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THE TICI STORY
Apr 4th
STEVE HOLE tells the story of the brilliant ‘Commuter City Car’, the TiCi
The TiCi was created by Anthony Hill, Design RCA, a 34-year-old (in 1971) design consultant and lecturer based in Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire.
Hill was a talented chap with a Royal College of Art pedigree. He’d previously designed a motorcycle and several domestic and industrial appliances and had also done consultancy work for the likes of Ford Motor Company and Hawker Siddeley. Clearly, a clever man.
There were also things as diverse as wheelchairs, locomotives and even a trimaran on his CV. He also had a desire to create his own ‘commuter city More >
FUNKY CHICKENS, PRICELESS ASTONS AND A STABLE THAT WASN’T A STABLE – THE STORY OF JOHN OGIER
Mar 21st
STEVE HOLE tells the story of JOHN OGIER
[standfirst] Sir John Lionel Eardley Ogier goes under the radar these days but deserves recognition for his contribution to British motorsport and the automotive industry in general. One thing is certain, despite his importance information is hard to come by, but Sir John Ogier sure was a fascinating man, with an amazing story. We are indebted to Ogier’s son, James for his invaluable help with this feature.
Ogier was born in India on October 23, 1920 (an interesting fact is that his brother, Michael was born on the same day in 1921), but was educated More >
MARCELO GANDINI, LEGENDARY AUTOMOTIVE DESIGNER, RIP
Mar 14th
We were very sad to hear about the death of legendary designer, Marcelo Gandini this week, aged 85.
Marcelo Gandini photographed in 1976, while working for Nuccio Bertone (unknown photographer – Wikipedia).
STEVE HOLE gives a potted career rundown of one of the greatest designers to pick up a pencil.
Gandini was the son of an orchestral conductor and working as an interior designer, when he approached another great designer, Nuccio Bertone, for a job in 1963. Bertone was impressed but was dissuaded from giving young Marcelo a job by his then chief designer (yet another great), Giorgetto Giugiaro who didn’t like him.
Lancia More >
STRADA 4/88 – THE ITALIANATE SOUNDING TWO-SEATER FROM SUFFOLK
Mar 7th
STEVE HOLE tells the story of the STRADA 4/88. Pix courtesy of www.adrianflux.co.uk
A real curiosity this one. It wasn’t a kitcar but was very specialist. The Strada 4/88 was the brainchild of a Suffolk carpet shop proprietor called John Hillier, from Woodbridge with vital input from his engineer friend, John Brighty.
The two had met in the late sixties and Brighty had ‘form’ as he’d previously worked at Bill Last’s Trident Cars, a marque that Hillier supplied Wilton carpeting to.
Between them, they developed what became the Strada 4/88 with design from none other than BMC designer Harris Mann (Austin Princess, ZT More >
THE STORY OF TRIPLEX & PILKINGTON AUTOMOTIVE
Feb 15th
STEVE HOLE TELLS THE STORY OF TRIPLEX SAFETY GLASS & PILKINGTON GLASS
Founded in 1912 by Reginald Delpech who was based in Kent. He devised a method of producing toughened and laminated glass for aviation, rail and automotive uses. He was ahead of the game and a real pioneer.
If you’ve ever suffered a broken windscreen, did you ever wonder how the broken glass seems to hold itself together like a windscreen-shaped jigsaw puzzle? That is what Triplex invented and the so-called ‘triplex’ adhesives which is the result of bonding more than one sheet of glass together. usually via polyvinylbutyric (PVB) membranes. The glazing More >
MARCOS CHECKER MINI COOPER MK1 TRIBUTE
Feb 8th
STEVE HOLE tells the story of the Marcos Checker Mini
A relatively little-known model from Marcos Sales was this Cooper S Mk1 Tribute. It was commissioned by Marcos’ dealer in Japan, Checker Motors in 1995.
A claimed limited edition of 100 cars – although I don’t think they made anywhere near that number – in either BRG with white roof or white with a BRG roof.
They were nicely built and were powered by special Richard Longman-tuned 1300 A-Series engines, with big valve cylinder head, gas-flowed inlet manifold, Kent 285 cam, twin SU HS4 carbs and a performance exhaust.
Exterior featured 10in steels or More >
THE STORY OF CARTUNE (TEESSIDE)
Feb 1st
MEET THE ‘BEETLES’ – CARTUNE TEESSIDE by STEVE HOLE
Photos from www.cartunevw.co.uk – Apal Corsa image from totalkitcar archive
Although only having a limited impact on the UK’s kitcar industry (they marketed the Belgium-made Apal models, Buggy and Corsa, in the UK in 1971-72), Cartune was once the UK’s leading Volkswagen Beetle specialists, which means they would have supplied many thousands of parts to owners/builders of Beetle-based kitcars.
Indeed, the company still exists, today.
Mike Griifin (centre),Leeds & England footballer Jackie Charlton (left) and Cartune (Teesside) branch manager, Peter Raybould
Let’s wind right back and trace the company’s history, though. The Cartune name was first registered More >
SIR STIRLING MOSS’ ELVA BMW MKVII S
Jan 18th
By Steve Hole
The Elva marque is a well-regarded one in specialist car terms producing some great roadcars and some superb racers. They produced the first Courier in 1958. Elva boss, Frank Nichols was regarded as a real character and sat at the same table as other industry mavericks such as Chris Lawrence, Jem Marsh.
Lambretta Trojan took over production of the Courier (the roadgoing Couriers basically) and moved production to their site in Croydon, Nichols cracked on with the development of a string of Elva racecars between 1963-65, in the shape of the Elva GT160 and a string of other BMW-powered More >
POSITIVELY BALTIC! EXCITING NEW KIT FROM LITHUANIA
Dec 28th
Exciting new arrival from Lithuania, no less and what’s more the makers claim that it is the Baltic State’s first original kitcar design.
Thanks to totalkitcar’s friend in Lithuania Arunas for the tip off
Called the RR01 from Rhino Racing the very styling sportscar with a lightweight GRP body and gullwing doors and is underpinned by an aluminium alloy monocoque fabricated from 6061 T6 and features a built-in rollover-bar (from 25 CrMo4.
Power comes from a reconditioned Audi R8-spec 5.2-litre V10 engine complete with Audi R8 (which means at least 550bhp is on the cards!) intake manifold. The kit contents are of very More >
DANNENHAUER & STAUSS’ BEAUTIFUL SPORT-KABRIOLET
Dec 22nd
Steve Hole tells the story of the glorious DANNENHAUER & STAUSS SPORT-KABRIOLET their take on the Porsche 356 theme
by Buch-t – Own work, GFDL, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16822660
This Stuttgart-based company was run by Gottfried Dannenhauser, a VW Beetle specialist and his son-in-law Kurt Stauss, a skilled panel-beater. They had worked with well-known Stuttgart-based coachworks Stuttgarter Karosseriewerk Reutter pre-war on the KdF Wagen.
by Buch-t – Own work, GFDL, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16822660
Reutter is also a very interesting company founded in 1906 by Wilhelm Reutter and soon joined by his brother Albert. For many years they built bodies for Porsche, culminating with the 356 from 1949.
By 1954 they More >
