Any interest in replica Recaro Spirit-R/RZ Seats?
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From: Los Angeles, CA
Any interest in replica Recaro Spirit-R/RZ Seats?
As many of you know, the Spirit-R & RZ Recaro seat market has been quickly dissipating over the last few years. Not only it is difficult to source any condition Recaro Seats but excellent condition seats are near impossible to source and when they are available they run north of $4,000. Over the last few weeks I have been in talks with a manufacturer in Australia who has procured an excellent replica of the seats. All the details are below on the seats. Assuming there is enough interest I would like to do one big group buy - one time only. Pricing is as follow and is for either red or black seats along with the rails. Everything will fit like OEM and is pre-drilled ready to install.
10+ - $2100+s/h
20+ - $1950+s/h
30+ - $1700+s/h
I am still working through shipping costs to the US, I am hoping to get a container which should only put costs at $300, it that isn't feasible they will be close to $550.
Shell
The Fabric used to manufacture the shell is carbon Kevlar, slightly different pattern than the OEM seats but non the less just as light, just as strong. we manufactured the shell utilising the Vacuum injection process as per OEM spec. We have also re-enforced parts the base with imbedded steel plate during the vacuum injection process to provide a more solid mounting on to the rail..
Seat Belt Strap
The plastic handles were made from scratch, steel mould and plastic injection technology were used to manufacture these items. The attention to detail goes all the way down to the texture of the plastic surface.:
Seat Covers/ Fabric
At first we find it quite difficult to find the fabric used by RECARO to manufacture these seats. We searched all over ASIA and EUROPE without success. However, after many a months of searching, we have decided to weave the fabric from thread. Re-manufacturing fabric from scratch means high MOQ and high in cost, at first we were reluctant. However, this is the only way for use to get exactly what we are looking for.
Tilting Seat Rails
FD3S OEM tilting seat rails consisted of 45 different parts, put together to function as one to achieve the perfect compromise between fixed back bucket seats and street use vehicles. This part of the project has taken us well over a year, but we have finally did it.
The manufacturing process begins with high pressure moulds using a very special steel for the application. Each pieces of the seat rails are then pressed by 50 tonne of pressure into shape. Kinks and bends are there to create strength for each section of the seat rails.
10+ - $2100+s/h
20+ - $1950+s/h
30+ - $1700+s/h
I am still working through shipping costs to the US, I am hoping to get a container which should only put costs at $300, it that isn't feasible they will be close to $550.
Shell
The Fabric used to manufacture the shell is carbon Kevlar, slightly different pattern than the OEM seats but non the less just as light, just as strong. we manufactured the shell utilising the Vacuum injection process as per OEM spec. We have also re-enforced parts the base with imbedded steel plate during the vacuum injection process to provide a more solid mounting on to the rail..
Seat Belt Strap
The plastic handles were made from scratch, steel mould and plastic injection technology were used to manufacture these items. The attention to detail goes all the way down to the texture of the plastic surface.:
Seat Covers/ Fabric
At first we find it quite difficult to find the fabric used by RECARO to manufacture these seats. We searched all over ASIA and EUROPE without success. However, after many a months of searching, we have decided to weave the fabric from thread. Re-manufacturing fabric from scratch means high MOQ and high in cost, at first we were reluctant. However, this is the only way for use to get exactly what we are looking for.
Tilting Seat Rails
FD3S OEM tilting seat rails consisted of 45 different parts, put together to function as one to achieve the perfect compromise between fixed back bucket seats and street use vehicles. This part of the project has taken us well over a year, but we have finally did it.
The manufacturing process begins with high pressure moulds using a very special steel for the application. Each pieces of the seat rails are then pressed by 50 tonne of pressure into shape. Kinks and bends are there to create strength for each section of the seat rails.
wow...normally i wouldn't consider replicas...but considering spirit R recaros can't be purchased new seperately from the car, i would be interested in purchasing these.
are the prices you posted per seat or for a pair?
are the prices you posted per seat or for a pair?
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I totally agree. Kudos to PureRX7 for trying to make this but in all honestly, to me they are still replicas, and expensive ones at that. I couldnt justify spending so much on a Spirit R/RZ set myself when there are better options for the money, so I opted for a authentic Recaro Pole Position.
I had been working with this fabricator for months on these seats. I am not quite sure how this group buy has come about. I also ordered a set months ago and have yet to receive them.
There was also some double talk going on if Bryan has been in talks with him for weeks because it was already agreed I would be the only US distributer of these products once I tested the prototype.
There was a problem with the manufacturing process with the rails and they did not ship with the seats.
The seats also had some problems and although I was told they have shipped I have not received any tracking info and the seats have not arrived as promised.
I had trusted this fabricator up to the point that this group buy showed up and it looks to be a problem with Integrity on his part if in fact Bryan is selling product for him now.
I have not been able to evaluate these seats as I have received them. But I am having doubts about the integrity of the fabricator.
There are concerns also I had mentioned to him about making an unlicensed product and maybe dropping the Recaro logo. Unlicenced Products can be seized in customs and how would you recoup your money?
I would be careful dealing with this offshore fabricator. I was waiting to evaluate the seats which were promised to arrive weeks ago and have yet to.
All I can say is be careful. I wasn't willing to start a group buy until I had the product in hand because if I get screwed ok...
I wasn't willing to put my reputation on the line offering a product until I had tested it myself,
Particularly a seat made by someone not in the seating business. This is not a hood or wing. This is like a guy making a braking system from scratch. It needs to be tested and trusted before offering it to customers.
Maybe Bryan is doing this I don't know. But I would strongly urge him to look at the safety and the ability of this fabricator to fulfill an order before putting dozens of these into RX7 owners cars.
It's more then just money at stake here. There are reputations and lives.
I'm testing these seats if and when they arrive. It was my plan to do this all along before offering them for sale.
I might even have a pair for sale in a week or two when they arrive for those who don't want to wait.
Best of luck
Mike
There was also some double talk going on if Bryan has been in talks with him for weeks because it was already agreed I would be the only US distributer of these products once I tested the prototype.
There was a problem with the manufacturing process with the rails and they did not ship with the seats.
The seats also had some problems and although I was told they have shipped I have not received any tracking info and the seats have not arrived as promised.
I had trusted this fabricator up to the point that this group buy showed up and it looks to be a problem with Integrity on his part if in fact Bryan is selling product for him now.
I have not been able to evaluate these seats as I have received them. But I am having doubts about the integrity of the fabricator.
There are concerns also I had mentioned to him about making an unlicensed product and maybe dropping the Recaro logo. Unlicenced Products can be seized in customs and how would you recoup your money?
I would be careful dealing with this offshore fabricator. I was waiting to evaluate the seats which were promised to arrive weeks ago and have yet to.
All I can say is be careful. I wasn't willing to start a group buy until I had the product in hand because if I get screwed ok...
I wasn't willing to put my reputation on the line offering a product until I had tested it myself,
Particularly a seat made by someone not in the seating business. This is not a hood or wing. This is like a guy making a braking system from scratch. It needs to be tested and trusted before offering it to customers.
Maybe Bryan is doing this I don't know. But I would strongly urge him to look at the safety and the ability of this fabricator to fulfill an order before putting dozens of these into RX7 owners cars.
It's more then just money at stake here. There are reputations and lives.
I'm testing these seats if and when they arrive. It was my plan to do this all along before offering them for sale.
I might even have a pair for sale in a week or two when they arrive for those who don't want to wait.
Best of luck
Mike
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Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 9
Likes: 0
From: Australia
Angry panda Factory
Hi guys
I run Angry Panda Factory and since this thread is about the products I am selling or about me, I thought I will try to clear the air for everybody. But first, a quick introduction:
My name is Ignatius often known as Iggy. I started this company in 2011, back then I was just a poor college student who works part time in order to afford parts for my car. I own a 3rd gen FD RX7. However I often receive parts which are not to my expectations.
For this very reason I thought Il start my own company and offer the community something honest. I make quality parts or not at all, I would take extra time to fix a problem rather than passing the problem on to my customers. These are the very principal the company is operating by.
My car is white with Carbon fibre bits on it, looks sort of like a panda and thus...... Angry panda Factory...... I never meant for the company to grow to this size, thus why the silly name. I simply made it for people to recall me by.
Distributor dilemma
Regarding this matter, I have been speaking to Bryan as well as Mike for the last few weeks. They approached me not the other way around and for this I have to make a decision to whom I will choose to work with. Bryan has not contacted me for a few weeks, while Mike and I continue our conversation with each other.
After much consideration, I found Mike to be more interactive regarding the project and for that I have decided to crown mike as my USA distributor. However it is clear that there has been a miscommunication which has caused a lot of frustration to both parties. Mike is now upset with me because of this dilemma and I am not too flash about it either.
For this I would like to apologize in advance especially to Mike and Bryan for this whole dilemma. I have done everything I could to make this work but unfortunately, it didn't. For this reason, for the time being I would like to retract the title of distribution ship within the USA. This may cause turbulence for my company but in order to resolve this disputes, I think I will take my chances, after all I started this company to make people in this community happy and not the other way around.
For any Angry Panda Factory products or sales queries, please contact:
francis@angrypandafactory.com.au
Integrity
My company is based in Australia and are subjects to Australian laws and regulations. This very fact means that my products have to meet a certain standard or I will be putting myself liable for law suits. The consumer affair law in Australia is very strong to say the least. Yes I am offshore, in fact we are offshore to every other countries, We live on a big Island in the middle of the ocean.
For those who would like to know about me from other people, I am normally very active on FDRX7.com. I have plenty of happy customers there.
Safety issues
I have heard many concerns regarding the safety properties of these seats. We manufactured these seats exactly to Mazda's specification, we literally took a $4000+ genuine Recaro seats and ripped them apart for studies and to ensure everything is made up to standards. These seats are not simply made up to look like the genuine Recaro seats, these seats are made to Mazda/ Recaro specification.
This include a vacuum injected carbon Kevlar shell with steel plates re-enforcement at the base of each seat to allow better anchorage to the seat rails. non re-enforced seat shell tends to strip the bolts up in an accident or heavy braking.
But don't just take my words for it, if you would like to prove it for yourself, please take a metal detector and test them yourself. Vacuum injected composites will offer stronger laminate and is stronger, lighter than its wet hand laid counterparts. Against dry carbon, it is 10% heavier but is less prone to shattering. The very same carbon fibre processing method is employed by large companies such as Ferrari, Lamborghinis even NASA to make some parts for their satellites.
However at the end of the day, I will not disprove that these seats are replicas and the price will reflect that fact appropriately.
Turn around time
Customers which have purchased products from me have been told that it will take approximately 4 weeks for it to arrive at their door step, sometimes this could be a few days late or a week late, in reality, I could never give a fixed timeline as the production and shipment process involves more than one party. Sometimes its really not up to me to crack the whip but at most times I can say that my timeline are quite reliable. Whatever the cause I will do everything I could to meet the deadline given.
But have no fear mike, I have checked your tracking number, your seats are already in the USA at CINCINNATI HUB, OH - USA and the next step will be delivery.
Copyright issues:
As for a few issues which has been mentioned by mike, these are very valid reasons. However I have taken them into considerations. The seat cover are available with and without the Recaro logo, infact I will offer custom embroidery providing you can give me the digital file of said graphic.
Leather option:
For an additional of $300 I will offer a leather option as the seat covers. The leather I am using is genuine German leather with an Italian suede combo. of late I have taken a lot of inspiration from the Aston martin DBS racing seats. Again, custom embroidery is available for this option.
So guys, please let me know what you all think....... just drop me an email at:
francis@angrypandafactory.com.au
or visit (needs to be updated, its been a while)
Webpage: Home - Angry Panda Factory
Facebook page: Angry panda Factory
Regard
FIP Chow
I run Angry Panda Factory and since this thread is about the products I am selling or about me, I thought I will try to clear the air for everybody. But first, a quick introduction:
My name is Ignatius often known as Iggy. I started this company in 2011, back then I was just a poor college student who works part time in order to afford parts for my car. I own a 3rd gen FD RX7. However I often receive parts which are not to my expectations.
For this very reason I thought Il start my own company and offer the community something honest. I make quality parts or not at all, I would take extra time to fix a problem rather than passing the problem on to my customers. These are the very principal the company is operating by.
My car is white with Carbon fibre bits on it, looks sort of like a panda and thus...... Angry panda Factory...... I never meant for the company to grow to this size, thus why the silly name. I simply made it for people to recall me by.
Distributor dilemma
Regarding this matter, I have been speaking to Bryan as well as Mike for the last few weeks. They approached me not the other way around and for this I have to make a decision to whom I will choose to work with. Bryan has not contacted me for a few weeks, while Mike and I continue our conversation with each other.
After much consideration, I found Mike to be more interactive regarding the project and for that I have decided to crown mike as my USA distributor. However it is clear that there has been a miscommunication which has caused a lot of frustration to both parties. Mike is now upset with me because of this dilemma and I am not too flash about it either.
For this I would like to apologize in advance especially to Mike and Bryan for this whole dilemma. I have done everything I could to make this work but unfortunately, it didn't. For this reason, for the time being I would like to retract the title of distribution ship within the USA. This may cause turbulence for my company but in order to resolve this disputes, I think I will take my chances, after all I started this company to make people in this community happy and not the other way around.
For any Angry Panda Factory products or sales queries, please contact:
francis@angrypandafactory.com.au
Integrity
My company is based in Australia and are subjects to Australian laws and regulations. This very fact means that my products have to meet a certain standard or I will be putting myself liable for law suits. The consumer affair law in Australia is very strong to say the least. Yes I am offshore, in fact we are offshore to every other countries, We live on a big Island in the middle of the ocean.
For those who would like to know about me from other people, I am normally very active on FDRX7.com. I have plenty of happy customers there.
Safety issues
I have heard many concerns regarding the safety properties of these seats. We manufactured these seats exactly to Mazda's specification, we literally took a $4000+ genuine Recaro seats and ripped them apart for studies and to ensure everything is made up to standards. These seats are not simply made up to look like the genuine Recaro seats, these seats are made to Mazda/ Recaro specification.
This include a vacuum injected carbon Kevlar shell with steel plates re-enforcement at the base of each seat to allow better anchorage to the seat rails. non re-enforced seat shell tends to strip the bolts up in an accident or heavy braking.
But don't just take my words for it, if you would like to prove it for yourself, please take a metal detector and test them yourself. Vacuum injected composites will offer stronger laminate and is stronger, lighter than its wet hand laid counterparts. Against dry carbon, it is 10% heavier but is less prone to shattering. The very same carbon fibre processing method is employed by large companies such as Ferrari, Lamborghinis even NASA to make some parts for their satellites.
However at the end of the day, I will not disprove that these seats are replicas and the price will reflect that fact appropriately.
Turn around time
Customers which have purchased products from me have been told that it will take approximately 4 weeks for it to arrive at their door step, sometimes this could be a few days late or a week late, in reality, I could never give a fixed timeline as the production and shipment process involves more than one party. Sometimes its really not up to me to crack the whip but at most times I can say that my timeline are quite reliable. Whatever the cause I will do everything I could to meet the deadline given.
But have no fear mike, I have checked your tracking number, your seats are already in the USA at CINCINNATI HUB, OH - USA and the next step will be delivery.
Copyright issues:
As for a few issues which has been mentioned by mike, these are very valid reasons. However I have taken them into considerations. The seat cover are available with and without the Recaro logo, infact I will offer custom embroidery providing you can give me the digital file of said graphic.
Leather option:
For an additional of $300 I will offer a leather option as the seat covers. The leather I am using is genuine German leather with an Italian suede combo. of late I have taken a lot of inspiration from the Aston martin DBS racing seats. Again, custom embroidery is available for this option.
So guys, please let me know what you all think....... just drop me an email at:
francis@angrypandafactory.com.au
or visit (needs to be updated, its been a while)
Webpage: Home - Angry Panda Factory
Facebook page: Angry panda Factory
Regard
FIP Chow