Monday 3rd October 2016

Clive Sutton US right-hand drive conversions

Put off a new Corvette, Hellcat or Raptor by sitting on the wrong side? Now there's a solution

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However good the latest breed of American sports cars is - very, very good by all accounts - being sat on the left of them will always be tricky in the UK. It's not an insurmountable problem, especially when you think of how many Delta Integrales and E30 M3s there are around, but certainly it can make things awkward. Think of the drive-thru.

Ram. For when a Ford Ranger is too prissy

To address this issue, and in response to increasing demand for American cars over here, Clive Sutton is now offering a range of right-hand drive conversions through its Sutton Bespoke service. Using "precision sculpted mouldings" of interior components that are then handcrafted to mirror the original fit, Sutton Bespoke is promising "factory standards" of fit and finish. Where required, 3D printing is also used to remanufacture certain parts.

So what's on offer? The Dodge Ram is the most recently completed project, in full-Texas 1500 Laramie Quad Cab V8 spec. If you're more of a Ford man, Sutton will also convert F-150s, F250s and Raptors. Plus the Toyota Tundra. And Chevy Silverado. Moreover, for those with a fledgling hip hop career, Escalades are available for RHD conversion.

But we care about the sports cars, right? On Sutton's conversion list is the latest Corvette, the Dodge Challenger (see the image and, yes, including the Hellcat), the Chevy Camaro (2010-2015, with the new car in development) and the Ford Mustang. Quite why you would want the old car converted when there's a new car available in right-hand drive is another matter, but it is possible.

RHD Challenger? Interesting...

This is not a cheap endeavour though, even if American cars tend to be a little cheaper to buy. On something like the Ram, prices start from £26,400 (including VAT), with a right-hand drive Escalade on offer from £36,000 plus the purchase price of the car. The muscle cars are pricier though, with both Challenger and Camaro conversions beginning at £32,400. And for a Corvette it's £50K.

So you'll need to be pretty committed to the cause. But then the appetite for American cars is growing over here and, well, people have spent far more money making one-off cars in the past. Wonder if they can sort a Mustang GT350R?

[Burwood]

absolutely ridiculous price. Top notch job carried out by experts in NZ costs 25k NZD which is £13k.