Steve Hole tells the story of Edward Waddington’s EWM Motors.
I’ll be very impressed if any visitors recall Edward Waddington Motors from about 1984 (I know a few will though). They produced two models – the EWM Buccaneer and the EWM Brigand.
Based in Salisbury, Wiltshire, proprietor Edward Waddington clearly had a liking for pirates, given the name of his two models.
To my eyes, visually, the Buccaneer shouts Marlin Roadster in terms of inspiration, with the Brigand tipping its hat to Dutton Phæton/Motorspeed Magic.
Both EWMs were based on Ford Cortina (Mk3, 4 or 5), meaning that any engine from 1300cc to 2-litre could be pressed into service.
GRP bodies sat atop a twin-tube steel chassis. For whatever reason, Edward also used several Morris Minor 1000 parts on his kits, such as the fuel tank.
He launched his kits at the National Kit Car Motorshow of May 1984, although only the Buccaneer was complete in time for the show. This is highlighted in one of the photos, with just a Brigand bodyshell on display.
Prior to setting out on his kitcar manufacturing path, Waddington had run an engineering company that made engine components for fifteen years. He’d also built several kitcars before the Buccaneer and Brigand.
Unfortunately, EWM’s products didn’t catch on, and within a year or so of them being launched, the company was no more. However, after three years away, a Birmingham-based company called BJS Sportscars, run by Ben Sparham, relaunched them, out of the blue, as the BJS Sprint (ex-EWM Brigand) and BJS Roadster (ex-EWM Buccaneer), again to no avail and by 1989 they weren’t available anymore.
Sparham had previously had a brief dalliance with a kitcar called the Mistral in 1985.
When it comes to sales figures. Who really knows? I’ve seen figures mentioned for the Brigand/Sprint of 3 and Buccaneer/Roadster of 6. Personally, I haven’t seen an example of either since the early nineties at a show.
I’d seriously LOVE it if someone here has one tucked away in a barn or shed or knows someone who does! Unlikely, but about six weeks or so ago, a chap piped up that he had an example of a very long-lost kitcar, I’d highlighted in my daily posts, so there’s always hope!
Edward and Ben are further examples of the thousands of intrepid folk who have had a go at being a kitcar manufacturer, with little success to show for their efforts.
I had to use a photo of a later BJS Sprint as I didn’t have an image of a completed EWM version. Same car, though in reality.
We regularly feature cars like this in TKC MAG and also on our website, totalkitcar.com. totalkitcar-com.myshopify.com https://totalkitcar-com.myshopify.com.