R50/53 Just Gave My Mini A Nose Job!
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4th Gear
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 444
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oh no, you can keep the kids! 
you just had to remove the ".thumb." from the image's address.
another option, surf through the gallery and click on your pic until it's large, and then get the address. Taa daa!
I didn't notice your scoop was carbon-fiber until I posted you 'doubled up' picture. It looks very cool with your aero kit grill. Where did you get it from?
Cheers,
Ryan
you just had to remove the ".thumb." from the image's address.
another option, surf through the gallery and click on your pic until it's large, and then get the address. Taa daa!
I didn't notice your scoop was carbon-fiber until I posted you 'doubled up' picture. It looks very cool with your aero kit grill. Where did you get it from?
Cheers,
Ryan
OVERDRIVE - Racing Champion
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 15,262
Likes: 72
From: Mililani, Hawaii
Hank-
Nice to see your picts and good to know that you were able to get the CF scoop
Any word about the custom larger scoop from the maker?
I think the dark CF scoop matches the aero grille nicely. Gives a very dark look to the front and accents the
scoop much more than stock. What about blacking out the chrome trim plates around the headlights? Better yet make those Carbon fiber.
Nice to see your picts and good to know that you were able to get the CF scoop
Any word about the custom larger scoop from the maker?
I think the dark CF scoop matches the aero grille nicely. Gives a very dark look to the front and accents the
scoop much more than stock. What about blacking out the chrome trim plates around the headlights? Better yet make those Carbon fiber.
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4th Gear
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 444
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Thanks for the feedback on the CF intake and also thanks to everyone for helping me figure out how to post decent size photos, now I get it. Are you sure you don''t any children?
The suggested retail on the CF intake is a bit high at $295.00. I am trying to negotiate with the supplier so I can sell them for around $230.00, but I think even that is high.
I am curious to get some feedback though, if any of you are interested, what street price do you honestly think would be attractive enough for you to want to purchase one?
We are developing other CF details as well:
- Rear Lift Handle over the license plate
- Full dash replacement panels (not the cheap veneer stuff that's available now) but full component units that bolt in the sameway as the stock units do.
- Front and rear air splitters aka Hamann Motorsport
The big problem here is this material is expensive and its also expensive to work with. While carbon fiber components are popular items for BMW, Porsche, Mercedes Ferrari etc., I am not sure the 'Mini' crowd is up for spending the kind of money on CF components like the 'exotic' car people do. There will always be a 'high tech' group even in our 'Mini' universe who will pay to play, but I think those people maybe few and far in between certainly not enough to base a business on. I'd like to think I am wronng, what do you guys think? I'd appreciate getting some feedback. Thanks again for your comments to date.
The suggested retail on the CF intake is a bit high at $295.00. I am trying to negotiate with the supplier so I can sell them for around $230.00, but I think even that is high.
I am curious to get some feedback though, if any of you are interested, what street price do you honestly think would be attractive enough for you to want to purchase one?
We are developing other CF details as well:
- Rear Lift Handle over the license plate
- Full dash replacement panels (not the cheap veneer stuff that's available now) but full component units that bolt in the sameway as the stock units do.
- Front and rear air splitters aka Hamann Motorsport
The big problem here is this material is expensive and its also expensive to work with. While carbon fiber components are popular items for BMW, Porsche, Mercedes Ferrari etc., I am not sure the 'Mini' crowd is up for spending the kind of money on CF components like the 'exotic' car people do. There will always be a 'high tech' group even in our 'Mini' universe who will pay to play, but I think those people maybe few and far in between certainly not enough to base a business on. I'd like to think I am wronng, what do you guys think? I'd appreciate getting some feedback. Thanks again for your comments to date.
2nd Gear
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 136
Likes: 0
From: San Diego, CA
Hey guys, wanted to thank Hank for making this post - and also wanted to (re)introduce ourselves... I had typed up an "introduction" post, which I'm including here. It discusses who we are, what we make, why the scoops are so expensive, and our future w/this board... Forgive me if this sounds too "pitchy," but I wrote it the other day in considering the various feedback we've gotten from people about our upcoming (and current) products...
After a long wait, we’ve finally gotten our carbon fiber products to market! In particular, our hood scoops have finally hit the market. Let me tell you, the most difficult part of the manufacturing process was not the scoop itself, which took about 3 weeks – rather, it was the underside of the scoop which attaches it to the car! That alone was a 4 month refining process to ensure exact fit, every time, for every scoop.
A bit about our carbon fiber:
There are three standard methods to manufacturing Carbon Fiber products;
1) Wet layup: Dry carbon is laid up onto a mold and epoxy resin is poured onto it in layers. The carbon fiber is cured in an oven. This is the cheapest method, and results in poor quality carbon fiber products.
2) Pre-Preg: A newer technology in composites, this process uses carbon fiber which has the epoxy resin pre-embedded into it. It must be stored in a freezer, as it hardens at room temperature (over time), and has a precisely controlled resin volume. Pre-preg pieces can be cured in an oven, or:
3) Autoclaved Pre-Preg: The pre-preg isn’t just stuck into an oven, rather, it is sealed up into a vacuum bag and stuck into a very special hi-temp oven called an “autoclave.” The autoclave has vacuum lines inside of it which hook up to the piece of carbon fiber you are making and hold a constant vacuum on the piece while it is baking at close to 350 degrees.
Please check out this link for more info on what I just described: Excellent info about carbon fiber
We use method #3 on all of our carbon fiber pieces, and the result is absolutely stunning works of art. Our shop produces carbon fiber for Ducati’s race team, and is the primary supplier of carbon fiber for all ducati aftermarket – which is a very discriminating crowd.
As a result of the process we use, it is very time consuming and expensive to manufacture each piece. The pre-pregged carbon fiber alone that is used is some of the most expensive because it has a low resin content (This prevents UV yellowing and an opaque look to the finish). I am realistic in acknowledging that our pricing may seem high for what we are selling, however, taking into account that the pieces we produce are of the highest quality on the market, and the time it takes to produce each piece, we feel we are charging an appropriate price for our products.
I’ve spoken on and off with Mark Ferguson about this board, and we feel that going forward, we are going to pursue a vendor relationship. Because of this, we will occasionally be offering our products to board members at discounted rates. As such, we will very likely be offering the following products at very low introductary prices until the end of this month. (Something along the lines of what Hank suggested).
All of these new products will be up on our website shortly, and we will provide a link to a special section in which MCO members can buy our products at these low rates. Shipping on all scoops/mirror covers will be $10.00 ($10.00 for both if you buy at the same time), and free on the caps. (always)
Please don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions. We can be reached at sales@benferperformance.com.
Sincerely,
-Dan
BFP, Inc.
P.S. Our website is currently being updated to reflect our new product line. It should be revised in about a week.
After a long wait, we’ve finally gotten our carbon fiber products to market! In particular, our hood scoops have finally hit the market. Let me tell you, the most difficult part of the manufacturing process was not the scoop itself, which took about 3 weeks – rather, it was the underside of the scoop which attaches it to the car! That alone was a 4 month refining process to ensure exact fit, every time, for every scoop.
A bit about our carbon fiber:
There are three standard methods to manufacturing Carbon Fiber products;
1) Wet layup: Dry carbon is laid up onto a mold and epoxy resin is poured onto it in layers. The carbon fiber is cured in an oven. This is the cheapest method, and results in poor quality carbon fiber products.
2) Pre-Preg: A newer technology in composites, this process uses carbon fiber which has the epoxy resin pre-embedded into it. It must be stored in a freezer, as it hardens at room temperature (over time), and has a precisely controlled resin volume. Pre-preg pieces can be cured in an oven, or:
3) Autoclaved Pre-Preg: The pre-preg isn’t just stuck into an oven, rather, it is sealed up into a vacuum bag and stuck into a very special hi-temp oven called an “autoclave.” The autoclave has vacuum lines inside of it which hook up to the piece of carbon fiber you are making and hold a constant vacuum on the piece while it is baking at close to 350 degrees.
Please check out this link for more info on what I just described: Excellent info about carbon fiber
We use method #3 on all of our carbon fiber pieces, and the result is absolutely stunning works of art. Our shop produces carbon fiber for Ducati’s race team, and is the primary supplier of carbon fiber for all ducati aftermarket – which is a very discriminating crowd.
As a result of the process we use, it is very time consuming and expensive to manufacture each piece. The pre-pregged carbon fiber alone that is used is some of the most expensive because it has a low resin content (This prevents UV yellowing and an opaque look to the finish). I am realistic in acknowledging that our pricing may seem high for what we are selling, however, taking into account that the pieces we produce are of the highest quality on the market, and the time it takes to produce each piece, we feel we are charging an appropriate price for our products.
I’ve spoken on and off with Mark Ferguson about this board, and we feel that going forward, we are going to pursue a vendor relationship. Because of this, we will occasionally be offering our products to board members at discounted rates. As such, we will very likely be offering the following products at very low introductary prices until the end of this month. (Something along the lines of what Hank suggested).
All of these new products will be up on our website shortly, and we will provide a link to a special section in which MCO members can buy our products at these low rates. Shipping on all scoops/mirror covers will be $10.00 ($10.00 for both if you buy at the same time), and free on the caps. (always)
Please don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions. We can be reached at sales@benferperformance.com.
Sincerely,
-Dan
BFP, Inc.
P.S. Our website is currently being updated to reflect our new product line. It should be revised in about a week.
2nd Gear
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 136
Likes: 0
From: San Diego, CA
Yeah, either stickers for the S - or the whole silver piece with the S in it - if it detaches from the screen. We'll order up a part and see what we can come up with. We may even be able to do real CF for the "S"...
We're also working with Hank on a CF trunk handle, interior, and we've had a rear wing project in the works for about 2 months...
-Dan
We're also working with Hank on a CF trunk handle, interior, and we've had a rear wing project in the works for about 2 months...
-Dan
