Who doesn’t love eBay? I made a small fortune in college buying my text books for a semester and then selling them (always at a profit) on eBay at the end of the term. It has also helped me track down obscure parts for my stable of perpetual project cars. Besides books and car parts, I’ve sold cameras, computers, and much much more on eBay.
Never have I thought of using eBay to launch a company though. Ricky Søndergård, a Scandinavian, wants to find some capital investment for his new brand of lightweight, low-carbon sports cars. He claims his prototype makes 330 horsepower and gets around 80 mpg. Too good to be true?
I love a good diesel engine, and Søndergård apparently does too. There are no details on this project (though there is a website) and one must take such claims with a grain of salt. Is a 330 horsepower, 80 mpg diesel-powered sports car that far fetched though? Not really, when you consider that the target weight for this car is under 1,600 pounds. That is more like a glorified go-kart.
They have a prototype already, and are looking for capital to get their company going. $7 million is what they are asking… which, as far as car companies go, isn’t all that much. Plus, you will get your hands on that “patented technology” that is low weight, yet very stiff, important to any would-be sports car.
It is all a bit far fetched… but I like people who think outside the box. And who knows, maybe somebody reading this will have the money and the desire to get this guy’s dream started. And if that is the case, I want dibs on the first test drive.
Source: eBay via AutoBlog | Image: Sondergard
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The thing that doesn’t make sense to me is, who cares about fuel efficiency in a sports car? I mean, people who buy them tend to use them as toys that only come out on sunny weekends. That is, not enough usage to make fuel efficiency matter. Of course, no one wants to drive a car that’s an absolute gas pig, but these days, your average Corvette is churning out 26-27 mpg. With a light foot, I’ve heard of drivers getting 33-34.
The thing that doesn’t make sense to me is, who cares about fuel efficiency in a sports car? I mean, people who buy them tend to use them as toys that only come out on sunny weekends. That is, not enough usage to make fuel efficiency matter. Of course, no one wants to drive a car that’s an absolute gas pig, but these days, your average Corvette is churning out 26-27 mpg. With a light foot, I’ve heard of drivers getting 33-34.
That is a great idea and I applaud them for going out on a limb and trying something new. This is the very reason our BIG 3 have not made anything new and exciting that made you want to go test drive and buy it. It took Chevy and Dodge over 10 years to bring the Camaro and Challenger to market. I also like the fact that he has chosen a diesel to power it, hello what took people so long. My Power Stroke is powerful and fast, so now you can have a light weight car that gets great mileage. One more step and make it a true hybrid and BAM you have a cool Eco car… Good luck guys.
I’m pretty sure a public offering like that is illegal… well, at least for an American company…
I’m pretty sure a public offering like that is illegal… well, at least for an American company…