The Aston Martin V8 Vantage (1993-2000) this is back when the Virage family of cars was just as luxurious and exquisite as any Rolls or Bentley but also much faster and cooler looking. I know the cars were made from the ground up in Newport Pagnell with the help of hammers, english wheel and jigs. Also trying to understand how much of the engine and the gearbox was made in-house, I know they worked close with Cosworth, but how about the transmission who and how much was made outside?
This has lots of info on all the various versions; Check out all the custom versions: http://astonmartins.com/car/v8-vantage-v550/ http://astonmartins.com/car/v8-vantage-v600/ AFAIK the engines were built by AM, heads were still the Callaway 32 valve heads from the Virage ( probably ported). Wilder cams and dual superchargers, ended with 600hp and 600ftlb. Gearbox was a Tremec or Corvette 6 speed, I think, and for most models 6th gear was blocked off. Auto gearbox too. I have a standard Virage, and good lord they are heavy cars. Don't let the aluminum bodywork fool you. AM would update cars for owners after sale, for a nominal price. JK! (Works Service has no nominal prices)
My unicorn is a V600 LM, my number one car I desire the most. One day I hope to come across one with LHD that does not cost $700k plus......... Black on Black........ Tom Hartley had one last year but I was not ready money wise.
That's not a supercar. Your statement is correct, though, as the F1 is really the last hand made supercar and it's British. The carbon tub took 4,000 hours or so and laid by hand. The new McLarens take up to 4 hours. https://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/car-technology/news/a32587/mclaren-brings-carbon-tub-production-home/
Hand made to me means people actually hammered out the body laid it up by hand. The Mac F1 probably still fits that description. So do Paganis Anything else is mass production. if you use steel dies to make the shapes, that to me is not “hand made”
Morgan still hand builds cars - at least as of 2012 or so. My old company was going to do a case study with them, and I was close to seeing the inner workings. They did tell me it’s still a mostly hand-built process for their cars. FWIW.
I think Christian von Koenigssegg might debate your assertion. Unlike Pagani, Koenigssegg builds their own engines, including the blocks. Pagani uses Mercedes AMG engines (modified admittedly, but still AMG at its core . . . not that it's a bad thing).
I'm not sure I would qualify Koenigssegg as a "mass production" manufacturer. But you have a point about that.
The difference is "hand made" vs "hand assembled". You could argue most cars are "hand assembled" even today. If you are using mass production tools to make most of the parts, then is it hand made or just hand assembled? That is the root of the issue. It's what the definition of what "is is". To me, if a guy gets a sheet of aluminum and starts banging away on a form to make the car shape on a buck, or starts with a piece of fiberglass or carbon fibre and lays it up one piece at a time using his craftsmanship to make it, that's hand made. Stamping a body out in a tool and then screwing it to a chassis is not IMO.
Agreed. But you mentioned Pagani and I tend to think of Pagani and Koenigssegg similarly - other than I can spell Pagani without having to look it up first.