of the heater would actually increase the air
pressure in the cab and bend the windows out. To counter this, air
circulation was added to the design.
- And so many other changes that the phone conversation could have gone on
all day...
- Finally, there's some other exciting news coming soon from AMS, so keep checking back (or sign up for the
Murtaya.com Mailing List to be notified when the news comes out).
Tuesday, August 7th, 2007
- I've assembled newsletters that were sent out by AMS...Go back in time (at least for the last year) and see the Newsletter Archive
here.
Thursday, August 2nd, 2007
- Neil sent me a picture of a rally Murtaya that you might see in the near future if everything goes well.
I added it to the page of different Murtaya types. See it
there.
Sunday, July 29th, 2007
- The guys at AMS have been busy recently, staying up late nights with
development and factory racing support. Yet, Neil was able to get me
some more pics. This time, it's of my "second" donor car. Don't
worry, the Murtaya is still a single donor car; my original Type R donor was
just right-hand drive, so I needed a few parts from a left-hander.
Anyways, see the pics of my other donor on
My Murtaya Pictures Volume #14. Be sure to look carefully at some of
the pictures; you might notice some interesting new developments at the AMS
shop (hint: think new types of hardtops...)
- As far as updates on my car, the new test spaceframe has arrived and
passed inspection. The production spaceframes should thus arrive on
August 8th, at which time work will continue ("flat out", as Neil says) on my
car.
Wednesday, July 18th, 2007
Friday, July 13th, 2007
- I got in touch with Neil today. My car has a primer coat on, but is
currently at the AMS shop, awaiting a new front subframe. The first few
frames (including mine) were off just a bit (1.8mm) in some dimensions,
causing a slight, noticeable, but very hard to find issue. Neil and the
guys at AMS--always the perfectionists-- required new ones, and the first one
should be in next week. Pending inspection, that one should find it's
way to my car!
- This issue has caused a slight rescheduling with my car's painting: more
of the build than normal will be performed before the final paint
layers. The ETA of my car: September. Counting the days...
- Also, an exciting piece of news for me...I was talking to Neil about the
hardtop, and while mine is finished and awaiting trim and paint, Neil gave me
an exciting offer that I couldn't refuse...he had another customer who could
use my roof. In exchange, I could get a new roof created from the rally
Murtaya mold, which includes a roof scoop and B-pillar vents. How could
I refuse? I loved the images of the rally Murtaya, and ever since first
seeing them thought it would be cool to have those looks, especially since the
extra vents and details complimented the rest of the scooped and vented
Murtaya design so nicely. So, in my excitement, I created an updated
rendering of what my car should look like. See it on My Murtaya Pictures
Volume #13.
Monday, July 9th, 2007
- I'm starting a mailing list that people can subscribe to and get simple
emails letting them know that I've updated murtaya.com. If you want to
find out how and/or subscribe, see the new Mailing List Page.
- Otherwise, I'm expecting weekly updates from Neil and the guys about my
car from now on. I recently read somewhere that Bugatti does a similar
weekly notification and pictures to future owners of Veyron 16-4s...It's cool
to think that you can get similar treatment with a car that is just as
customizable, even more rare, and about a million dollars less... :)
Sunday, July 8th, 2007
- Neil and I talked about how things were going. A bit behind, but one
should only be prepared to expect as much on a new product like the Murtaya
(especially with the attention to details and the perfectionist mentality that
Neil has :) ). September is the ETA; Neil will be heading out here to
the US the same month.
- We talked about the things like the folding softtop, new developments in
the Murtaya design, and recent tuning results for engines in a similar state
of tune to what mine will be. The folding softtop does exist, and it
costs the same as the hardtop. However, Neil is not satisfied that it's
up to the same fit and finish and design levels as the rest of the Murtaya, so
they are looking at creating a better version. As it is, nobody has
ordered the softtop yet, instead opting for the hardtop, which, according to
Neil and reviews like Eddie's,
seems to be so well done that it gives you a feeling of a true coupe.
Neil also mentioned that some changes have been put into place for getting
access to the rear-mounted battery should the battery die. Also, a small
defect in the front spaceframe production has been addressed and fixed, but it
also created a slight delay for some Murtaya delivieries (like mine).
- Also, I did some renderings of different types of Murtaya, including a
Subaru-colored rally car and some track-spec renderings. See them on the
Pictures Volume #15 Page.
Monday, July 1st, 2007
- A small but exciting update today...In case you thought that the Murtaya would only be good for going, stopping, turning, endurance,
race tracks, daily road drives, and autocross, there's now another flavor of Murtaya. Neil sent an image of a rally-spec Murtaya, which will be sold for "use on both tarmac and gravel rallies."
See it on the
Pictures Volume #14 Page.
- Also, if all goes well, I should talk to Neil via phone tomorrow, so check back and see what is going on in the world of AMS.
Saturday, June 30th, 2007
- There are several articles about the Murtaya (including the carbon fiber one) on the MadAbout-KitCars
site. Link to them from the
Murtaya News Page.
- And what about my Murtaya? It should be getting painted right now; I'll be speaking with Neil early next week and getting more details, so keep checking back!
Sunday, June 17th, 2007
- My apologies to visitor Mark Edwards (and his wife); he was up till the
early hours of the morning surfing my site. He is planning on checking
out AMS and the Murtaya first-hand on Monday; I hope he likes what he sees
(I'd be surprised if he didn't). Thanks for visiting the site, Eddie; I
made it for people like you. See his comment on the
Comments Page.
Wednesday, June 13th, 2007
- Andy was a wealth of Murtaya resources today! He sent me more
pictures of the Murtaya at the recent demo day. See them on the
Pictures Volume #13 Page.
- Not satisfied with just giving us pictures, Andy also sent some video
footage of the demo Murtaya doing some fly-bys at the same track day.
See them on the new Videos Volume #2 Page.
- Neil also sent me some pics of my engine - namely the heads. See
what the heads looked like before and after their porting on
My Murtaya
Pictures Volume #12 Page.
Monday, June 11th, 2007
- Neil (Managing Director of
Adrenaline
Motorsport) sent me an exciting message about the demo Murtaya's first drag day, along with some more information about the status of my car.
It was an exciting read, so I'll just post the message here (thanks, Neil!):
Hi Mike,
How are you?
Quick bit of news for you, the demo car ran its first official drag race on
Sunday over 1/8 mile.
Running just under 1 bar of boost meant just over 300bhp on the day (we have
fitted a standard boost controller at the moment so are way down on power).
However the car ran 8 races with 8 wins and was pipped to the fastest 4wd class
by 0.005 seconds!
We ran against drag prepared EVOs, Skylines, Imprezas (all with over 400bhp),
two modified TVRs, and a Porsche with over 550bhp!
All were on slick tyres and race prepared, we drove the car there, raced and
drove home again. We did not alter a single thing from standard road spec, not
even the tyre pressures!
The car did all 8 runs within 1/10 of a second of each other, at 7.9 seconds an
a terminal speed of over 88mph. This equated to approx 12.2/12.3 over the ¼
mile.
Your tub is off to Cliff the painter on Thursday this week. It will not be long
to wait now Mike.
All the best Mike, pictures to follow very soon.
Neil.
Wednesday, June 6th, 2007
- Andy--a fellow Murtaya admirer and the first passenger of the Demo Murtaya at the recent
Brands Hatch show--left a comment. Not only that, he was nice enough to
send a pic of the bright blue demo car at work. See his comment on the
Comments Page and his picture on
Murtaya Pictures #12.
- In other news, AMS is building the first carbon fiber Murtaya ahead of
schedule. Read the news article in the latest
Total KitCar News Page.
- As far as news on my car, not much. The brakes are now going to be uprated. :) :) :) Otherwise, Neil and the team have been busy with shows (including the
afore mentioned Brands Hatch show and the upcoming 1/8-mile drag race in which
Alan Jeffery of Engine
Tuner, Ltd. will be driving the demo Murtaya). My car is currently
awaiting a spot in the painter's schedule.
Wednesday, May 23rd, 2007
- Neil sent me some pictures of more parts of my car, including
the auxiliary gauges and Murtaya emblems. Neil also talked about my
uprated brake calipers and discs, and mentioned that my intercooler
spray is all sorted out and working (including manual and auto modes).
Needless to say, I'm as excited as ever. See the new pics on
My Murtaya Pictures #11.
Thursday, May 17th, 2007
- Britain's Daily Telegraph has an interesting article on AMS and the
Murtaya. It's a good read; see it online
here. That and other articles on the Murtaya can be found on the
Online Articles Page.
Tuesday, May 15th, 2007
- Neil sent even more pictures today. See the 'before' (my car before paint)
and 'after' (the demo car) versions of a Murtaya. Also, the pics show
all the other work going on at AMS, including other customers' Murtaya builds
and many other kit car builds. See the pics in
My Murtaya Pictures 10.
Monday, May 14th, 2007
- Neil sent me some new pics of my car. It is now dissassembled,
awaiting paint. The shots include the front spaceframe, the rear
differential, and some great shots of the tub and clamshell (the latter of
which has not yet been seen in pictures!). See them in
My Murtaya Pictures 9.
*There is also an extra pic that (while it is not part of my car) shows a new
flavor of Murtaya...
- Also, there is a new definition on
Wikipedia
...guess what it is. See it
here.
Wednesday, May 9th, 2007
- AMS spent the weekend at the Kit Car show in Stoneleigh. A pic
(courtesy of Mark Sansby) an other pictures are up on Pictures Volume 12.
- Finally, see a few new renderings of what my car should look like
(including the type of wheels) on My Murtaya Pictures 8.
Sunday, May 6th, 2007
- A new site for prospective Middle Eastern Murtaya owners is up!
Check out the the new
Exclusive Exports Limited site at
www.murtaya.net. The site is very
cool; you can build your own Murtaya and even see it in your color (what?
Still no pink?). After you finish building your spec, you'll even
recieve a unique build number reference that you can use to order your
Murtaya! Very cool. Check it out!
Sunday, April 29th, 2007
Geza, a visitor to Adrenaline Motorsport, has added another article--this
time on Neil Yates, the Managing Director of Adrenaline Motorsport and one of
the main guys responsible for the Murtaya. Read about the impression
that Neil and his operations left on Geza in his
new article.
Also, see a new forum thread about the Murtaya on the
Online Forum Threads Page.
Thursday, April 26th, 2007
A LOT of news lately!
- Neil Yates called me today and we enjoyed a long conversation. He caught
me up with many of the things going on over at Adrenaline Motorsport (AMS).
- Neil has been doing a lot of traveling...and not for vacationing.
AMS is in high demand by not only people wanting Murtayas and other built
kits, but also by several of the big companies. Most (if not all) of
these are confidential, but from what (little) I have seen and heard, AMS is
doing some very exciting things for some very big companies. In fact,
AMS is in such demand that they have had to stop accepting business deals for
the time being (and by business deals I mean doing things for other
companies--NOT stopping Murtaya production...so hurry up and get your order
in, as others are currently doing from all over the world).
- Andy Bliss also sent out a new document that unveiled new modular packages
for the Murtaya. I have added the information on the
Modular Packages Page.
- I've also been in contact with Martin, who is heading up Murtaya
distribution in the Middle East. A new website is being put up with many
cool features (as Neil told me about today). The AMS website will also
be updated soon with a similar layout that allows you to build and view your
car with whatever specs you choose. I already have links to AMS's
website all over this one, and as soon as Martin gets his site up, I will be sure
to include a link to that one.
- I was also updated on the status of the paint contractor for AMS.
Neil has been through no less than a dozen possible contractors, but has
finally found a very potential and talented contractor...If all goes well, AMS
will be sending work his way very soon. Neil took me through the proper
process of painting GRP (rather than metal) surfaces, which involves several
interwoven preparation and preheating steps and several steps of painting.
Another issue is the recent law requiring water-based paint to be used, which
involves even more work...But it is very pleasing to see Neil demand only the
best for his work (as I have seen many times before with him and his company).
- And the most exciting news was the status of my car and some special
additions Neil and company has been able to get for my car.
- First up, a nice gauge cluster has been added to my dash in a nice carbon
fiber pod. The gauges themselves have white faces and match the rest of
the standard gauges....Needless to say, I can't wait to see the interior and
this setup!
- Showing once again the level of detail to which he pays attention, Neil
has also found me some very nice wheels to replace the stock STi Type-R
wheels. He noticed that I wasn't terribly keen on those gold wheels, and
went out of his way to get me a nice set of OZ multi-spoke 17 inches (I prefer
over the 18 inches). Now I just need to figure out what color to have
them powder coated...Neil did mention that a full black might be over doing
it, and I tend to agree, especially since he pointed out the other silver
areas on the car that could be complimented nicely with a lighter wheel.
I'm thinking a flat silver that's just a bit darker than normal...just a
little bit lighter than gunmetal, perhaps?
- A front mount intercooler could very well be in the cards, which is
very exciting for me! At first I was rather indifferent on using a
front-mount or a top-mount, but it's becoming apparent that a top-mount would
be the limiting factor to making a bit more horsepower with my engine.
The front mount is actually an Evo 6 spec unit, so I've got parts from all
types of great cars. :) This news has kept me smiling all
day...especially after some early testing that Alan Jeffery has done on the
newly-upgraded Murtaya demo car (more on that below)...
- And one of the nicest, most thoughtful, and difficult extras that Neil and
company have done for my car is getting the turn signal and wiper stalks
flipped to match US-spec cars! Ok, stop laughing...but seriously, it
means a lot, since again, Neil wanted this car perfect, and my only real worry
about it would be teaching myself to get used to the signal being on the
opposite side of the steering column as every other US car. I am lucky
(and in more ways than one; it seems from the effort required to do this swap,
my Murtaya might be the only one to have this feature). Again, this
shows the incredible attention to detail that Neil pays and all the thought
and effort that AMS puts into its cars.
- Finally, the Murtaya demo car has been upgraded once again. It now
sports a new 2.5L turbo flat four with front mounted intercooler that will
eventually be pushing out approx. 350 hp/370lb-ft. Currently it is
running smaller injectors than its targeted spec, but it is still running some
impressive numbers. If I remember correctly from all that Neil told me,
some of the stats are as follows (again, with undersized injectors):
- 85-110 mph in around 2 seconds
- 0-100 mph in under 10 seconds
- 50-70 mph in less than a second
- 300 lbs-ft by 3000 rpm
So if you find yourself anywhere close to AMS, do yourself a favor and check
out their demo car (not to mention the company and the fine people who work
there). Better yet, catch one of their track days and see what the
Murtaya can really do.
Monday, April 23rd, 2007
Not a lot of news lately...
- Neil left a message a little while ago. Apparently AMS is looking for a new painting company; hopefully he'll let us know how the search is going (along with any details on my build).
Wednesday, April 12th, 2007
It's been exactly a year (ok, a year and a day) since I first found out
about the Adrenaline Motorsport Murtaya (back then known as the AMS1).
Now, I am watching my own Murtaya being assembled and waiting for it to be
shipped to me. In celebration of this anniversary, I've updated the site.
Click on the upper main menu (Home, Diary, Information, etc....), and then
click on the page you want to view on the secondary menu that appears underneath
the main menu. Then view the page in this space.
- This site will be faster on browsers that have Javascript enabled, but will still work on non-javascript-enabled browsers.
- Finally, find out the answer to the biggest question on the Murtaya:
Was it named after an all-powerful mythological god? Is it a rare species of fast quadra-ped found only in parts of Southern Brazil? Is it named after a cartoon character?
Or a genus of stinkbug? Find out in the
Murtaya Question and Answers Page.
- Let me know what you think of the new site by sending me
Feedback.
Thursday, March 29th, 2007
The Murtaya shows up on another forum...find out which one on the Online Forum Threads Page.
Monday, March 26th, 2007
Neil sent me some more pics of the donor STi Type-R; see them on My
Murtaya Pictures #7. The previous owner of this great Type-R was at AMS today, and Neil mentioned how it wasn't the easiest thing for him to see his
old car in different pieces...I would just like to thank him for the great car and assure him that his car will have a great second life on the other side of
the world (along with a very caring and appreciative new owner).
Sunday, March 25th, 2007
Neil sent me several pics of my kit pieces; see them on My
Murtaya Pictures #6. Neil also sends a clarification on why the lighter colored GRP is used:
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Also, to answer more fully the question on gel coat colour; Dan has done a great deal of research into gel
coats and the conductive properties they possess. What he has found is that a light colour gel is the best for heat resistance, and by contrast dark ones
are a not good. What this meant when he modeled the temperatures around the front bulkhead near the turbo was that the light gel was in the region of 60
degrees Celsius cooler than a black gel for the same given circumstances. The decision therefore had to be to use the lighter gel finish.
On your vehicle it will of course be finished in
a lovely black paint anyway, but the properties of the base material underneath are still very important.
I hope that this makes it a little clearer as I am not sure if you fully understood why it was grey from your comments on your website.
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Also, the Murtaya is appearing on more Internet threads; see the latest two (locustbuilders and s2ki) in the
Online Forum Threads Page.
Thursday, March 22nd, 2007
Slow news lately...Talked with Alan Jeffery of
Engine Tuner Ltd.; they are
currently taking apart and inspecting the donor car's engine. He will get pictures to me shortly.
I also heard from Andy Bliss, P.R. of
AMS. If you noticed,
my GRP tub was not black (in My Murtaya Pictures #5)
as previously expected. Apparently the black GRP isn't as heat-resistant as the standard GRP.
Otherwise, as stated earlier, it's been pretty slow...The weather here has been also nice, which makes me all the more impatient...
Wednesday, March 14th, 2007
I found three more forum threads concerning the Murtaya. Find out what people are talking about by following their links from the
Online Forum Threads Page.
Tuesday, March 13th, 2007
Since news has been slow for the last few days, I started playing around with the site. I created some interactive versions of pages
that you can try out:
*These pages require that Javascript be enabled on your browser.
Saturday, March 10th, 2007
Geza comments on and points some things out with the new pictures of my Murtaya tub. See his comment in the
Comments page, and see the pictures to which he refers to in My Murtaya Pictures #4.
Also, I found some new online news articles about the Murtaya. Get the links to them on the
News Page.
Finally, some more pictures from Andy--see them on My Murtaya Pictures #5.
Friday, March 9th, 2007
I would just like to start off by saying how much I appreciate all that Neil and the guys at AMS have done for me and my build.
For example, Neil and the guys at AMS have gone OUT OF THEIR WAY to get a fine donor car for me...They even took the little things (well, not so little for me
:) ) like getting the right seat color and specs. In fact, they even went up a spec level on this donor car just to ensure that I got a quality car!
I can't stress how great Neil and the guys have been. They are a true class example, and if Neil's philosophy of "what goes around comes around", they
(AMS) are truly going far in this industry. Thanks so much, guys.
One reason I put this site together is so other prospective customers of Adrenaline Motorsport who might be unsure of investing
in the new and upcoming company can get a third-party opinion of AMS and their product/services. This website is not run by Neil or anybody at AMS but by
a customer (granted, a customer who hopes that they are as good as they sound--and so far, they have even exceeded my best hopes). I figured if
AMS was a scam or a less-than-stellar company, I would be able to warn others. On the other hand, if they were the real deal and were good at what they did,
then I could help get their name out and let other customers know that they are legit and a company that you could trust to make a quality product.
Luckily for me (and everybody else), I have seen nothing but the latter: Neil and the guys at AMS are a stand-up, professional group, and anybody who has met
them will--I'm sure--agree. These guys are the real deal, and I advise anybody who is seriously interested in their products and/or services to contact
them and give them a chance to prove this to you personally, as they have done with me. (And really--they're not paying me to say this...In fact, I just
sent my second payment to them today :) ) I will continue letting people know how my experience with them and my Murtaya is going, but so far, know that
I am VERY pleased with Neil and the guys at AMS and am having a LOT of fun (and I don't even have my car yet). So stay tuned!
Speaking of my donor car, Andy of AMS sent me the first of several pictures of my car--a Subaru Impreza WRX STi Type-R. Neil was
right--it hurts to think that this fine example of a rare STi will soon be taken apart...but it will be put together in an even more impressive vehicle...Andy
also sent some pictures of my tub being broken out of the mould. Check them out in the My Murtayas #4 Pictures Page.
Thursday, March 8th, 2007
Neil of AMS left me a message from the Feedback page. He mentioned how my build was
progressing nicely and that I can expect some pictures tomorrow (which is always a good thing to hear when you're getting ready to send the second payment :) ).
Read his message on the Comments page.
Wednesday, March 7th, 2007
Andy sent me some pics of parts of my car. See them in My Murtaya #3.
Also, for those of you sick of hearing about the Murtaya (shame on you!), he also sent me pics of some of the other cars that AMS is
currently working on for other customers, including A K1, a Marlin 5exi, and a few Toniq Rs. I also really like Photochopping different colors onto the
demo Murtaya, so I did some new Photchops of a new pic that Andy sent me of the Murtaya demo. See all this on Pictures Volume 11.
Thursday, March 1st, 2007
I added a few more colors to the Photochop Murtaya page.
I also added a page with a visual description of the Murtaya's interior,
since I at one time had a great curiosity about all the nifty buttons and gadgets it contained and thought I might satisfy others' such curiosities...
Wednesday, February 28th, 2007
Because of the number of paper publications coming out with Murtaya articles, I thought I would create a new page referencing all the
known magazines with such articles. See the Magazine References Page.
I also consolidated references to all online articles into an Online References Page
. If I am missing any references that you know of (either paper or online), please let me know in the Feedback Page.
I also added a new online news article from Mad About Kit Cars concerning the
re-skinning of the Demo Murtaya.
Using the photo from the Mad About Kit Cars article above, I did some photoshopping of the Murtaya into different colors...See them in
Murtaya Pictures #10. If you have any colors you would like to see the Murtaya in, let me know in the
Feedback Page.
Finally, Neil's email from yesterday was so good that I thought I would post it today:
Hi Mike,
Well it is late at night in wet and windy Cornwall (I think that you must
have taken the good weather away with you as it has been dreadful since you left!) and here is the promised AMS news update.
Wow, where to start?
OK, your car. Things are moving along very nicely with your build. Your car is the first to receive the new style windscreen surround, visually this is
the same as the demo car but it differs hugely in the tooling that is used to create it and also the materials involved. This means that your car will be
stiffer still than the car you sampled on your trip, and should you be unfortunate enough to roll the car it will stand upside down on the screen
surround and the roll bar ensuring that you should remain safe inside. In addition we have kept your car in the moulds for a little extra time as Dan
(the chassis designer) has come up with a couple of additional tweaks to the composite layup which will reduce the weight a little and again increase
the torsional rigidity of the structure. Now we could have pressed on with your car and included the modifications from the next car on but I think it was
best to get them into your vehicle as well. This simply means that the monster engine and transmission package that you have specified will be
better harnessed than ever before.
I have done the deal on your donor car, a very late 1998 Impreza WRX STI Type R in fantastic low mileage condition. I have the car over at Alan Jefferies
already and he has taken the engine out today. We will then be retriving the rest of the car in the next week or so to begin the strip down of the other
components. This is really a great basis for your car and I am very, very excited about it. When we have it back at the workshop I will get some
pictures taken and sent over to you. It is so good that I almost feel guilty splitting it, but then I think of the rebirth and break out in that Big Silly
Grin and it all makes perfect sense!
Your front subframe has been made up at Caged in Somerset, it will be powder coated late this week and delivered on Tuesday/Wednesday next week.
So as you can see things are really picking up in pace now and after what must seem like an age to you, there will be regular updates coming through
where you can actually see the progress happening.
The day at Llandow was a great success. We will be hosting more of these days later this year and I will also be discussing laying on similar events in the
US, which will include track passes for existing Murtaya owners.
The sales are still coming in, along with more and more enquiries by the day. The way things are shaping up we will soon have a very healthy order book
filled up for some time to come. We also have more customer build projects on the way with another part built Minari being delivered in two weeks time, and
a very interesting spaceframed Mini which has been part built which is coming in to be finished, including installing a Honda Civic Type R engine in the
rear driving the back wheels. We are looking forward to getting stuck into that one!
Anyhow, as you can see it is all highly manic and very busy at AMS central. Your car is starting to really come together and your parts are starting to
gather on the 'Mike Palotas' shelf (our new customer racking has been installed since your visit where all components for particular customer
builds are collated prior to the build commencing). There will be lots of pictures coming through thick and fast in March as the build gets going in
ernest and before you know it we will be getting close to shipping time.
I will make sure that either Andy or I get in touch on the phone in the near future.
All the best Mike,
Neil.
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Tuesday, February 27th, 2007
The guys at AMS have been busy with many kits to put together and their track day on the 24th. But Neil once again got in touch
with me with very exciting news. He has secured my demo car, which is a nice 1998 WRX STi Type-R (and I would like it to be known that Neil went above
and beyond (in time, effort, and money) in finding this donor car, and I would like to thank him again...this should show just how much Neil and the guys at
AMS value their customers). The engine has been removed and is in Alan Jeffery's capable hands. My tub was tweaked with the latest revision of
the Murtaya build process (which will provide a an even more rigid body). My front subframe has been created and will be powder coated and shipped to AMS
next week. Pictures and more updates should be coming soon...
In other AMS news, things are really looking good for them. They have numerous build jobs from Murtayas to Minaris to Minis (and
everything in between and around, it seems like). And that doesn't even include many other exciting projects that Neil is not allowed to disclose
yet...Believe me when I say I'm as excited to hear about them as anybody.
Anyways, very exciting news for me today...and no doubt more to follow...
Sunday, February 25th, 2007
AMS and their Murtaya demo car were giving out rides and smiles yesterday. See some photos of the newly re-skinned demo Murtaya
taken by Mark Sansby in Pictures Volume #9.
Also, see member FNG's (a lucky rider in the demo Murtaya yesterday) opinion of the Murtaya in the
PistonHeads forums.
See a non-Murtaya related Adrenaline Motorsport news article in
TotalKitCar news.
Thursday, February 22nd, 2007
First contact from another future Murtaya owner! See Jay's message in the Comments section.
Wednesday, February 21st, 2007
Andy sent me the first official shots of my build in the mould. See them in My Murtaya Pictures #2.
Also, Geza left a comment in the Comments section.
Tuesday, February 20th, 2007
I added a new section that hopefully a lot of you might appreciate...A Questions and Answers page with
many questions that I've asked Neil Yates over the last year and his replies. Check it out -- it might answer some questions you might have about the Murtaya...
Sunday, February 18th, 2007
Got contacted by Rob this weekend. See his comment in the Comments page.
Thursday, February 15th, 2007
Nothing too big today. Just added a few links to Murtaya references out there on the web:
-
UK Legacy Forums - Some of the members find out about the Murtaya
-
Nasioc Forums - Some people like the Murtaya, some people don't like the
Murtaya...Some people just like to complain about people not using the search button...
-
PistonHeads Forums - Andy Bliss, PR of
AMS, leaves an update about the future showings of the Murtaya for 2007
-
MadAbout-KitCars - Another place to get a list of Murtaya appearances for 2007.
-
MadAbout-KitCars - Information on the Feb 24th Adrenaline Motorsport and Toniq track day.
-
TotalKitCar - The March/April '07 issues features the Murtaya.
Oh, and I started Picture Volume 9 with some early, rough shots of the refinished demo Murtaya, now in Subaru WR Blue and eventually gold
wheels...See Volume 9 here.
Wednesday, February 14th, 2007
I put up a copy of an initial Murtaya pricing list for interested parties. See it on the Pricing List page.
Monday, February 12th, 2007
Good news and bad news from Neil:
- The bad news: The blinker switch for my Murtaya will be on the right side of the steering column, which is unusual for
left-hand drive cars and will mean my windsheild wiper will be getting a lot of accidental mileage...
- The good news: Neil might have found a nice 1998 STi Type-R for my donor car...I can think of no more impressive car to
use as my donor. While it is not a set thing yet, keep your fingers crossed (as I will be). :)
Needless to say, the good news far outweighs the bad news, and I am as excited as ever. :)
Sunday, February 11th, 2007
My father, Geza, was so inspired by his experience with the Murtaya that he had some things to say.
Read his thoughts and epiphanies here.
He also left a comment. See it in the Comments page.
Saturday, February 10th, 2007
Ok, I finally got my write-up of my trip to AMS up. See it HERE.
I also forgot to put Brian's comment up. See it in the Comments page.
Friday, February 9th, 2007
Whew...Finally back from the UK...and I'm still on UK time, as I'm up at 4am writing this. The trip was great--I really enjoyed
meeting Neil and the guys at AMS as well as Alan and the guys at his EngineTuner shop.
While we did get quite a few pictures, we were so caught up in the moment that we didn't get nearly as many as we had hoped. In
fact, there were some really great pictures that I missed. For example, my first sight of the Murtaya, where Neil had parked the Murtaya demo facing us as
we entered the assembly area. It was quite a sight, sitting there in its imposing stance. Another great shot would have been of my car's tub, which
was still being molded. But we did manage to get a few shots of the car and then of other cars at Alan Jeffery's tuning shop. See the shots in
Volume 7 (AMS) and Volume 8 (Engine Tuner, Ltd.).
Well, it's almost time for me to "get up"...I'll get a review of the Murtaya up in time...And it sounds like my dad might also have
one; he was just as impressed with the car as I was...Until then, take care.
Monday, January 29th, 2007
I wasn't going to post much before I leave for my trip to visit AMS, but my friend Brian found a lot of cool links to Murtaya information, including a new
eBay link, some cool sketchings, and some other pictures. Might as
well start Pictures Volume 6 now; I should have a LOT of pictures when I get back in a week from Europe.
So be sure to check back in a week to see all the pictures from my trip!
Oh, and thanks, Brian!
Thursday, January 25th, 2007
New comment from Geza in the Comments section.
The
Adrenaline Motorsport website's news page is updated with tour dates for the Murtaya.
A new thread on
PistonHeads.com by Neil with more information about the Murtaya tour dates.
More information about the Murtaya demonstrations and Adrenaline Motorsport status in general in
TotalKitCar.com's news section. The first Murtaya rolling chassis is completed and being delivered next week.
Last--but not least--is Neil mentioning that my tub will be started next week, which is just in time for me to see it when I head over there next Wednesday...
Wednesday, January 24th, 2007
On
one of the PistonHeads.com Murtaya forums, Neil announced a demonstration of the
Murtaya on Saturday, February 24th at the
Llandow Circuit. If you would be interested in a free demonstration of
the Murtaya, then phone 01637 852500 to register.
Neil also contacted me and informed me of some exciting details concerning my engine and engine management (he has been talking with Alan Jeffery of
Enginetuner, Ltd, who is building my engine).
OK, now the BIG NEWS: The new Murtaya video is up on
YouTube. Check it out there or in the Videos Section.
Tuesday, January 23rd, 2007
Some new comments from Neil of
AMS and Matt--Read them in the Comments section.
In racing-related news, there might already be two Murtayas racing by the end of the year in the Britcar series. (Just a fair
heads-up to the competition :) )
Neil also states that some more videos should be up tomorrow; I'll have a link to them in the Videos section as soon as they are up...
Monday, January 22th, 2007
Greg Robb of
The Kit Car Company left me a nice email today. Again, his Noble Performance
is the US build agent for the Murtaya and will be doing the final assembly on my Murtaya. Read his comments in the Comments section.
I have also been in contact with Alan Jeffery of
Enginetuner, Ltd. His company
will be assembling and tuning my engine. I have been trying to get him octane ratings and my state's emissions information so he can optimize my engine
while still making it 100% street legal. Finding emissions information isn't as easy as one might think, since everything is automated over here thanks
to OBD-II sensors, etc. To Alan: Thanks for putting up with me, my country's regulations, and my inability to get said regulations to you. :)
Finally, AMS has a classified ad on eBay for the
Murtaya kit and another seller has a
Murtaya brochure for sale.
More news is that big features on the Murtaya are due in the next couple of months in Japanese Performance, Which Kit Car,
Total Kit Car, and Prodrive's (Intercom) magazines. When they hit the shelves, be sure to check them out.
Also, word from Neil Yates of
Adrenaline Motorsport is
that the Murtaya has been approved to compete in the Britcar series, which is a high-profile endurance championship in the U.K.! No deals have been
finalized yet, but with any luck, the Murtaya might be showing Saleen and Mosler owners a thing or two (especially on bad weather days).
Saturday, January 20th, 2007
A few updates today. While waiting for the first official pics of my car being assembled, I took so of Mark
Sansby's pictures
and modified them to look like what I expect mine to look like. See an interior and exterior shot in the My Murtaya
Pictures Volume #1 Page.
Read Shawn's feedback (along with my not so subtle offer as a car designer for them) in the Comments section.
Friday, January 12th, 2007
Got a comment from Shawn of Toyota Racing Development (TRD) down in Costa Mesa, CA. I have a special place in my heart for TRD, as I
have a TRD Supercharged Toyota Tacoma which has been a very fun, reliable rig (plus it still gets a lot of comments).
Tuesday, January 9th, 2007
Got a nice comment from Neil Yates (Managing Director of
Adrenaline Motorsport)
about the site today. Read it in the Comments section. Otherwise, nothing much new today.
Monday, January 8th, 2007
Talked to Andy over the phone for the first time. He wanted to introduce himself before we headed up to England. He also mentioned that they
have a temporary laminator at work on my car and will most likely have a full time laminator by the time of our visit. AMS doesn't seem to let a little
drama slow them down. :) Thanks Andy (and sorry if I didn't make too much sense over the phone...I had a bad connection :) ).
I also spoke with Mark Sansby. He is responsible for many of the pictures in the picture pages (noted next to the respective pictures). He
also had the first
review of the Murtaya over at
MadAbout KitCars. Thanks for the pictures and great review, Mark!
As far as the website here:
- Links to Internet forum threads concerning the Murtaya were added to the navigation frame.
- Links to more articles about the Murtaya were added to the navigation frame.
- Also, a new comment from Julian (everybody feel free to leave some of your own) in the Comments. Thank you, Julian.
Wednesday, January 3rd, 2007
Some drama at AMS...Neil gets back to me with both good and bad news...
Bad news
- The laminator had to be let go...AMS is now looking for a new one...
- Some shipments of parts had to be sent back...
- The demo car was crashed during a review...
- A lowlife broke some windows on the demo car.
Good news
- Things should be back on track by the end of next week.
- Neil got a video of the Murtaya in action up on
YouTube. This will be the first of many...
- AMS might be building an endurance racer for a well known international racing driver
Neil is also excited to hear about our visit. With any luck, we might also be able to visit Alan Jeffery's engine tuning
company, EngineTuner Ltd. (the place building my engine)...
Saturday, December 23rd, 2006
My dad and I make plans to head to Cornwall to visit Neil and AMS in late January.
Monday, December 18th, 2006
My Murtaya was to begin construction today, but the laminator injured his back during the weekend, so production start is postponed a day or two...
November, 2006
Sent in first payment. It included the option of getting an STi drivetrain, which includes a 6-speed manual, DCCD, and limited
slip front and rear differentials. I was on schedule to be not only the first US customer to have a Murtaya, but the first owner of a turn-key Murtaya...
Summer, 2006
Sent in my deposit to reserve a build date.
Previous Page: Anticipation
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