New electronic ignition system, 123ignition, not yet for US sale Options

[lapuwali]

I first heard about these guys about 3 years ago, and talked to them briefly. It's a Dutch company making distributors that are fully electronic. No mechanical advance mechanism at all, just a processor controlled system installed entirely inside a distributor housing. It has 16 different advance curves built in (selectable with a rotary switch). Nice billet housings with a sealed bearing supporting the shaft. Vacuum advance or not, all done electronically. A very nice idea.

At the time, they had distributors for many Ducieller and Lucas systems available, and were about to produce Bosch setups for air-cooled VW/Porsche four-cylinder applications. I talked to them about becoming a US distributor for the air-cooled Bosch version. However, they were asking 183 euros for them wholesale (US$216 at current rates). That, plus shipping, duties, etc., meant I would've had to charge over $300 for them at retail, which I didn't think is viable for the US VW market, considering the 009 is still (undeservedly) well-loved and is under $100 new, and even a "high end" Mallory is $250 new. The Euro was rising frightening against the dollar when I talked to them, and they weren't interested in hearing marketing realities, so I dropped the whole idea.

They still don't have a US distributor for the Bosch versions, but they do have a North American distributor for the Lucas version (in Canada), and at least one US shop is now selling the Lucas version, for $360.

Perhaps they're just used to paying a lot more for stuff in Europe, but I still don't think this will fly in the US VW market. The 356/912 market might be vaguely interested, but that's not a very big market, and the 356 guys in particular tend to be more interested in originality than actual function. They'd gladly pay the price, but I'd wonder if you could bring them in economically.

Just passing this along in case someone here thinks they can negotiate a better deal than I could, or thinks they could make a go of it. If a US distributor appears for the Bosch version, this would be an interesting thing to look into for a 914, particularly if you run carbs or aftermarket EFI, and don't want the hassle of crank-fire ignition.

www.123ignition.nl is their main site.