Okrasa Special

[shoestring7]

have you seen the door handles on the fiat barchetta? they're like a slim chrome strip with a button at the trailing end. the button effectively releases the chrome strip, which is a pull handle.. that might make for a nice hidden type of handle to save recessing the rear of the door / the bodywork?

top picture is what they look like when opened, bottom one shows what they look like installed..

This was probably your intention all along, but I happened to be leafing through a Porsche coffee table book this evening, and noticed that the door handles on the 356 prototype (the mid engined one) and the Abarth Carrera coupe are both very similar.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/randy_f/4805020599/

http://motomania.tumblr.com/post/526041 ... abarth-one


Charles

[steve wright]

yes, and very similar to the Abarth GTL Porsches too... but I've plumbed for the push button and recess. Just seems less fussy to me. Will see what I can find now...

[Barry]

The door turned out to be a real sod, particularly as the blank is some 3 1/2 feet long, which is really too much to wheel by oneself.

Out of interest, when you have 2 people wheeling do they both need to know what they're doing, or is it a case of a knowledgable bloke on one end doing the work, and a grunt on the other stopping the panel falling on the floor?

Sorry, just noticed this: the ideal is that the person on the 'other' end knows nothing at all. What you want is soneone completely relaxed and taking the weight of the panel, but not trying to steer it. You can end up having some real fights as they start (even without knowing it) to influence the direction. It's like having a steering wheel suddenly go tight on you: definitely doesn't help . I have to say that the one time we tried, Steve was excellent. Being a tall chap as well helped, as he could easily accomodate any movements from the panel.

Hoping to have a bit of a stint up there so should chalk up some new areas: chiefly the inneer portion of the front wing (bonnet side) and perhaps we'll have a look at the front valance as well.

I would think then that we'll have to think about going back to some buck-work assuming once outside, the basic shape is to our liking.

I've also got something I want to try for the kamm tail as well: same outline, but breaking it in half with a styling line of some sort: I overdrew this on Bruce's Photo-shopped drawing, and it made the rear look less heavy, a little wider and generally happier. Therefore fancy making a rough Kamm and trying it out as an experiment.

[steve wright]

Barry has made good inroads on the return from the wing to the bonnet, and also the front valance where the spot lamps and oil cooler will sit but I've not taken any photos recently as I've been a bit wrapped up with the 356. But I did buy a set of Okrasa/Solex P11 manifolds at the Volksworld Show to allow us to begin development of the car as the original builder might have done. Don't they look the business:

[cubist]

As a self-confessed and semi-recovering manifold pervert I am bent double, sweating, and in awe of their gorgeousness... top purchasing there!

[Barry]

When you see these things in the flesh they look huge! Very though.

I did mention if it had a really good cough, it could probably throw a piston out the top of one ....

We've had a odd few weeks with lots of workshop activity recently which have ruffled the flow a bit on the bodywork (all good activity though), but hopefully things will even out a bit soon. Also now making arrangements for the workshop dog (Isla) to be elsewhere on most of my Okrassa time so that we both have a completely different day from normal, and hopefully I can squeeze some more hours into the Special.

We are hoping to wheel it out into the great outdoors when we get a mutually agreeable moment: as Steve pointed out, we've changed nearly everything since our last outdoors venture, so it's a sensible thing to do.

[steve wright]

Cubist, thanks for the kind words. 14 inches from velocity stack to cylinder head . Goodness knows how Ian can make something so big work on a 1300cc motor but he's confident it will transform the Okrasa motor. I've taped off the tops as I lost one of the children down one last weekend. The beauty about these is they're a relatively straight forward bolt on improvement too - no messing about like we'll have to do with the Shorrock blower.

Sorry for the bits of 356 and VW camper strewn all over the workshop these past two weeks Barry, I know it makes for a difficult working environment when you're trying to quietly roll ally and have to avoid stepping on a Solex P11 in pieces on the floor!

[Barry]

[Macaulay]

As the bodywork is looking better and better I got inspired to try and make a emblem or logo for the car.
I've touched the subject of the car's name before with Steve but as I understand it nothing is decided on yet.
Even though the final decission is Steve's (off course) we could all chip in with suggestions.
I don't know for sure if Steve is going to place an emblem on the car but think it would be great fun to design it anyway.
Just in case.

I've made a few suggestions here based on mostly "realistic facts" and with the same spirit as the car is beeing buildt in,
namely: How would it look if David finnished the car in the 60's.
I've added some things from present as it is beeing buildt now, so a combination of the two is probably the way to go.
I've used a sheild shape as base just because this is a common car emblem shape,
and this long/strecthed sheild shape has a very British look imo.
But of course any shape could be used.

1. This first design is using Small Special as the cars name and I am trying to use some
classic icons used in racing to give it a sporty racing look.
Surrey is there because thats where David started to build the car and also a nodd to Wright, Carter and Macaulay.


2. The car is already well known as the Okrasa Special, I am not sure but I think Okrasa still is a
registered trade mark (it's owned by Oettinger) so Steve might run into problems in the future calling it that.
But I had a go with that name aswell. I've added a Kiwi bird (for known reasons) a checkered background (from race inspiration) and the names of the people
mostly involved in the production.
(I feel a bit guilty having my name there, it was quite a lot of people involved in the early designs but I'm bold enough to do it anyway.)


3. Again using David Small's name on this and adding in design and colour from the Small family crest (Motto: By Reason Not Rage) and WCM.


4.Basically the same but using the name DSR (David Small Racing).


So suggestions on shape, design and even name would be great i belive.

[Bootsy]

Number 2 for me!

[cubist]

Ditto... 2.

Great gold/green combo. Slightly more width to the shield - apex to point the same, just on the width - would give the type more emphasis and upscale the kiwi in pro?

[Lightweight_911]

Another vote for no.2 - but WCM rather than the names ... plus some reference to the original builder (maybe S & WCM or SWCM ?)

[smallspeed]

number one looks a bit like something you might see on the back of a cricket bat to me; that might be a good or bad thing, i like it either way..

number 2 is very cool too, although i'm obviously out of the loop, i don't get the kiwi reference

3 and 4 look a bit weird with the knights helmet on it?

i like the idea of having a nod to the original designer on the badge; nice touch given that he gave birth to the car. maybe have "small" in full and then "w.c.m." in a scrolly thing (like the one with the motto in it on number 3) underneath that?

have you thought about adding another nod to the cars provenance by adding something from the okrasa badge or the town where they came from? the town might have a nice animal on their crest like the griffon eating a baby on the gumpert badge!

[MdR]

i don't get the kiwi reference

Steve is a Kiwi. Everything here in England is upside down to the native New Zealander.

[steve wright]

If you ever see me hanging onto the ground, it's not because I'm drunk but because as a kiwi I can't get out the habit of clinging on upside down . Macauley and I discussed badges after he sent these through - I thought they were a brilliant idea. Number two is mb favourite although what I would say is that I plan to get Neil Melliard of ProSign to paint our names on one of the quarter panels - I was thinking of "builder - David Small, bodywork design - Macauley, coach builder - Barry Carter, mechanicals - Ian Clark, owner - Steve Wright" or something to that effect. I agree the badge needs to be slightly wider, or not quite as long, but that's a very minor criticism. It would be great to paint it on too - Neil would be up for doing that. I have to say I love the old McLaren badge which has a kiwi on it too: all these guys driving around in MC-12's don't realise the badge on the bonnet is a stylised kiwi! Keep the ideas coming Macauley as it would be great to do some virtual design again! Cheers steve