Small Volume UK Car Makers from '50s to '70s

[Keep it stiff]

As a Christmas fun thread I thought we might compile a list of small volume UK manufacturers from the 50s. 60's and 70's. The rules of this thread are:

1. Maximum of three contributions per person.
2. The manufacturer is/was UK based.
3. Small volume.

As it's my thread I will start, I give you the:

Davrian



Peerless



Rochdale

[Turbobanana]

Can I put my all-time favourite in before anyone else does?

[Turbobanana]

For sheer weirdness, can I also propose the Argyll?



Built in undisclosed numbers in a former laundry in Scotland, these were originally Douvrin V6-powered but later (outside of our 50s-70s time frame) featured turbo Rover V8 power. Allegedly there were plans to offer a turbocharged SAAB 2.0, before SAAB had even launched it, owing to company founder Bob Henderson's other business - the Minnow Fish Carburettor Company.

Rear lights from a Datsun 100A Coupe, I believe.

[LuS1fer]

Clan - developed by ex Lotus employees, using Hillman Imp parts



Gilbern - Welsh made at Llantwit Fadre



Bond

[Tymb]

Always liked these, fancied one as a first car in the late 80’s but ended up with a boring Metro.
Hillman Imp

[sideways man]

From the ‘peak’ of the British kitcar industry, I present a Dutton Pheaton S3.
It was my daily driver in the 1980’s, and surprisingly practical….when you’re 19
A very well balanced car and a great drive.

[nicanary]

How the heck is the Hillman Imp small volume ?

[nicanary]

Only 2 built I believe. The Gordano.

[Keep it stiff]

nicanary said:

Only 2 built I believe. The Gordano.

Tell us more!

[sideways man]

nicanary said:

How the heck is the Hillman Imp small volume ?

My thoughts exactly!

[TarquinMX5]

Marcos.

[Tymb]

sideways man said:

nicanary said:

How the heck is the Hillman Imp small volume ?

My thoughts exactly!

My apologies I did not realise they made that many of them, growing up in the 70’s-80’s I don’t recall seeing many, just assumed it was the low 1,000’s not 400k!

[nicanary]

Keep it stiff said:

nicanary said:

Only 2 built I believe. The Gordano.

Tell us more!

Financed by Joe Fry of Frys chocolate fame, who was well-known in UK motorsport circles and an enthusiastic driver, and created by a circle of friends from the Bristol 500 Club. It was intended for production, but only one open and one closed cars were ever made - Joe was killed in a racing accident and the whole project petered out.

[nicanary]

If you read the Observers Book of Automobiles, you'll remember the Astra van.

[Mr.Chips]

Piper.
Sorry no pics! Always liked the looks of these, but wondered if I would be able to get into one! I manage to get in and out of my T350C without too many issues, but think that these are even lower!

[moffspeed]

I’ll nominate two - both penned by serious designers and both deserved of far more success & recognition than came their way :



Strada.



Costin Amigo.

[moffspeed]

Ogle. Not all of their output consisted of bug-eyed BMC- powered minnows.

The Ogle- designed Aston Martin Sotheby/Embassy Special.

I think time has been kind to it, especially in non-fag packet colour scheme.



That’s my 3 then - but the target must be 200 +.

[nicanary]

Bit of a cheat, because the year was 1949. Wadia Murad fully intended to put this into production, but promised government funding failed to turn up before he went bust. He had a firm order of 200 cars from Scandinavia. He used this as his personal car for many decades and it still exists.

[FiF]

AC Ace and Aceca

Though they did make a fair few of the three wheel invalid cars so that maybe excludes them.

Someone has already mentioned Bond but the Bond Minicar is worth a mention for the comedy emergency start procedure, open bonnet, insert leg, operate kick start.

[sjabrown]

Turbobanana said:

For sheer weirdness, can I also propose the Argyll?



Built in undisclosed numbers in a former laundry in Scotland, these were originally Douvrin V6-powered but later (outside of our 50s-70s time frame) featured turbo Rover V8 power. Allegedly there were plans to offer a turbocharged SAAB 2.0, before SAAB had even launched it, owing to company founder Bob Henderson's other business - the Minnow Fish Carburettor Company.

Rear lights from a Datsun 100A Coupe, I believe.

For 6 months in 2009 I lived just up the road from Minnow House, oblivious to it's existence and significance. Walked past many many times, was aware of some interesting cars being there but just not how interesting.