Going from a 197 RS to a Robin Hood. Good decision?
Discussion
Hi all,
I'm thinking of purchasing a Robin Hood but that would mean I'd have to sell my current car, which is a Clio 197 rs. I want to know from anyone who's owned or driven a 2 litre Robin Hood if they think whether that's a good decision or not. Will I be disappointed by the driving experience? There's not much information on the specs of Robin Hoods, but I suspect the acceleration and speed will be there alright, and should about match the 197. But it's handling that I'm interested in, I haven't heard good thing about the chassis for these cars (from posts on Pistonheads in fact) and even the engine is slated for being from a pinto. I've always like the Caterham style kit cars, but right now only the Robin Hood is in my price bracket. The 197 is the first serious car I've owned and after having previously owned a Yaris I've been blown away by the handling of the Renault. Would the Robin Hood match that?
I'm thinking of purchasing a Robin Hood but that would mean I'd have to sell my current car, which is a Clio 197 rs. I want to know from anyone who's owned or driven a 2 litre Robin Hood if they think whether that's a good decision or not. Will I be disappointed by the driving experience? There's not much information on the specs of Robin Hoods, but I suspect the acceleration and speed will be there alright, and should about match the 197. But it's handling that I'm interested in, I haven't heard good thing about the chassis for these cars (from posts on Pistonheads in fact) and even the engine is slated for being from a pinto. I've always like the Caterham style kit cars, but right now only the Robin Hood is in my price bracket. The 197 is the first serious car I've owned and after having previously owned a Yaris I've been blown away by the handling of the Renault. Would the Robin Hood match that?
Hi, there’s a multitude of adjustments and settings the builders and previous owners may have dialled in that can make a good car bad and vice versa.
The main thing to do is see a couple and drive them if possible.
The experience will be totally different to your daily car mentioned so you need to check what the dynamics are like and determine if it fits with what you need from a car (long commute / bad weather driving etc).
If possible join the Locost group (or similar) and get a feel for what you might get for your budget. A good base car with all the trimmings won’t be that cheap and you’d be into bottom end Westfield territory.
Maybe if budget is main consideration also look at Dutton Phateon etc.
Main thing is plenty of photos and if you go for it enjoy yourself!
The main thing to do is see a couple and drive them if possible.
The experience will be totally different to your daily car mentioned so you need to check what the dynamics are like and determine if it fits with what you need from a car (long commute / bad weather driving etc).
If possible join the Locost group (or similar) and get a feel for what you might get for your budget. A good base car with all the trimmings won’t be that cheap and you’d be into bottom end Westfield territory.
Maybe if budget is main consideration also look at Dutton Phateon etc.
Main thing is plenty of photos and if you go for it enjoy yourself!
I'm sure there are good RH's and definitely good Westfields, not sure how good a Dutton would be now. There are probably good Locosts about.
There's also definitely a lot of dross.
Depends on your budget and how keen the seller is to sell.
I've never driven a Clio but personally I'd keep it until you find the "right" car.
There's also definitely a lot of dross.
Depends on your budget and how keen the seller is to sell.
I've never driven a Clio but personally I'd keep it until you find the "right" car.
The more complete and 'engineered' of these vehicles, generally the better. Which is fine as a global statement, but then you have to get into the details - particularly suspension, wheels tyres etc.
The variability at the cheap end of the market is colossal. Even a 'well built' Dutton is generally horrible. There might be the odd good one, but they would be very rare. At the other end you have Westfields (so long as not too many individual modifications or as the builders generally state 'improvements' have been made).
You could drive two essentially very similar RH and find them completely different. Perhaps more importantly you may well find that after an hour at the wheel you do not want any more! One of my friends went through a Morgan and a Porsche 356 speedster replica, before giving up and going back to his Golf!
The variability at the cheap end of the market is colossal. Even a 'well built' Dutton is generally horrible. There might be the odd good one, but they would be very rare. At the other end you have Westfields (so long as not too many individual modifications or as the builders generally state 'improvements' have been made).
You could drive two essentially very similar RH and find them completely different. Perhaps more importantly you may well find that after an hour at the wheel you do not want any more! One of my friends went through a Morgan and a Porsche 356 speedster replica, before giving up and going back to his Golf!
I think you are making a mistake.
You are going form something that is a hoot on track and easy to drive / set up to something that in theory will be better BUT there is a reason why Caterhams and Westfields domiate the game here.
I have a number of mates who got into 7 cars. In fact 2 who race regualry in Locosts, The amount of time and development work that is spent is colossal to gets those cars right.
I have another friend who had a motor engineer a scratch built 7 car . Its now raced by one of the abpve and is awesome and will easily hold its own against pro team prepared Caterhams at a race meet. He started off with an MK Indy whoch on the face of it was great but was never built straight !
A 7 type car is awesome on track but get one where somebody else has done all the hard work and make sure you drive it before you buy it in the envioment you wish to use it.
If you can afford it but an ex race Caterham - there was a Sigma car for sale last week for less than £14k it looked great value.
I have never had the time or the inclination to bugger about so just went straight in for a cheap (£10k K series caterham) for car club and trackdays. Had it 9 years and spent bugger all in the scheme of things, Jai
You are going form something that is a hoot on track and easy to drive / set up to something that in theory will be better BUT there is a reason why Caterhams and Westfields domiate the game here.
I have a number of mates who got into 7 cars. In fact 2 who race regualry in Locosts, The amount of time and development work that is spent is colossal to gets those cars right.
I have another friend who had a motor engineer a scratch built 7 car . Its now raced by one of the abpve and is awesome and will easily hold its own against pro team prepared Caterhams at a race meet. He started off with an MK Indy whoch on the face of it was great but was never built straight !
A 7 type car is awesome on track but get one where somebody else has done all the hard work and make sure you drive it before you buy it in the envioment you wish to use it.
If you can afford it but an ex race Caterham - there was a Sigma car for sale last week for less than £14k it looked great value.
I have never had the time or the inclination to bugger about so just went straight in for a cheap (£10k K series caterham) for car club and trackdays. Had it 9 years and spent bugger all in the scheme of things, Jai
Tbh I am very partial to the Caterham-esque aesthetics, which the Robin Hood posseses, but I've also been informed about Tiger and locost kitcars, which seem a bit more put together than the Robin Hood's. I guess the best thing to do is wait till the summer and then maybe see if I can nab a drive in one of them to see if it's worth the buy. Until then I'm more than happy to pootle around in my Clio
Skyedriver said:
I'm sure there are good RH's...
I'm not!Even one that has been well polished and rolled in glitter is still a turd.
Their successor, the current GBS, is much, much better (but a lot more expensive). Westfields and Sylvas are much better, but lack the traditional Caterham aesthetics, if that's your thing, but I wouldn't settle for a R**** H*** just on the basis of its looks: they're pretty shonky old things, by design and manufacture, no matter how well they've been put together.
Salvi139 said:
You're probably right, I've also heard a lot of negative things about Robin Hoods, their weight being a key issue as well. I'll try to get a drive in one soon, but judging from this post it may be best to just wait a bit and get a more sophisticated kitcar when I can
Robin Hoods have a fanatical fanbase, but they are unfortunately right the bottom end of the kit car market compared to Westfield, Caterham etc.Now't wrong with Pinto engines btw, I have travelled over 200,000 miles with them over 20 years in cars such as Cortinas, Capris(3), Sierra's, Granada.s, Tigers and a Westfield. Never had a single problem providing you change the oil and filter every six months.
I'm definitely not doubting the reliability of the pinto engine, it's one of the good things about the Robin Hood, because it means maintenance and repair won't be scary. But I've heard that they're not the most engaging, nor best sounding, which is to be expected I suppose. It's not exactly an exotic item. But cars always sound way different in person, so it'd be unfair to pass judgement on that I suppose
Salvi139 said:
But I've heard that they're not the most engaging, nor best sounding, which is to be expected I suppose. It's not exactly an exotic item. But cars always sound way different in person, so it'd be unfair to pass judgement on that I suppose
I used to really like the sound of my stage 2 Pinto with a 38DGAS carburettor and R32(?) cam, engaging too. However, I'd still swerve away from a Robin Hood. Plenty of other kits use the a Pinto and they'll generally be cheaper than examples with other powerplants.Saying a Locost is better built than a Robin Hood opens up a minefield. A Locost, by definition, is a scratch built car based on plans from a book. The Robin Hood is a kit built from manufacturer supplied parts and maybe a donor car. Locosts can be good and they can be awful depending on the builder. A Robin Hood will be more consistent (but not necessarily better). Also the Robin Hood is big compared to a 'Book' Locost and looks ungainly to me. I've built 2 Locosts and still have one. It's been laid up for a few years now but I will re commision it, maybe even this year 
Stiggolas said:
A Robin Hood will be more consistent (but not necessarily better).
There have been a number of R**** H*** designs over the years - varying from abysmal to downright dangerous - so I'm not even sure it has consistency in its favour.But I would agree that both R**** H*** and Locosts should be avoided if you're a newbie. Locosts can be acceptable cars when well-built, but you need to be able to make that assessment. R**** H***s are badly flawed by design, even when they are put together well.
If the OP wants 'Caterham' aesthetics for a lower price, I'd be looking for a pre-litigation Westfield in good condition (albeit they are quite old now, hence rare) or an MK Indy. Neither will be as cheap as a R**** H***, but there's a reason for that.
RH´s are the worst engineered kitcars....some models even dangerous!!!
it was a chaep approach to the kitcar world and unfortunaltey it attracted also "cheap" buyers. so most cars never came out right, as the huge engineering mistakes were never solved from those buyers.
never ever buy such a car...if you get it free of charge or the boot full of money...you may take it.
it was a chaep approach to the kitcar world and unfortunaltey it attracted also "cheap" buyers. so most cars never came out right, as the huge engineering mistakes were never solved from those buyers.
never ever buy such a car...if you get it free of charge or the boot full of money...you may take it.
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