Pre 1980 kit cars ?

[pigiron]

I am interested to learn which makes of kit car were available pre 1980, any info gratefully received.

Thanks in advance.

Edited by pigiron on Saturday 10th July 20:40

[cymtriks]

Nova

Caterham

Ginetta

Marcos

Lotus (the early cars were sold as kits)

Fairthrope

Gilbern

[singlecoil]

Dutton would be another, and Marlin

[yazza54]

GTM Coupe?
Cox GTM?

[slomax]

Were clan crusaders not kits?
There was also the US manta montage imported by UVA before they sold the fugative. The eagle ss and the lomax were 1981 and 82 respectively.

[seansverige]

Do specials qualify? Rochdale probably best known of these

http://www.1950sspecials.com/home.htm

Are you interested in a particular aspect of older kits?

[NigelStn]

pigiron said:

I am interested to learn which makes of kit car were available pre 1980, any info gratefully received.

Thanks in advance.

Edited by pigiron on Saturday 10th July 20:40

Spartan was one of the more popular kits in the 70's/80's

[Ferg]

Unipower GT

[Steve_D]

JBA

[cymtriks]

Why aren't these still in production?

Fiberfab Jamaican


Byers CR90


Speedex Silverstone looks nice to.

[CanAm]

seansverige said:

Do specials qualify? Rochdale probably best known of these

http://www.1950sspecials.com/home.htm

Are you interested in a particular aspect of older kits?

The Rochdale Olympic was sold as a kit in the 1960s, and had a GRP monocoque. A fine looking car.
How about the Piper GT? Still looks good 40 years on!

[FlossyThePig]

I know some have already been mentioned but from my records, including "The Construction of Ford Specials" published in 1960, not sure if they were all available as kits or as components to construct 'specials':

1. Ashley
2. Berkley
3. Cheetah
4. Falcon
5. Rochdale
6. Tornado
7. Turner

Then we have from the '60s:

1. Cox GTM
2. Deep Sanderson
3. Fairthorpe
4. Gilbern
5. Ginetta
6. Opus
7. Unipower

... and the '70s:

1. Charger
2. Davrian
3. Dutton
4. GP
5. Jago
6. Magenta
7. Manta Ray
8. Mini-Scamp
9. Nova# Volksrod
10. Pelland
11. Piper
12. Ranger
13. Rat
14. Siva
15. Spartan
16. Status
17. Stimpson
18. TX Tripper

[cymtriks]

CanAm said:

How about the Piper GT? Still looks good 40 years on!

That thing that looks like the front half of a sports car welded onto the back half of a van with a big skylight and window lines that don't match at all?

To be fair it is better looking than some efforts and each to their own etc.

I'll stick to liking the CR90 and the Jamaican I posted above!

[singlecoil]

cymtriks said:

CanAm said:

How about the Piper GT? Still looks good 40 years on!

That thing that looks like the front half of a sports car welded onto the back half of a van with a big skylight and window lines that don't match at all?

To be fair it is better looking than some efforts and each to their own etc.

I'll stick to liking the CR90 and the Jamaican I posted above!

I seem to remember it being an 'odd' looking car. To jog my memory I tried 'Piper GT' in Google image search. NSFW!

[CanAm]

cymtriks said:

CanAm said:

How about the Piper GT? Still looks good 40 years on!

That thing that looks like the front half of a sports car welded onto the back half of a van with a big skylight and window lines that don't match at all?

To be fair it is better looking than some efforts and each to their own etc.

I'll stick to liking the CR90 and the Jamaican I posted above!

"each to their own" indeed.
I've got to admit that Fiberfab Jamaican is a cut above the rest.

[pigiron]

seansverige said:

Do specials qualify? Rochdale probably best known of these

http://www.1950sspecials.com/home.htm

Are you interested in a particular aspect of older kits?

Nothing in particular just anything 30 years or older.

Many thanks to all for taking the time to reply ... most usefull.

[Roman]

cymtriks said:

Why aren't these still in production?

Fiberfab Jamaican

That's lovely.

Any more info or idea where the moulds are?

[V8 GRF]

Roman said:

cymtriks said:

Why aren't these still in production?

Fiberfab Jamaican

That's lovely.

Any more info or idea where the moulds are?

The name FibreFab rang some bells from my youth so a bit searching dug up the following info:

The Jamaican was based on any Triumph TR or Austin Healey 3000 chassis (I bet anyone who cut up one of those regretted it) and assorted US car parts like a Corvette windshield and ‘66 Mustang fastback rear glass hatch. It then evolved into a VW pan car......

Very Lambo Miura rear.



I also found an ad for an untouched kit for sale, dunno how old it is though

http://www.priceofhistoys.com/2008/07/10/untouched...


The original company went bust years ago but I found this website which appears to a reborn company producing a car called the Valkyrie some sort of GT40 replica but I'm not sure how current is is as for the most part it hasn't been updated since 2003 and then suddenly added to this year..


http://www.fiberfab.us/default.htm

[Electron]

Found this on the Fibrefab Jamaican in the picture earlier ...

http://www.britishv8.org/MG/BillSpohn.htm

I'd love to go searching for one but the wife would make me move out and live in it.

[spyder dryver]

I've been thumbing through a small pile of "Car Mechanics" magazines from 1958-1967.
I am amazed at the number of different bodies available to fit the Austin 7, Ford 7'6" and other chassis.
I can add to the list above:
Super Accesories "Super-Two" - £99 the kit!
Easy-Built Cars Ltd. EB50 - Bodyshell £29
Walklett Bros. "Fairlite" - Bodyshell £49.0.0
Hamblin Ltd. "Cadet" - Bodyshell £34.10.0
Convair Developments - Bodyshell £68 ex-works
Monkspathe Garage "Kenmar" - Trimmed Bodyshell -£89
Auto Kraft Shells
Concordette "Concord"
Shirley
Super-Sabre
Markham-Peasey "Celeste"
Speedex
Nickri Laminates "Alpine" -Bodyshell £89
Microbond "Mistral"
GF Laminations "Delta" -Bodyshell £73
RGS Bodies


IF I can coax my scanner into life I'll post some pics.

Geoff