Corse windscreens

[CorseChris]

To those it may interest.

Just spoken with the screen supplier and have got a current price for the CAE screen (no, it won't fit a Hawk - sorry!). Choice of plain or tint. None in stock so there is a 5 to 6 week wait for them to be manufactured. If we can get a batch together it might be a smart idea. I plan to order one in a week or two once everyone who might be interested has hopefully had a chance to see this.

Chris

[Stratos]

Chris,

Can I express an interest please?


AND for the Allora owners out there, a word of caution. When I bought my car, I was told that it had just had the windscreen replaced, by a Hawk Windscreen, and that a Corse windscreen had been tried initially, but did not fit. I never saw any receipt for a windscreen so can't confirm it 100%, but that is waht I was told, so just be careful if you need a screen.

[CorseChris]

David,

No problem - how many would you like and what colour tint (if any). I was told £184 for clear and £194 for tint. This is plus VAT but I believe it includes delivery (have to check though). Fred also mentioned that they could do a progressive tint from the top but then realised it would look odd since the centre would end up clear while the corners would be dark - shame that!

They have a suitable approval mark as well apparently which is a bonus.

Chris

[David May]

Those windscreen prices seem very cheap. I was quoted a £50 extra just for the tinted option on the 'Velas' screen on my Corse I !

Dave M

[CorseChris]

Hi Dave,

Those figures are straight from the supplier (actually, the chap that made the original mould). He asked if it was likely that we could raise an order for more than one and suggested that he didn't mind if I made a few quid for doing so. Me, being ever the fool, didn't want to get involved so simply passed on the figures he gave me. Never going to get rich am I??

The price is the same regardless of how many we have, he was just concerned that one might be a bit fragile in transit where a number would be stronger.

Chris

[CorseChris]

OK folks - it's been long enough, I plan to order mine V soon now.

David - your requirement??

[Stratos]

One please to fit Corse S.

[CorseChris]

Clear or tint?

[Stratos]

Clear.

Do you need payment in advance? If so, let me know and I'll send it to you.

[CorseChris]

David,

OK, 1 clear screen for a Corse S

Once I have raised the oreder and have confirmation, I'll let you know and we can sort out the payment details then.

Cheers

Chris

[rutthenut]

Originally posted by Stratos
AND for the Allora owners out there, a word of caution. When I bought my car, I was told that it had just had the windscreen replaced, by a Hawk Windscreen, and that a Corse windscreen had been tried initially, but did not fit. I never saw any receipt for a windscreen so can't confirm it 100%, but that is waht I was told, so just be careful if you need a screen.

This would seem to be correct, from comments I recall.

When the Transformer kit was created, Gerry (and Company) paid for the tooling to create Stratos windscreens so that they could then use them in the HF2000 replicas. At that time, the original screens were apparently unavailable anywhere.

The manufacturers of the Allora kit, I believe, did not arrange for windscreen manufacture and sold the kits without this essential item, leaving it an exercise for the builder to source an 'original' item. Of course, there was only one place to get these, and that was Transformer/Hawk Cars.

As they had invested a significant cost in the tooling, Transformer only wished to supply screens to either their own customers or to owners of original cars. Knowing who they had sold kits to, the requirement of other purchasers was to prove that they had an original car. Gerry asked for the chassis number as proof of ownership, which is not a difficult task for someone with a real car.

Those with kits from their competitor had a problem with this, with virtually all of those owners deciding to quote the Lancia chassis number from the widely-available Stratos 'Super Profile' book - which Gerry was well aware of and no doubt enjoyed pointing out to the unfortunate bluffers at the time!

Of course he did still sell these screens, but would have made a point out of the fact that he had invested in providing this part whereas his competitor had not done so for his customers.

Unfortunately for Gerry, although the tooling costs had been paid for and where supposed to be his alone, the original windscreen was subsequently bought up and merged with a larger company. This may have happened more than once, but I gather that the current holders of these parts will not release them even though they should do so. This means that Hawk Cars are locked in to the current screen manufacturers and do not have the ability to move to another supplier using the tooling in order to try and achieve a lower per-screen price.

I do know that Hawk Cars have to pay more than the prices listed for the Corse screens earlier and that this can be a bone of contention for anyone who needs one of these items. It also contributes to the cost of the initial kit purchase.

At least if you are looking for a replacement screen on a Hawk/Transformer, or Allora, then this will normally be covered by your insurance policy, so the price can be passed on the them. (Even though we all end up paying many times over in the long run for our insurance cover.)

And the other point to make here is that when the Corse kit was created, with new body moulds and chassis design, new windscreen manufacture was also arranged for these kits, so the old beef about Allora is no longer an issue.

I also believe that it is the Corse-type screen that was used for the mid-engined Dax kit car, which I think is now sold as a Dare.

[CorseChris]

John,

Thanks for clearing that up. I was concious that maybe some folk might be miffed at the difference in pricing if the reasons weren't known. The chap I spoke to at the Corse screen supplier is actually the guy who made the original patterns and he said it took 4 attempts to get it right - that would be a costly exercise and I must say I was a little surprised a screen isn't more expensive given the sort of volumes involved. Maybe all the costs were covered up front?? Not complaining mind....

If it's any consolation, the screen for a Marcos is in excess of £500 if one opts for the original heated item. There are 'pattern' parts available but I have heard they don't fit as well. Sound familiar anyone???

Oh, and the steering rack for my Corse S cost me over £350 so it's a case of swings and roundabouts.

[Stratos]

Originally posted by CorseChris
Oh, and the steering rack for my Corse S cost me over £350 so it's a case of swings and roundabouts.

This is the Titan rack?

If that's the price, then I'm going to forget about holding a spare of that!!:(

[CorseChris]

Yep, that's the one.


.....plus the rose joints and mounting blocks of course.

Main benefit I suppose is that it's really easy (and relatively cheap) to swap the rack ratio.

[rutthenut]

Originally posted by CorseChris
If it's any consolation, the screen for a Marcos is in excess of £500 if one opts for the original heated item. There are 'pattern' parts available but I have heard they don't fit as well

A heated front screen, now that's something I wish I had on my car.

[chris.richard]

I see Omicron manufacture / supply stratos windscreens

[Mel Lewis]

If anyones interested Omicron are suppling windscreens for original Strato,s for £325 and from what I've been told these will fit a Hawk.

[omicron]

We supply a laminated replacement screen for the original Stratos.

We've supplied on to a Corse - the one raced by Graham Scott in the Auto Italia Series - based upon measurements supplied by them (screen still in car) and taking the same measurements from our screen, they were happy to take the chance.

Screens - £ 325 plus VAT, currently in stock.

Andrew @ Omicron

[Stratos]

Andrew,

Welcome to the forum. Hope you visit regularly.

[omicron]

Will try and visit regularly. Nice forum David.

Andrew

[guy mayers]

Got one on mine John, called a decent matrix with a GOOD strong blower! It kept the inside of the screen dry and mist free on the way back from Zolder this year, just a shame the windscreen wiper died at Lokeren and wasn't fixed until 150 miles past Dover when traffic speed dropped enough that Rainex didn't help. On a serious note though, good airflow over the screen is essential in keeping moisture at bay, once it gets inside it tends to recirculate and condense on the coldest part, ie the inside surface of the windscreen. What is needed is effective ventilation. Opening the side screens a crack does allow air out but the downside is generally more water coming in, a vicious circle generally ensues! One of the jobs on my fix list when the Stratos comes home soon is to provide some ventilation from the cabin into the back of the car, probably behind the fuel tanks but with the use of another fan and flaps to keep the air flowing in one direction! The only other tip I can give is to carry lots of Kleenex!
Guy