If you’ve read every feature I’ve ever written about Sylva Autokits, then you’ll know that I’m a great admirer of Jeremy Phillips. This overly modest chap deserves to be a household name as far as the UK automotive scene goes. If there was a Hall of Fame he should be in it no question. One thing is for sure though. Jeremy wouldn’t be pushing himself forward for accolades.

Diminutive little Riot looks great from this angle.

The last kitcar industry ‘hero’ to gain acceptance from the mainstream was Lee Noble, and there’s no doubt whatsoever that he’s another clever boy, what with Ultima, Ascari and M12 under his belt to name but three.

When we talk about the commodity of talent, this industry is embarrassingly rich, but there a few who are a cut above the best and if I mention the names Phoenix, Fury, Stylus, Jester and Striker, ponder them for a moment and you’ll realise that each one has been an unqualified success full of innovation and all notably original designs.

Front end shows slight Striker similarities.

For many years Jeremy has ploughed alone, albeit successful, furrow and has sold many hundreds of kits to eager customers, with many finding their way onto a racetrack at some time or another. All the while, Jeremy has continued to work away in a succession of Lincolnshire workshops, regularly coming up with capable and innovative kitcars that push the envelope when it comes to efficient – and cool – design parameters.

Here, it comes on all Formula Junior. No bad thing.

Take the Mojo for example. When it first appeared in 1998, it was almost a step into the unknown, what with its mid-engine configuration, a first for Sylva. Plus its styling was fresh and individual and arguably it was five years ahead of its time because I don’t think I’m alone in believing that in 2006 the Mojo makes a lot of sense.

Rewind to late 2004 and enter Sylva enthusiast, general car nut and entrepreneur Steve Knee stage left. He could see the huge potential of the Sylva brand that would hold appeal to the masses rather than a knowing minority. Steve came on board initially to assist with marketing, and the first splash was the company’s appearance at last year’s Stoneleigh show with a monolithic stand that had previously housed the Rolling Stones during their last world tour. OK, only joking, but it was an impressive and unexpected structure that put Sylva back on the map with a bang. Previous to this Jeremy would occasionally turn up to the odd show with just a car and not really enjoy the prospect of two days of goldfish bowl captivity.

Boxy rear end houses Ford Zetec SE engine.

Next step was to shift the sales operation of Sylva Autokits to Derbyshire. Now located in a modern industrial unit with sales enquiries handled on a day-to-day basis by Steve Knee, Matt Perrins and Stuart Cadman who are extremely enthusiastic about the brand. Indeed Matt and Steve are building a pair of identical ZZR-1100 powered Riot ZZs for the 750 MC RGB championship this season. This move makes a lot of sense as it allows Jeremy to get on with design, development and fabrication, while the geographically perfect showroom can take care of test-drives and selling kits. The new showroom is in Ripley, which is easy to find from the M1.

A true wheel at each corner sportscar.

We recently paid a visit to Derbyshire to sample the latest Riot demonstrator, powered by buzzbomb 1.6-litre Zetec SE engine, and with Jeremy also in attendance on the day it gave me a great opportunity to have a good chat with him and find out his views on a variety of automotive topics. Over the years I’ve found his opinions always worth listening too such as “We’ve gone horsepower mad these days. Every time I go out I terrify myself”.

Good point actually. Sure, we all love a throbbing great big V8 boat anchor, but if you take into account fuel prices and the almost antisocial attitude to even modest speed these days, not to mention the curse of the Gatso and you can see he has a point. I’ve often said that my favourite Lotus Seven-inspired car is one equipped with a maximum 100bhp. You can get the best from the engine and chassis and I guarantee have a blast. This is why the Westfield Eleven, all 65bhp of it, was such a highlight for me of 2005.

Jeremy Phillips hard at work on a Riot chassis

The above thinking definitely influenced the Riot. Jeremy is a big admirer of Colin Chapman and all of the Sylva models have followed the Chapman ethos of ‘for added speed; just add lightness’, particularly this latest one and there’s also more than a nod to the Formula Junior cars of the late fifties/early sixties in the execution especially around the nosecone area. Although ‘diminutive’ and ‘tiny’ are suitable contemporary words for it, I’m almost tempted to roll out the classic ‘specials era’ ‘rakish’ and ‘low slung’! 

Spartan cabin works extremely well....

It’s a blisteringly cold morning for my test drive. The sort of day when you break your ears off and place them on a radiator to thaw out! As it’s sunny though I decide to head off to see what the Riot is all about. Having already sampled in 2004, the R1ot (note the slightly different spelling with ‘R1’ denoting Yamaha R1 bike power) this new one had a lot to live up to. Of course I needn’t have worried at all. From the moment I slid into the Tardis-like cockpit it felt like an old friend. Being largesse of arse I sometimes find small kitcars a bit of a squeeze, but again there was no problem here. Plenty of room.

...nothing it doesn't need.

Driving position as with all Sylvas is spot-on and there are no un-necessary controls, other than essentials. If it doesn’t need it then it doesn’t have it – simple as that. I also notice that the Riot is so diminutive that from behind the wheel I can almost reach over the little aeroscreens and wipe the flies off the nosecone!

Although the SE (Sigma Engine – also developed by Yamaha!) delivers just 128bhp, it feels like more. As I trundle along in heavy traffic at 30mph, I just dab the throttle as we reach a dual carriageway and double the speed in the blink of an eye. Truly impressive stuff, as is the way it copes with the worst potholes that Derbyshire has to offer. Like all great cars it tucks into the corners, the more you press on and the cliché run on rails springs to mind here. A Lion on a coliseum diet! Plus the only way to describe it is bloody quick. I realise that’s not a very imaginative or descriptive way to give you feedback, but when a car as superb as this mainlines its way into your senses, poncy notions go right out of the window, even when it distributes the relatively modest 128bhp, through the rear wheels, turns like a demon and keeps going it’s a very dramatic experience.

And here's the Zetec SE engine

Although I reckon it could be a brilliant trackday performer I actually think it’s a great B-road blaster and is so good I reckon Colin Chapman might have made something similar if he’d seen it.

At the heart of this little jewel is a MIG-welded tube-steel spaceframe with CDS rollover bar and stressed aluminium panels, a trademark of Sylva design over the years, while you can have additional cockpit strengthening if required. You’ll find a double wishbone suspension set-up front and rear, with the back end utilising the proven Mojo arrangement made up of Fiesta Mk2 XR2 uprights, driveshafts and differential. Meanwhile, at the front end the top wishbones act as rocker arms, with front uprights sourced from Capri (or Escort Mk2), as is the steering column. If you prefer you could use the other SE variants of 1.25, 1.4 or 1.7-litres and all will use the Ford iB5 gearbox, which is fitted with a hydraulic clutch, with the gearchange absolutely class leading, feeling almost sequential-like although of H-gate pattern. Apparently part of the secret is down to a new linear bearing. Whatever, it works brilliantly.

In such a light car it would be easy to overdo it on the braking front and I’m pleased that the car stops effortlessly and never once threatens to lock its wheels. There are Sierra 4x4 V6 calipers at the rear with a solid Fiesta disc at the front. It runs on 14in Falken tyres of 185 x 55 (front) and 195 x 60 diameter.

The Riot SE kits costs £2390 and Sylva reckon that you can easily self-build one for as little as £7000 and that’s incredible value for money, when you think what you’ll end up with. If you want to go the bike-engine route – Yamaha R1-powered R1ot or Kawasaki ZZR1100 zzRiot the kit costs a little more at £2640, mainly due to the supply of appropriate engine support cradle and bearings. The final DIY build cost will depend on how much you paid for your bike engine but from £8000 is a fair bet.

Arguably the bike-powered Riot is even more cleverly executed, because the engine is cunningly mounted to the nearside allowing the use of unmodified driveshafts, while a sprocket is mounted to the diff, utilising the original chain, making the drivetrain remarkably inexpensive, while the other advantage sees the engine running the same way as when installed in the motorcycle, thus helping with possible oil surge problems. 

Weighing in at just 470kg, with a 45/55 front to rear distribution and low polar moment of inertia, I can’t stress enough just how good this little car is, and I’m surprised to find the prodigious handling ability is achieved without an LSD. Just shows what a master designer can achieve and that you don’t have to throw unlimited budget at a car to make it work properly.

In case you hadn’t guessed I rather like the Riot SE. I would go so far as to say it could be the best car yet to wear the revered Sylva badge and that’s saying something, and I can’t praise it any more than that. Another unbelievably great product from arguably the cleverest man among some very clever men, working within the kitcar industry.

For more information contact:

Sylva Autokits Ltd; Unit 5, Rushin Business Park, Off Whiteley Road, Ripley, Derbyshire DE5 3QL
Tel: 01773 744 484

Website: www.sylva.co.uk

Words by Steve Hole

Photos by Carol Hardy

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