Cottage car companies - where are they now?

[tuesdaymorning]

Small car companies come and go. Arriving in a blaze of colour and rhetoric and all too often going quietly into the night.

This got me a-wondering. How many of these, possibly, familiar names remain? I am aware than several of these companies have websites that are still live on the Internet. But is there anyone behind them, or are they simply virtual tombstones to someone's dreams and ambitions?

I anyone could shed any light on the status of any of these companies or projects I would love to hear:

Grinnell
Invicta
Project Kimber
Connaught
Candy Apple Cars
Melling
Spectre
Marcos
GTM
Tifosi
Fenix Automotive
CPP

Thanks!

Oh, and if I had the cash I would buy the rights to the TVR Tamora. Trim down and feminse the exterior. Fit a reliable engine and gearbox and have my own little failed dream.

[xPOW]

Grinnall (3 wheeled things?) are alive and trading in Worcestershire I believe. As well as one wheel at back, now offers a more typical trike-style one wheel at-front design. Mark had designs on a (wait for it) 4 (yes four) wheeled car at one point but not sure if it ever saw the light of day.

A friend had a Scorpion based on the BMW 1100cc bike engine years ago. Wasn't a great car though! It was funny in the wet though as the floor had 4 holes in the bottom and when he went over sitting water, it sucked the water up through the floor and created 4 little fountains inside the car as you drove along.

[tuesdaymorning]

I remember them bringing out the 4 wheeler. I still have a poster of it in my old bedroom at my parent's house that I picked up at motor show. I also remember seeing a photo of one of the 3 wheelers up on 2 wheels. I think now they spend more time converting big BMW touring bikes.

[p1doc]

dont forget adrenaline motorsport's murtaya lol
wasnt there recent article about officially backed company that can rejuvanate most tvr's??
martin

[MrBrightSi]

Aren't the main points of some of the cars in question being light weight and nimble? Would of thought anything modern now requiring 10 tonnes of safety gear would be a killer.

[anonymous-user]

In the 1990s when Mazda and BMW moved into the small sportscar business and Porsche brought out the Boxster it was all over for the small manufacturers. Then in 1997 GM turned up with its all-new Corvette C5 and dominated the global V8 sportscar sector for good measure.

Now I think the big boys are turning away from sportscars again because everyone with any money seems to want a big 4x4. Go figure. So maybe there will be scope for the smaller guys like Lotus to get a grip.

[tuesdaymorning]

The project to rejuvenate TVRs was from the same Russian who ran it into the ground. Planned to rip out all it's soul and replace it with a corvette v8

[p1doc]

tuesdaymorning said:

The project to rejuvenate TVRs was from the same Russian who ran it into the ground. Planned to rip out all it's soul and replace it with a corvette v8

i agree not ideal but still enables the cars to be kept going until proper engines are readily available but i presume tvr owners clubs would likely be able to source a proper engine and get it built by ex tvr engineer?
martin

[offspring86]

I think Marcos went belly up again in 2010ish.

[Parabola]

Did anything come of the (Welsh?) project using the Smart Roaster as a base?

[cymtriks]

Dividing the list into companies that actually sold some cars and those that didn't, with a grey area inbetween:

Grinnall - still being made
Marcos - gone in 2007
GTM - sold to Westfield, currently on ice since 2010
Spectre - sold a few, gone in 1997

Invicta - still going?
Connaught - did they finish a car?

Project Kimber - never started
Candy Apple Cars - gone years ago!
Melling - never started
Tifosi - a rebody of a MG midget as a Frogeye? - website still exists?
Fenix Automotive - not yet started?
CPP - have they actually made a car?

[tuesdaymorning]

Project Kimber was the Project to build Smart Roadsters in Wales. Fantastic idea...I know it got shelved but any updates would be great. Especially how far it got.

Updates so far thankfully accepted but I'd love so,e more concrete facts about these companies.

Thanks

[Martyn-123]

There are rumours about re Marcos ?

[veevee]

Someone posted a picture of a Connaught on the road on this forum a little while ago.