This week in Classic Kit Cars & Specials, STEVE HOLE puts at the amazing six-wheeled Sonic under the spotlight.
It was built by the mega-talented Nick Butler for Barry Treacy (both of them have had their careers featured in TKC MAG in recent years) in 1981.
The incredible Sonic was built to promote Wolfrace Sonic wheels!
At the time, Barry owned Wolfrace Wheels and wanted to make an impact for the launch of their new Sonic wheel. He commissioned Nick to build him just the car!
Barry told me himself that he allocated a budget of £25,000 to have the car built, but kept adding to the package – six wheels and two Rover V8 engines etc which ramped up the bottom line.
He also stipulated that it couldn’t just be for show. Everything had to function, and the car had to be road-legal.
The build certainly gave Nick real headaches, such were the complexities involved, but as a master car builder, he overcame all the obstacles. The budget was significantly exceeded, however. Although Barry didn’t disclose the exact cost, reports of £100,000 plus appear accurate.
Two Rover V8s provided the power
When it was built, Wolfrace used the car extensively for marketing purposes, and it was regularly seen at events all over the UK and beyond.
Sonic then went into private ownership and wasn’t really seen much. The car’s third (and previous owner) commissioned top classic car restorers, Trevor Farrington Ltd of Allostock near Knutsford, to do a nut and bolt restoration on it, and this was 80 per cent complete by the time it turned up at Historics Auctioneers ‘Brooklands Velocity’ sale in late November 2025, where it went under the hammer for £41,184.
A hugely complex vehicle
An amazing vehicle. Nick Butler really is a very special talent and one of the UK’s finest car builders.