RacingPuma

It always amazes me when small sports car companies produce a "Porsche 911 rival" or "Porsche Boxster rival" - you'd think they would choose an easier target. There are many reasons why a car buyer may finally go for a Porsche after considering rivals but I'd be interested in dealer views on one major factor - boot size. The way I see it is that most people who buy a 2 seat sports car (for road use, not a track day car) still want enough luggage space for 2 people on long weekend away. Very few sports cars provide this, especially for people unwilling or unable to "travel light". The Porsche Boxster and Cayman have 2 boots which are fairly generous compared to rivals. The Porsche 911 is classified as a 2+2, but is typically used as a 2 seater with extra luggage space So - Would it be easier to sell a 2 seat sports car if it had a decent sized boot? Is the large boot the secret to Porsche's success? Should the next small sports car company to take on Porsche go for a big boot rather than track day dynamics?

Cue all the jokes about Italian stainless steel corroding! I always thought that stainless steel was supposed to be resistant to corrosion but I've learned something new today. The Lamborghini problem is actually Stress Corrosion Cracking, and can happen to any stainless steel in a suitably bad environment http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stress_corrosion_cracking http://www.npl.co.uk/upload/pdf/stress.pdf For £150k, I'd want titanium!

Of course, I'm a little biased but I think the Ford Racing Puma has potential to increase in value. A decent one is currently around £5000 to £6000 (mint one go for more), and at least 2 are already in museums. It has the key ingredients of low numbers (500 built), beauty, magnificent noise and a dramatic (Sparco blue alcantara) interior It's estimated that only about 250 of the original 500 cars still exist - it's difficult to be precise as DVLA records do not differentiate between Racing Pumas and ordinary ones.