Edition #SEVENTEEN
Laguna in the Limelight
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The last six weeks have been full of behind-the-scenes activity, mostly involving our next steps forward as a company. However, there was one very public and very exciting milestone. On June 15th, Laguna Prototype One made its public debut as a rolling chassis at the Tiburon Classic Car Show in Tiburon, California! This small but packed event is something of a “hometown” show for Kyle and I, and we were honored to have the opportunity to show the car here for the first time among family, friends, young enthusiasts, and some serious car collectors. Enjoy the photos below!
Our prototype was the star of the show - it seemed to attract a consistently larger crowd than any other car there! Parked by itself on a grassy knoll overlooking the bay, it made for some pretty spectacular shots as well. As a sort of half-time show, Tom - the show organizer and driving force behind our successful debut - conducted a “sound test” and held the microphone up to a number of cars as they revved their engines for the crowd. Laguna certainly did not disappoint - just look at the circle that formed!
After the sound check, we happily obliged Tom who wanted to see what it was like to climb into Laguna Prototype One. He slid into the carbon fiber bucket seat like a natural, and looked right at home in the car. Tom, if you’re reading this… remember the deal we made! Another hero in attendance was our friend Trevor, who has been involved with the project for quite some time. We relied on his experience as an F1 performance engineer and Indy NXT race engineer to assist with Laguna’s suspension and steering development. He also carries the distinct honor of being a friend of over 20 years who has not yet tired of my sense of humor (not that I care).
After the show, we attended a charity dinner that benefitted a wonderful organization called Shifting Gears USA. This nonprofit aims to reintroduce technical skillsets into local high school curriculums. The dinner was hosted at Marin Luxury Cars, where I used to work as a porter and technician back in high school! Kyle and I must have spoken with over two hundred people between the show and the dinner. We ended the night with contact details for six genuine sales leads and a few new friends on top of that.
The interested buyers provided valuable feedback in terms of expressing what aspects of Laguna appealed to them most, and what common pain points we could address going forward. Despite its impossibly small footprint, Kyle and I are making absolutely sure that Laguna is designed to be usable every day and capable of tackling real-world obstacles such as speed bumps, storage space needs, and rush hour traffic on a hot summer day. I am so proud of the overwhelmingly positive feedback we received from everyone who sat in the car. It’s valuable confirmation that we are on the right track.
All in all, it was a hugely successful day that resulted in a number of wonderful connections. One of whom built the car pictured above, opposite Laguna Prototype One. Called the Corsa Spyder, it’s an entirely bespoke mid-engined roadster with a similar design ethos to Laguna. My initial reaction was as you would expect: a lengthy, excited and nerdy conversation with its creator that resulted in plans to chat a lot more.
And now, it’s back to the behind-the-scenes work. In addition to following up with our new leads, we are continuing discussions with three investors in order to reach the next big milestone: putting a body on the car. The main goal of these discussions is to ensure our investors’ money is de-risked as much as possible by developing an extremely detailed plan for the next 12 months and beyond. Kyle and I are fortunate that our initial investors are equal parts car enthusiasts and entrepreneurs who want to see our vision come to life just as much as we do. Taking everyone’s best interests into consideration is a balancing act that requires more care and attention than I can even begin to convey, which is why “investment discussions” take so long in the first place. More on that soon!
One more thing - we have started regularly publishing videos to our YouTube channel! Our latest video details the startup procedure for Laguna Prototype One, which you can see by clicking on the thumbnail below. Let me know what you think of the sound!
In the meantime, you can visit our website to learn more about our vision for Shoreline Bespoke, reach out, and shop for apparel. By subscribing to this newsletter, you’ll be the first to know about vehicle updates, future reveals, apparel releases and more… stay tuned!
Sincerely,
Spencer Beckman
Founder & CEO, Shoreline Bespoke Vehicles