Anyone tried the new Brian James Race Sport trailers yet?

[ajondyh]

Has anyone taken delivery of one of these? Or even had a good look at one? I Would appreciate opinions as I'm seriously thinking about buying one

http://www.brianjames.co.uk/pdf/RACESPORT_ASI_FLYE...

TIA
Andy

[Sigmamark7]

I looked at them at the Autosport Show and whilst they are built to a cost, they seem like remarkable value. The underpinnings are tried and tested Brian James, with the benefits of a fully enclosed trailer for a fraction of the cost of their traditional enclosed trailers. I don't doubt that they will be much dearer as you spec them up, but all things considered, I really liked them.

[ajondyh]

Sigmamark7 said:

I looked at them at the Autosport Show and whilst they are built to a cost, they seem like remarkable value. The underpinnings are tried and tested Brian James, with the benefits of a fully enclosed trailer for a fraction of the cost of their traditional enclosed trailers. I don't doubt that they will be much dearer as you spec them up, but all things considered, I really liked them.

Thanks Sigmamark7, That's pretty much my thinking too, was just worried it may have been 'too' budget and cheap parts used but I suspect they're making competition for PRG and ECO trailers maybe. It's just not as nice to look at as some

[RobM77]

I'm a bit confused why these are a budget option in the Brian James range. The 4.5m bed length RaceSport linked to by the OP starts at £6749 plus VAT, whereas BJ's slightly larger 5.0m bed length Race Transporter 4 is £6750 plus VAT - a bigger trailer for the same money. The 5.0m RS is actually more expensive than the 5.0m RT4 (same bed length - max load not quoted for the RS so I can't compare that). The ubiquitous Sprint Shuttle, with 4.3m bed length is only £5729 plus VAT, £1k less for only 20cm less. What have I missed? Is it the options that make this new budget range cheaper?

Edited by RobM77 on Wednesday 17th February 09:07

[ajondyh]

I'm actually now also looking at the ECO Velocity RS. You seem to get a lot more for your money with this one including lots of extra's, and talking to Simon the owner who is also a race competitor he tells me that it has quality suspension/brakes and components.

http://www.eco-trailer.co.uk/enclosed-race-trailer...


Is anyone using one of these?

Edited by ajondyh on Wednesday 17th February 11:04

[RobM77]

I've no personal experience of Eco, but if you do a search on this forum there are a few threads comparing the various makes of trailer. The consensus seems to be that Brian James are the best and I therefore did a lot of research into their various models (thus my post above). My Dad and I had an open BJ trailer for years for towing my various racing cars and it was faultless. In terms of cost, for the model I looked at BJ were about £500 more than the PRG equivalent (both basic cost and once my options had been added), so not that much difference really.

The problem I had this time round is that BJ don't do a trailer that'll take my racing car without it being an enormous heavy model that my road car won't tow, or without me using a Sprint Shuttle and taking the nose off my racing car every time I load it. My racing car's less than a metre high and under 500kg, so buying a huge trailer and upgrading my road car seemed a bit silly, and I've nowhere really to put the nose if I have to remove it for transport. I ordered a PRG in the end, which is just that little bit longer than a Brian James Sprint Shuttle, but a similar unladen weight, so it will take my racing car with ease and still be within my road car's towing limit.

I rushed to this thread because I thought perhaps Brian James had released a cheaper trailer that might take my car!

[BertBert]

I load my single seater backwards and the nose sticks out a bit at the back. I have an older BJ Clubman with a DIY fabric top. All very heath-robinson, but does the trick at £1500 second hand.

I didn't buy anything from these guys in the end as I found mine privately, but it gets you covered for a lower budget.

http://www.gtmotorsportuk.com/Trailer%20Covers/

Bert

[The Wookie]

ajondyh said:

I'm actually now also looking at the ECO Velocity RS. You seem to get a lot more for your money with this one including lots of extra's, and talking to Simon the owner who is also a race competitor he tells me that it has quality suspension/brakes and components.

http://www.eco-trailer.co.uk/enclosed-race-trailer...


Is anyone using one of these?

Edited by ajondyh on Wednesday 17th February 11:04

My race team has had a couple. The fittings (hinges/locks/etc) aren't as pretty as a Brian James and there are certain elements that are lower quality, such as the fiberglass is a bit more rippled (who cares it's a trailer) and also the rear door is a bit flimsy. The latter can be an issue if it's going to be used to full capacity regularly and indeed the one I've used had cracked around the top edge of the door, this after about a year of constant virtually daily use with 1200kg Ginettas. It doesn't make any difference to the usability of the trailer it's just a bit unsightly.

In terms of towing it's fine, maybe a little bouncier in terms of ride than an equivalent BJ but perfectly stable.

In terms of cost perhaps the equivalent BJ RT4 looks similar on paper but the Eco VRS has various bits included like a tilt bed, two doors and remote winch that all add a big chunk onto a BJ. Nathan has been perfectly happy with it, and I gather the chap who runs Eco-trailer has stood by his product and has supported it well.

Personally I bought a few year old BJ Motor Shuttle 3 last year for about the same as a bottom of the range tilt-bed RT4. It suits me as I sometimes move bigger/heavier cars, and some with very low ground clearance. Plus, although it's bulkier than the Eco VRS or the RT4 when maneuvering there's no significant difference in fuel consumption, ride or visibility on the move with my Cayenne.

The only downside I would say is pull out ramps instead of a drop down rear door but it doesn't bother me too much as you usually have to muck around with bits of wood for low cars anyway.

Edited by The Wookie on Wednesday 17th February 16:31

[ajondyh]

BertBert said:

I load my single seater backwards and the nose sticks out a bit at the back. I have an older BJ Clubman with a DIY fabric top. All very heath-robinson, but does the trick at £1500 second hand.

I didn't buy anything from these guys in the end as I found mine privately, but it gets you covered for a lower budget.

http://www.gtmotorsportuk.com/Trailer%20Covers/

Bert

Yeah I spoke to them and they want £2240 plus VAT to put a fabric type cover on my Brian James A-Max wide trailer.

I can get £1700 for my existing trailer so it sort of makes sense to buy a new purpose built one.

I'm really liking the look of the ECO velocity RS. It's a nice looking trailer and seems to have all the toys and right bits as standard.

[BertBert]

It's still 8280 unless you can lose the VAT

[ajondyh]

The Wookie said:

My race team has had a couple. The fittings (hinges/locks/etc) aren't as pretty as a Brian James and there are certain elements that are lower quality, such as the fiberglass is a bit more rippled (who cares it's a trailer) and also the rear door is a bit flimsy. The latter can be an issue if it's going to be used to full capacity regularly and indeed the one I've used had cracked around the top edge of the door, this after about a year of constant virtually daily use with 1200kg Ginettas. It doesn't make any difference to the usability of the trailer it's just a bit unsightly.

In terms of towing it's fine, maybe a little bouncier in terms of ride than an equivalent BJ but perfectly stable.

In terms of cost perhaps the equivalent BJ RT4 looks similar on paper but the Eco VRS has various bits included like a tilt bed, two doors and remote winch that all add a big chunk onto a BJ. Nathan has been perfectly happy with it, and I gather the chap who runs Eco-trailer has stood by his product and has supported it well.

Personally I bought a few year old BJ Motor Shuttle 3 last year for about the same as a bottom of the range tilt-bed RT4. It suits me as I sometimes move bigger/heavier cars, and some with very low ground clearance. Plus, although it's bulkier than the Eco VRS or the RT4 when maneuvering there's no significant difference in fuel consumption, ride or visibility on the move with my Cayenne.

The only downside I would say is pull out ramps instead of a drop down rear door but it doesn't bother me too much as you usually have to muck around with bits of wood for low cars anyway.

Edited by The Wookie on Wednesday 17th February 16:31

Thanks, great feedback

[ajondyh]

BertBert said:

It's still 8280 unless you can lose the VAT

ECO VRS is £6300 plus VAT (£7560) and there's a deal for some extras (Interior lights, Spare wheel and tailgate struts) for extra £100 at the moment

[BertBert]

the page linked said 6900 which is what I was going from.

[ctsdave]

I've just bought an Eco trailer and so far over the moon with it. Tows as well as old BJ did! Standard spec is mega and the new version 2 (from mid 2015) is way better quality than older ones! Everything is done in house too which is good for any aftersales. Good load rating too and Simon is very helpful. One extra I would recommend is gas assisted rear door, I had a tour before commiting to buy and its a heavy door without struts...

[ajondyh]

ctsdave said:

I've just bought an Eco trailer and so far over the moon with it. Tows as well as old BJ did! Standard spec is mega and the new version 2 (from mid 2015) is way better quality than older ones! Everything is done in house too which is good for any aftersales. Good load rating too and Simon is very helpful. One extra I would recommend is gas assisted rear door, I had a tour before commiting to buy and its a heavy door without struts...

Thanks for that, Simon has been helpful with me too, and he comes across as NOT a salesman and quite genuine. He suggested a trip to the factory to see them being built but it's a fair way from me.

[MrCippo]

Have you guys looked at the new F20 and F26 on www.turatello.co.uk ? Comparably priced to anything else it seems but with a bit more style and some new ideas. No need to burn the clutch reversing up hill, just lower the trailer and push the car in flat.

Edited by MrCippo on Thursday 18th February 13:44

[RobM77]

MrCippo said:

Have you guys looked at the new F20 and F26 on www.turatello.co.uk ? Comparably priced to anything else it seems but with a bit more style and some new ideas. No need to burn the clutch reversing up hill, just lower the trailer and push the car in flat.

Edited by MrCippo on Thursday 18th February 13:44

I did look at them, yes. They were just a bit more expensive than PRG or BJ and for me didn't offer any tangible advantages for that extra outlay.

[matlockscot]

BertBert said:

I load my single seater backwards and the nose sticks out a bit at the back. I have an older BJ Clubman with a DIY fabric top. All very heath-robinson, but does the trick at £1500 second hand.

I didn't buy anything from these guys in the end as I found mine privately, but it gets you covered for a lower budget.

http://www.gtmotorsportuk.com/Trailer%20Covers/

Bert

Thanks for the mention! Please note our website has changed to www.gtcovers.co.uk