DO YOU THINK I’M 5EXi?
Fancy reeling in your own Marlin car? Well, you could build one at home relatively easily and cheaply.
The 5EXi developed and produced in Crediton, Devon by Marlin Sportscars, features modern, sportscar styling and performance and can be built in a domestic garage over four week-ends for just £9,000.The new model marks a radical departure for Marlin who in the past have concentrated on retro-style classic British Sportscars.
"Although our traditional sportscars are still very popular, we noticed a demand for something more modern and easier to build," says managing director Terry Matthews, "so to celebrate Marlin's 25th year in the kit-car industry we decided to produce the stunning 5EXi. The 5EXi is a new generation of kitcar, bringing modern sportscar performance and styling within the reach of anyone with basic mechanical skills and the sort of budget that normally buys a conventional hot hatch."
The 5EXi is based on mechanical components from a Rover 200 or 400 'donor car' - the model designation going back to K registration models which can be picked- up for around £250. All the rounded body panels (complete with roadster humps and rear wing), chassis, suspension, windscreen and other parts unique to the 5EXi are supplied in the kit.
The builder adds the engine, gearbox, controls and other components, taken from the Rover and assembles the parts in their own garage. Full stage-by-stage build instructions are supplied by Marlin, who will even help buyers find the right donor vehicle, strip, palletise and scrap the parts left over, all for only £400 (plus donor).
"A car enthusiast with basic practical skills and normal garage tools can build the 5EXi in around 80 hours" say Terry. “It’s an affordable way into track days and club motorsport, and the full weather equipment makes it practical for every day use too.”
The 5EXi's spaceframe chassis features modern design principles usually only found on up-market production sportscars, including mid-mounted engine and all-round independent suspension, with adjustable coil-over dampers, which can be adjusted for road or track use.
Engine options range from a cheap-to-insure Rover 1100cc right up to a wild, turbocharged two-litre, giving a blistering 0-60mph time of about four seconds. For those wanting to experience something even more exciting you can also use the Honda Civic ‘R’ engine & gearbox, blasting out a figure well under the 4 second mark.
With the car’s lightweight construction (around 550kg all-in) and aerodynamic shape it means you can expect stunning performance even from the smaller engine options.
As well as the engine and gearbox, the 5EXi also uses the Rover’s controls and instruments, making it easier and cheaper to build, at the same time giving the finished car a real production car look and feel.
The body panels are supplied in ready-to-fit, ready coloured gel coat glass fibre – they don’t even need painting.
“We find the 5EXi appeals both to the new generation of motoring enthusiast, who are looking for something more distinctive, and the enthusiasts who couldn’t afford sportcars when they were younger, or who had to buy something ‘more sensible’ when they started a family” said Terry.
“The 5Exi makes real sportscar ownership possible for them all.”
If potential owner's don't want to undertake the assembly work themselves, the factory will prepare a fully assembled version of the 5EXi, using all new parts and metallic paintwork as standard. Prices (varying according to engine) start from £19,995.