After many suiters who failed to come up with an offer the Church Pod project looks to be splitting up into individual cars and the intellectual and manufacturing rights in the end.
A buyer has come forward for the 2nd car, which is pretty much complete with a donor Honda 250cc scooter, minus only the front suspension and brakes/hubs, Messerschmitt with Vespa disc hubs conversion recommended, of the major components. A absolute bargain in my opinion, but there we are.
Thus I will in all probability retain the Prototype for the moment. Not least as affords the buyer the option of looking at how the original was put together. Besides I still think it offers a modern take on Schmitting, as its design uses much of that car. So the handling is similar, but it stops so much better and has loads of excess power. It is much more of a microcar than much that is being created these days. My main issue with it is being to fat to get in it easily. Indeed you need to be reasonably lithe to insert your legs into the very strong spaceframe chassis with such a long raked screen. I am loath to turn it into a sports version with no top, but it could work. This car is registered and has been used on the road.
There remains a 3rd set of parts, being a chassis set, a once fitted body with sidescreens and some other parts. Never bought a donor for this one. The other two Pods offer 180cc 2 stroke or 400cc Burgman set ups, my two have Honda Foresite 250cc. Just about any front ended scrap scooter will fit. You need the wiring, key if with ECU and the dash and controls if available, though personal choice might mean not using them. Certainly my car is on pedal controls rather than twist grips. With the handlebars, there is a choice. Yours for a very cheap £400, cost near £1,000 retail at the time and inflation has occurred since . You can have the rights as well if you wish to negotiate. I would expect a handy person to be roadworthy for within £1,500. What other Microcar can offer you that with sensible performance?
I believe new suspension can be sourced from the MOC. Rubber inserts and axle sets.Russ sold his tooling into Germany, so they are now supplying parts to Russell's specs. He took care to get the sure hardness correct, including the option for Tigers, of which I have several sets fortunately. Not sure what stock the MOC might have. They had Brian Perry/Russell Church front axle pairs and were looking at making their own rubber inserts, subsequent to failure to provide insurance or a legal order form thus extending the MOC insurance cover to protect an enthusiast working on the behalf of a limited liability organization. It was this lack of support and protection from possible damages claims, and the one sided risk ever offered after, that began Russ's departure from constructing some of the best quality, and value, parts made for Schmitters world wide, inside or outside the MOC. A great loss all round. While I sourced enough units from the factory door, direct from Russ, for my future use, I have not the spares, nor will I break my word to Russ, to offer them on privately until he releases me from that bond. The only thing we agreed I could sell are some Tiger seat kits I bought from him when he was clearing out his remaining stock. He could not be bothered to do them again despite having all the parts.
Of course a second hand suspension sets will do just as well, preferably with new rubber inserts. The Vespa stuff is available new at reasonable prices or second hand. You will need a Schmitt king pin yolk to mount your new assembly on using the esimple Schmitt available king pin design.
