Thursday, January 20, 2011

Impreza to Murtaya - Building my sports car

The Murtaya was being both built and supplied as a kit by Adrenalin Motor Sports and was based on the Delfino Feroce and the Minari.  The feroce having the Impreza Drive chain and the Minari originally designed with an Alfa Romeo engine in mind 2 wheel drive.  The history below was taken from Wikipedia:


The Murtaya is a lightweight, AWD, turbocharged flat-4 roadster based on the GC-generation (1992–2000) Subaru Impreza WRX/STI. The Murtaya is the only low volume MSA approved category 2, specialist rally car currently available. The Murtaya Sports car is built, sold and is currently being further developed by Murtaya Sports Cars Ltd based near Exeter, Devon
History
Originally known under the codename AMS1, the Murtaya was first announced to the world on April 11, 2006 as a kit car that would be based on the Subaru Impreza. The Murtaya was basically a complete rework of the Delfino Feroce, as Adrenaline Motorsport—having just taken over rights to the Feroce—decided that the Delfino had enough shortcomings to warrant a redesign. The Minari—of which Adrenaline Motorsport also had the rights—was also used as inspiration.
The Murtaya project was led by Neil Yates, Managing Director of Adrenaline Motorsport, and Tom Taylor, Head Engineer of Adrenaline Motorsport. Daniel Muir was the Head Designer of the Murtaya; his past credits include the first generation Lotus Elise and Aston Martin models.
The Murtaya is literally created by these three people: the name 'Murtaya' is actually the conglomeration of the three directors' surnames (MUR from Muir, TA from Taylor, YA from Yates).
The IPR to the Murtaya in its entirety was adopted by one of the early investors after the sad demise of Adrenaline Motorsport in 2010, determined not to let the enterprising and unique car be forgotten the investor started Murtaya Sports Cars Ltd. Murtaya Sports
Cars Limited based near Exeter in Devon is now producing the kits and factory built cars as well as further developing the car in order to take it to the next level.
Composition
The basis of the Murtaya consists of a GRP monocoque tub with a front space frame that contains the engine. The front suspension attaches to the space frame while the rear suspension attaches directly to the monocoque tub.

A few months later I visited the Stoneleigh National Kit car show and got to see the burnt orange car in the flesh so to speak.  I adored its lines and its scale. It was everything I had thought, dreamt, about and more.  I was sure, more than ever I was going to build one of these cars.  However I had a couple of financial and practical issues to tend with first.  I needed a bigger garage so the old one had to go and a new one built as big as I could make it, to the inch.  I roped in my neighbour Carl in to assist with the demolition and laying the slab for the new building and sold the remaining concrete sections to my boss.

It was twelve months later when I went back to the Stoneleigh show to talk business with AMS only to find they weren’t there but Arden Engineering were along with a customer’s completed hard top car in midnight blue and a rolling chassis of the demonstrator they were  in the process of building.

I had a good look round and chatted to the guys and put my name down for a test drive when the demonstrator car was completed.  Months went by and I didn’t hear anything.  I kept myself busy replacing the roof on the house and completely gutting and rebuilding the kitchen.  I scoured the internet and started learning about Imprezas and finding out about murtayas.  Finally the Stoneleigh show came around and I answered the call again to find out what the situation was with AMS as nothing seemed to be happening on their website.

AMS were not at the show and eventually I managed to speak to one of the guys at the CKC stand who informed me that the recession had taken its toll on the company and it had been forced into liquidation along with so many other businesses at that time.

Thoroughly disheartened I wandered round the show looking for another car to take its place.  A couple of cars like the Sebring Exalt and Deronda caught my eye none quite so as the Murtaya.  Following the CKC guys advice I tracked down some comments on Piston heads website from Neil Yates the former MD of AMS.  From the posts on the web site I contacted Arden engineering who told me there were still a few tubs available and that they wanted to get me to test drive a customer’s car they were finishing for AMS.






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