What would you think of a brand-new '50s-styled pickup truck, built on a modern frame and suspension, with a new, emissions-legal 385-horsepower V8 engine and full compliance with federal safety requirements, all covered by a three-year/36,000-mile warranty?
That's the pitch from Southern Motor Co., a Liberty, South Carolina, startup. The company plans to commence construction of Southern Motor 358, a vintage-styled pickup truck planned for 2008 for a surprisingly reasonable $55,000.
Get real
We've heard promises of new car companies before, right? Next they'll tell us it's powered by pixie dust. Starting with Malcolm Bricklin back in the '70s, all the way up to proposed Chinese imports by, er, Malcolm Bricklin, entrepreneurs have promised something new, but rarely delivered. Proposed retro cruisers and American supercars have proven about as reliable as yesterday's National Enquirer headline.
Fans are left disappointed and sometimes buyers and investors are left empty-handed. But Southern Motor aims to make us forget about one-off show vehicles that never saw use on the road, restored antiques and cobbled-together kit cars that skirt federal safety and emissions laws.
That is because Southern has a methodical plan that exploits known technology and proven, experienced suppliers to build a truck that complies with federal safety and emissions standards as well as meeting customers' expectations for quality of materials and construction.
Panoz Auto Development is one of a handful of domestic startups that actually performed the miracle of coming to market with the vehicle it promised — the Esperante coupe and convertible sports cars — and the company learned a lot along the way. So much, that now Panoz serves as a consultant and supplier to other would-be manufacturers. Naturally, that is where Southern went in search of expertise in designing a federally certified truck.
The Southern effort impressed Panoz with its well-thought-out plans, said John Leverett, director of sales and marketing at Panoz. "Of all the many dozens of projects we do in a year for automotive-related products, this is certainly far and away the most serious project I've ever seen," he said. "They have done their due diligence, so I would be shocked to not see this vehicle in production."
Panoz will design the ladder-frame chassis and four-link rear suspension using know-how garnered from its own development and crash testing programs. That frame will probably be made in-house by Southern, since welding a steel frame involves no particularly difficult challenges, said Southern CEO Jim Kaplan. If, as production commences, frame-building does prove an unexpected challenge, the company will farm that work out to respected stock-car chassis builder Laughlin Performance, which is located nearby, he said.
In search of a similar turnkey-proven package for emissions certification, Southern will employ the Ford small-block V8 that will be used in an upcoming Ford Mustang. That engine will be 330 horsepower, rather than the 300 hp of today's 4.6-liter V8, so an increase in displacement to 5.4 liters seems likely, though Kaplan can't confirm that since Ford hasn't announced the Mustang's new engine.
Using this engine provides an emissions-certified drivetrain, and includes the complete wiring harness, which simplifies installation. The engine can be easily serviced by any Ford dealer because it will be unmodified. The 500-horsepower Mustang Cobra V8 will be available optionally for another $12,000, for those customers who can't live with 330 hp. Both a four-speed automatic and five-speed manual transmission will be available.
Major manufacturer misses
Big car manufacturers have gotten heavily involved with "heritage" styling, ever since Volkswagen's New Beetle hit the scene, followed by the Plymouth Prowler, PT Cruiser, Mini Cooper, Ford Thunderbird and Mustang, Chevrolet HHR and, most directly similar to the Southern Motor truck, the Chevrolet SSR.
But none of these has really captured the essence of the classic vehicles, complained Kaplan, who wanted to buy a cool truck. "All the trucks for sale were pretty much the same," he said. The Dodge Ram stands apart somewhat, but no one would mistake it for a classic or a custom. "They sell millions of trucks," Kaplan exclaimed. "Why do all of them look so boring?"
As an industrial manufacturer, Kaplan decided the obvious solution was to just make one himself. The deceptively apparent simplicity of trucks lured Kaplan into the notion of launching a truck manufacturing company alongside his capacitor plant, and by the time he realized how expensive and time-consuming the process would be, he was in too far to change his mind.
If he'd had any idea how hard it is to federalize a new vehicle, he'd never have embarked on this effort, Kaplan says. "It is partly an endurance race," he has concluded. "It is a question of how long you can maintain your enthusiasm." Long enough, at this point, to have a concept truck built by a local hot rod shop to illustrate the idea, while plans for the truck's modern foundation take shape on computers.
A stiff rectangular-section ladder frame will prevent the rattles associated with even perfectly restored old trucks, with their flimsy, flexible frames, Kaplan promised. And the Panoz-designed four-link rear suspension will be designed to provide handling comparable to the late Camaro/Firebird F-body platform, which was regarded as a high-watermark for live rear axle handling.
The absence of leaf springs in the rear means the truck won't be meant for hauling heavy loads or towing big trailers, concedes Kaplan. But the target customers will use the truck for cruising, not for towing heavy boats, he insists.
Antiquated underpinnings are the source of the inevitable disappointment of so many boomer-age enthusiasts who buy an old truck for its style but find themselves unable to tolerate the reality. "All the baby boomers grew up with all the great-looking vehicles and now they've got the money to go buy one," said Kaplan. "So they spend $80K and get an old truck with a cruddy frame." Disillusioned, they never drive it and finally sell their prize. "This way, they get a new truck that drives like new."
Third-party support
Kaplan's gut feeling is spot-on, according to research he commissioned by Automotive Insight, Inc., a market research company that tested consumers' reactions to the truck. The response was off the scale.
"We do a lot of these clinics and the response to this truck was so overwhelmingly positive that we were floored," reported Automotive Insight President Arlene Brunner. "We got intent-to-buy numbers that were nearly double those of any other vehicle on the market." Why did consumers say they liked it so much? "They said they liked the quality of the design and the quality way everything was put together," she said. The abundance of chrome, especially on the engine, really impressed consumers, too, she added.
Among the target demographic of middle-aged men, the "would buy" percentage reached 62 percent. Red-flag warning: It was interest from this same group that led General Motors to green-light the SSR, but the industrial giant needed to sell a lot of SSRs to justify the program. "The SSR was a flop, but they still sold 25,000," Kaplan said. Obviously it should be easier to sell a small fraction of that number, which is Southern's modest goal.
Especially with design that stands out. "In the American marketplace there is a lot of what I would call cookie-cutter design," observed Brunner. "All vehicles start to look alike," she said. "We used to be able to tell vehicles apart by looking at their hub caps. You can't do that anymore. This truck really stood out."
How to get one, if you dare
Customers who are interested in putting a deposit on one of the first year's production of 100 trucks, which are scheduled for delivery in late 2008, put their money in an interest-bearing escrow account. If they change their minds, they get the money back, plus the interest it earned, Kaplan promises. He already has orders for 10 of those trucks, just as the result of word of mouth, so there are 90 slots left.
Sales will be made directly through the company, without the added layer of dealers. The company will open offices in Dallas and Southern California in addition to the South Carolina headquarters, catering to the two largest markets for the truck.
By offering standard PPG paint, customers may specify the color with the knowledge that the paint can be matched by a local body shop in the event of a fender-bender. All of the hardware will be premium, with stainless steel used for the bumpers so they'll never rust, teak for the floor of the bed and leather for the seats. "There will be no plastic in this truck," Kaplan said.
There will also be few modern amenities, though air-conditioning is a must-have in the sunbelt Southern is targeting. "We've taken off cruise control," said Kaplan. "All that I consider superfluous is gone," he continued. That means no power-adjustable mirrors or nav system. "It has a lot of horsepower, and it is a lot of fun to drive."
That sounds like a winning recipe, but we'll find out whether that is truly the case when the company starts delivering trucks in 2008. If all goes to plan, a good time should be had by all.
That's the pitch from Southern Motor Co., a Liberty, South Carolina, startup. The company plans to commence construction of Southern Motor 358, a vintage-styled pickup truck planned for 2008 for a surprisingly reasonable $55,000.
Get real
We've heard promises of new car companies before, right? Next they'll tell us it's powered by pixie dust. Starting with Malcolm Bricklin back in the '70s, all the way up to proposed Chinese imports by, er, Malcolm Bricklin, entrepreneurs have promised something new, but rarely delivered. Proposed retro cruisers and American supercars have proven about as reliable as yesterday's National Enquirer headline.
Fans are left disappointed and sometimes buyers and investors are left empty-handed. But Southern Motor aims to make us forget about one-off show vehicles that never saw use on the road, restored antiques and cobbled-together kit cars that skirt federal safety and emissions laws.
That is because Southern has a methodical plan that exploits known technology and proven, experienced suppliers to build a truck that complies with federal safety and emissions standards as well as meeting customers' expectations for quality of materials and construction.
Panoz Auto Development is one of a handful of domestic startups that actually performed the miracle of coming to market with the vehicle it promised — the Esperante coupe and convertible sports cars — and the company learned a lot along the way. So much, that now Panoz serves as a consultant and supplier to other would-be manufacturers. Naturally, that is where Southern went in search of expertise in designing a federally certified truck.
The Southern effort impressed Panoz with its well-thought-out plans, said John Leverett, director of sales and marketing at Panoz. "Of all the many dozens of projects we do in a year for automotive-related products, this is certainly far and away the most serious project I've ever seen," he said. "They have done their due diligence, so I would be shocked to not see this vehicle in production."
Panoz will design the ladder-frame chassis and four-link rear suspension using know-how garnered from its own development and crash testing programs. That frame will probably be made in-house by Southern, since welding a steel frame involves no particularly difficult challenges, said Southern CEO Jim Kaplan. If, as production commences, frame-building does prove an unexpected challenge, the company will farm that work out to respected stock-car chassis builder Laughlin Performance, which is located nearby, he said.
In search of a similar turnkey-proven package for emissions certification, Southern will employ the Ford small-block V8 that will be used in an upcoming Ford Mustang. That engine will be 330 horsepower, rather than the 300 hp of today's 4.6-liter V8, so an increase in displacement to 5.4 liters seems likely, though Kaplan can't confirm that since Ford hasn't announced the Mustang's new engine.
Using this engine provides an emissions-certified drivetrain, and includes the complete wiring harness, which simplifies installation. The engine can be easily serviced by any Ford dealer because it will be unmodified. The 500-horsepower Mustang Cobra V8 will be available optionally for another $12,000, for those customers who can't live with 330 hp. Both a four-speed automatic and five-speed manual transmission will be available.
Major manufacturer misses
Big car manufacturers have gotten heavily involved with "heritage" styling, ever since Volkswagen's New Beetle hit the scene, followed by the Plymouth Prowler, PT Cruiser, Mini Cooper, Ford Thunderbird and Mustang, Chevrolet HHR and, most directly similar to the Southern Motor truck, the Chevrolet SSR.
But none of these has really captured the essence of the classic vehicles, complained Kaplan, who wanted to buy a cool truck. "All the trucks for sale were pretty much the same," he said. The Dodge Ram stands apart somewhat, but no one would mistake it for a classic or a custom. "They sell millions of trucks," Kaplan exclaimed. "Why do all of them look so boring?"
As an industrial manufacturer, Kaplan decided the obvious solution was to just make one himself. The deceptively apparent simplicity of trucks lured Kaplan into the notion of launching a truck manufacturing company alongside his capacitor plant, and by the time he realized how expensive and time-consuming the process would be, he was in too far to change his mind.
If he'd had any idea how hard it is to federalize a new vehicle, he'd never have embarked on this effort, Kaplan says. "It is partly an endurance race," he has concluded. "It is a question of how long you can maintain your enthusiasm." Long enough, at this point, to have a concept truck built by a local hot rod shop to illustrate the idea, while plans for the truck's modern foundation take shape on computers.
A stiff rectangular-section ladder frame will prevent the rattles associated with even perfectly restored old trucks, with their flimsy, flexible frames, Kaplan promised. And the Panoz-designed four-link rear suspension will be designed to provide handling comparable to the late Camaro/Firebird F-body platform, which was regarded as a high-watermark for live rear axle handling.
The absence of leaf springs in the rear means the truck won't be meant for hauling heavy loads or towing big trailers, concedes Kaplan. But the target customers will use the truck for cruising, not for towing heavy boats, he insists.
Antiquated underpinnings are the source of the inevitable disappointment of so many boomer-age enthusiasts who buy an old truck for its style but find themselves unable to tolerate the reality. "All the baby boomers grew up with all the great-looking vehicles and now they've got the money to go buy one," said Kaplan. "So they spend $80K and get an old truck with a cruddy frame." Disillusioned, they never drive it and finally sell their prize. "This way, they get a new truck that drives like new."
Third-party support
Kaplan's gut feeling is spot-on, according to research he commissioned by Automotive Insight, Inc., a market research company that tested consumers' reactions to the truck. The response was off the scale.
"We do a lot of these clinics and the response to this truck was so overwhelmingly positive that we were floored," reported Automotive Insight President Arlene Brunner. "We got intent-to-buy numbers that were nearly double those of any other vehicle on the market." Why did consumers say they liked it so much? "They said they liked the quality of the design and the quality way everything was put together," she said. The abundance of chrome, especially on the engine, really impressed consumers, too, she added.
Among the target demographic of middle-aged men, the "would buy" percentage reached 62 percent. Red-flag warning: It was interest from this same group that led General Motors to green-light the SSR, but the industrial giant needed to sell a lot of SSRs to justify the program. "The SSR was a flop, but they still sold 25,000," Kaplan said. Obviously it should be easier to sell a small fraction of that number, which is Southern's modest goal.
Especially with design that stands out. "In the American marketplace there is a lot of what I would call cookie-cutter design," observed Brunner. "All vehicles start to look alike," she said. "We used to be able to tell vehicles apart by looking at their hub caps. You can't do that anymore. This truck really stood out."
How to get one, if you dare
Customers who are interested in putting a deposit on one of the first year's production of 100 trucks, which are scheduled for delivery in late 2008, put their money in an interest-bearing escrow account. If they change their minds, they get the money back, plus the interest it earned, Kaplan promises. He already has orders for 10 of those trucks, just as the result of word of mouth, so there are 90 slots left.
Sales will be made directly through the company, without the added layer of dealers. The company will open offices in Dallas and Southern California in addition to the South Carolina headquarters, catering to the two largest markets for the truck.
By offering standard PPG paint, customers may specify the color with the knowledge that the paint can be matched by a local body shop in the event of a fender-bender. All of the hardware will be premium, with stainless steel used for the bumpers so they'll never rust, teak for the floor of the bed and leather for the seats. "There will be no plastic in this truck," Kaplan said.
There will also be few modern amenities, though air-conditioning is a must-have in the sunbelt Southern is targeting. "We've taken off cruise control," said Kaplan. "All that I consider superfluous is gone," he continued. That means no power-adjustable mirrors or nav system. "It has a lot of horsepower, and it is a lot of fun to drive."
That sounds like a winning recipe, but we'll find out whether that is truly the case when the company starts delivering trucks in 2008. If all goes to plan, a good time should be had by all.
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