The National Kit Car Show at Stoneleigh is billed as the world’s largest,
and while it certainly doesn’t seem to be as large as it used to be it
probably still boasts more manufacturers’ stands than any other kit car show.
Combine that with 10 acres of outdoor display area for club stands and a
plethora of trade stands for companies ranging from engine tuners to people
selling nuts and bolts and it’s about as close as you’ll get to having the
entire British kit car scene in one place.
In common with most recent Stoneleigh shows there wasn’t much on display
that wasn’t already familiar to kit car fanatics, but there were a couple of
new cars likely to be of interest to Pistonheads readers, with both being so new
they’re not actually finished yet.
First of these is the MK GT, another one of those GT racer look-alikes with
mid-mounted bike power aimed at the track day set. Interesting trick feature
with the MK is that it uses a chain to connect the 900cc Fireblade engine to an
outboard Quaife LSD via split sprockets which enable you to change final drive
ratio in about 15 minutes. MK estimate around £6000 to get one of these on the
road (yes, they are planning to make it road legal) which makes some similar
machinery look decidedly pricey.
Also new - after a fashion – is the Quantum Napier, which is the
combination of a very old name, a very new body and a well-proven chassis.
Another road racer aimed at track use, the Napier is basically a full-bodied
Quantum Xtreme, and considering that Quantum’s 400bhp Rover V8 powered sprint
Xtreme only gets outpaced by single-seaters it promises to perform rather well.
Unusual source of motive power, namely Nissan Primera in either 185 or 240bhp
versions, though Ford’s Zetec provides a more familiar option. Expect under
£20,000 for all-new turnkey cars.
Elsewhere – namely on the Ginetta and Ultima stands – there was a trend
for offering customers improved protection from the elements, with Ginetta
debuting what is effectively a G33 windscreen option (and heater!) for the G20
while Ultima showed off new wet weather gear for their Can Am.
As usual there were plenty of visitors packing the halls and quizzing the kit
car manufacturers about their cars. Most will probably never actually build or
own a kit car, although Stoneleigh’s ‘cars for sale’ hall always provides
a quick and easy route to kit car ownership for those with the money but not the
time or inclination to build one.
Wandering round outside the halls revealed the usual potted history of the
British kit car industry, from a solitary Rochdale through the once ubiquitous
but now rare Duttons to a collection of several generations of Ginettas. Plus of
course the inevitable Sevens, Westfields, Cobra replicas and fake Italian
exotica.
I wouldn’t say the numbers reached the 4,000 cars the organisers quoted in
their advertising, but even so, with cars attending from all over the UK there’s
no doubt that for many British kit car fanatics, Stoneleigh is still the only
place to be over May Bank Holiday.