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Welcome to totalkitcar online…
A very warm welcome to totalkitcar online … RACE RETRO weekend, There’s a bitof a buzz around the show this year and it promises to be a buoyant event with plenty of kitcar interest, including manufacturers such as Great British Sportscars and MK Sportscars.
We’ll have the show highlights for you right HERE next Friday. In the meantime, for event information visit www.raceretro.com – If you are reading this on Monday, February 23, you MISSED IT, but come back on Friday for the highlights. It also means I haven’t yet removed this item!
SHOW BUSINESS – yet more discounted show tickets. ONE WEEK TO GO – Simon Bennie, organiser of the new Replica and Self Build Festival taking place at Stoneleigh Park on July 18-19 has kindly offered TKC MAG/totalkitcar.com readers a 30 per cent discount on admission tickets. Make sure you order before the end of February 2026.
Go to the bookings page – link below – and enter ‘TKC30’ to get your discounted tickets.
Just go to the website https://carshowco.com/replica/replica-self-build-festival-tickets/
AVAILABLE NOW – TKC MAG JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2026
We’ve kicked off 2026 with the JAN/FEB issue and we have plenty of features to entertain, inform and highlight.
MINPREZA – Jason MacDonald of Scoobybits is a proper automotive Frankenstein and his latest creation – MinPreza – mixes Classic Mini and Subaru Impreza to create a complete monster.
WESTFIELD SE.NA FIRST DRIVE – We were invited to the official launch of the Se.NA back in October and what a beautiful machine it is.
JBA FALCON – IN PROFILE – A classic kitcar if ever there was one. We look at the car’s history, the different variants and the men behind the project.
STANBURY TT – An all but forgotten kit car from the eighties that probably deserved to do better that deserved a little feature in the mag. However, we then spotted a rare survivor with a great back story at a car show and … well, the feature ended up bigger than originally intended.
INTRODUCING HUMBLE NOMAD AUTOMOTIVE – Taking over the excellent Vortex V2 project is more than newsworthy but newcomers Humble Nomad have a very ambitious ten-year plan …
INDUSTRY GREATS – ANTHONY TAYLOR AND AUTOTUNE – We are absolutely delighted to be featuring the amazing career of Anthony Taylor, co-founder of Autotune. If that wasn’t enough, Anthony is a very handy driver in historic motorsport, he was also on the grid of the first ever kitcar race in 1984, is a world expert on McLaren’s Can-Am Group 7 cars and a well-respected racing car restorer.
CATERHAM SEVEN SUPERSPRINT 2000 – Another heritage Seven, but this one has real attitude! Normally powered by 660cc three-pot Suzuki engines, this one has a 2-litre Duratec. A welcome fusion or just plain confusion?
SNEAK PEEK!
IF YOU LIKE CLASSIC KIT CARS & SPECIALS you are in luck. Clicking that button will take you back in time with features on old kitcars, personalities and generally interesting companies who worked within the specialist car and sixties motorsport movements. I really hope you are enjoying them. Not all of them are kitcar-related per se but they all celebrate the underdog and often feature the wonderful world of sixties motorsport.
Classic Kit Cars & Specials has a new home at totalkitcar.com.
A lot of classic clubman motorsport features highlight underdog artisans that we hope will appeal to you dear reader, the sort of companies that we’ve often all heard of but on whom detailed information is often hard to find. Shorrock, Wade Turbochargers, Jack Knight Developments, Cannon Cars, Tom Killeen, David Ogle the list goes on and on. The sort of companies and individuals that our specialist and kitcar forebears from the sixties would have been very familiar with. You’ll find these subjects contained in CLASSIC KIT CARS & SPECIALS.
This week in CLASSIC KIT CARS & SPECIALS we have a potted history of Haldane Developments and their lovely Healey replicas. CLICK HERE to go there.
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We are getting a lot of new subscribers on the totalkitcar YouTube channel. If you like this website, you are sure to find something you like on the ‘totalkitcar YouTube channel’? In addition to our usual monthly video upload, we now have a weekly series called the ‘totalkitcar History Files Series. The latter isn’t rocket science. We verbally look at old kitcars with photos added, but we seem to be capturing peoples’ imaginations.
As the name suggests we look at some of the classic marques, great cars, not so great cars, plus the personalities, events and designers who have graced this wonderful industry over the last 75 years.
If you don’t already subscribe to our channel (just search ‘totalkitcar YouTube Channel’ on YouTube) please do, as it’s free and if you click ‘all’ you’ll be notified every time a new video drops. Finally, may I ask you to hit the thumbs up button please as that helps the channel greatly. THANK YOU, dear reader.
totalkitcar History File Series (in association with the Enwin Motors channel). Don’t miss out, subscribe for FREE now.
Search YouTube for the ‘totalkitcar YouTube Channel’ or follow this link: https://www.youtube.com/@tkcmag.
Our popular TRACKDAY CALENDAR is where you can find out where, when and how much by CLICKING HERE. Now updated to cover FEBRUARY-MARCH 2026.
SNIPPETS 1 ……. My favourite race circuit …Castle Combe, has announced the renaming of two corners of the 1.85-mile Wiltshire race track to commemorate a duo who played vital roles in the development of the venue.
With immediate effect, the swooping left-kinked straight previously known as ‘Hammerdown’ will officially become ‘Howard’s Way’ (in memory of long time circuit owner Howard Strawford), with the following tight right-hander previously called ‘Tower’ now being known as ‘Gooch’s’ (in memory of Rodney Gooch).
Long time owner of Castle Combe circuit has a corner named in his honour. For ‘Hammerdown’ read ‘Strawford’s’
Graham Marshallsay, Managing Director of Castle Combe Circuit, explained the significance behind this news: “Howard Strawford and Rodney Gooch were both crucial in making Castle Combe what it is today. The venue’s success story is largely thanks to their passion and dedication over the past few decades and we feel this is the perfect way to permanently acknowledge their lasting contributions.”
A motorcycle racer throughout the ‘60s and ‘70s, Rodney Gooch worked with the management team at Castle Combe Circuit for over 22 years as the Sales and Marketing Director, responsible for promoting and increasing exposure of the venue.
The late Rodney Gooch is remembered with a corner named after him at Combe – ‘ Gooch’s’, formerly known as Tower. He is seen here with motorcycle legend, Steve Parish (left).
A man who worked tirelessly for the circuit he loved, Rodney’s self-effacing manner and tremendous humour built him a reputation far beyond the Wiltshire track.
During his time at Combe, Gooch was pivotal in pioneering now-staple features such as motorcycle trackdays, the ever-popular Grand National annual motorcycle race meeting and partnerships with key companies such as Fowlers Motorcycles.
The first Castle Combe Racing Club race meeting of 2026 will be Howard’s Race Day (Bank Holiday Monday, April 6) – further honouring the legacy of Howard Strawford with a full day of competitive club motorsport.
Howard’s Race Day will mark the return of the CCRC ‘home’ championships to the circuit, as well as welcoming guest series such as the Welsh Racing Drivers Association.
Fans can expect close early-season racing, open paddocks, trade stands and the traditional sense of occasion that always makes this event a special start to the Castle Combe calendar.
Celebrating its 76th continuous year as a race track in 2026, Wiltshire’s Castle Combe Circuit has been affectionately known as ‘the West Country’s home of motorsport’ for many decades now.
The fast-flowing 1.85-mile circuit and its scenic surrounding paddocks play host a wide selection of popular car and motorcycle shows, track days and driving experiences each year, as well as a calendar of thrilling race meetings hosted by the in-house Castle Combe Racing Club.
The circuit has a special place in the hearts of kitcar enthusiasts because of the Kit Car Action Days that took place there in 1986 and 1987 and between 1995-2000. Rodney was heavily involved in the latter dates and was always a pleasure to work with.
To find out more about Castle Combe Circuit and its fleet of events, track days and experiences it offers throughout each year, please click here.
SNIPPETS 2 …….Caterham Cars reckon that you don’t need to reinvent the wheel to stay ahead; you just need to refine it.
A spokesman said: “For 2026, in a move to keep the Seven fresh, we have enhanced the standard specification while maintaining the Pure. Simple. Fun experience that you all love.
“We’re excited to introduce eight new paint finishes to complement the existing popular colour choices:
Standard: Poppy Red, Blacksmith
Premium: Earl Grey
Exclusive: Sunset Riot, Heritage Sage, Ice Forest Green (as seen on Project V), Chainmail Silver, Viola Parsifae
“We couldn’t just add some new colours and call it a day; no, we have been over the exterior and interior with a fine-tooth comb to give the Seven a more aggressive look, along with some modern highlights.
“To revise the aesthetic further, the 2026 updates also include::
Clear Lens Pack: Providing a sleek, modern lighting signature (available for UK and US markets).
Painted Headlight Bowls: Colour-matched to the body for a seamless, high-end look.
Painted Roll Bar: Moving away from the standard black finish.
New leather seat: Inside the cockpit, S-pack models will come with a new leather seat design featuring an embroidered Seven on the backrest (optional on the R-Pack).
Both S & R pack models will now feature a black leather tunnel top.
“So you may be thinking, “What’s the catch?” – We are pleased to announce that all the visual enhancements come at no extra cost to you!
All that’s left for you to do is jump into the Caterham Configurator and build your perfect Seven.”
More information from www.caterhamcars.com
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So, that’s about it from me for this week, so I’ll bid you a great seven days, with plenty of enjoyable driving and I look forward to welcoming you once again next Friday – FEBRUARY 27, 2026
Best regards
Steve