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A warm welcome to totalkitcar online … Spent a lovely day on Tuesday this week at Donington Park for a Bridgestone Experience Day, where a bunch of invited journalists were given the chance to sample various driving experiences and find out more about the range of tyres they supply to the UK market.
The tyre range that impressed me most on the day was their new Turanza All Season 6. I’m as guilty as everyone, assuming that an All Season tyre means it’s mainly for winter use, which isn’t correct. As the name suggests it gives motorists the best of all worlds and it’s a tyre that I can see being very interesting to kitcar drivers.
Latest Bridgestone Turanza All Season 6 is an awesome tyre not only for all seasons but all weather conditions, too.
Bridgestone has owned the American brand Firestone since 1988. Here’s their version of the Turanza All Season 6, the Firestone Multiseason 2.
We’ll have a full feature on the day in the July/August issue of TKC MAG. In the meantime, visit www.bridgestone.co.uk.
It was an extremely enjoyable day out and we all went home very tired but happy!
One of the driving experiences included a session sampling some Sevens courtesy of Caterham Cars’ Motorsport Experience team. Enjoyable and impecably organised as always. I recognised one of their drivers.
Turns out that it was Sam Parker – ace driver in a Seven, she really is – who has been looking after Caterham Experience guests for 22 years now, giving them tuition and demonstration laps at various events around the UK.
Sam Parker has been demonstrating Caterham Sevens on the manufacturer’s Experience days for an impressive 22 years now. If anyone knows how to handle a Seven, Sam does. She’s racing in the Caterham 310R race championship this season, too, having moved through Academy and 270R championships in recent seasons.
It was great seeing her again and talking about old times. Clearly, judging by her smile, her enthusiasm remains the same as when she first started driving Sevens all those years ago.
Away from her ‘day job’ teaching people how to drive a Seven competently and also entertaining them with track rides, she also races Sevens, too.
Sam and her Caterham Experience colleagues expertly entertained us on Tuesday at Donington Park, this week
In recent years she has graduated through the Caterham Academy series, into the 270R championship and this year, into the highly competitive 310R championship, which kicks off this very weekend at Cadwell Park (April 11-12). Good luck, Sam and please keep us updated as the season progresses and we’ll keep our readers updated with how you are getting on.
I’d love to know how many circuit laps and miles in a Caterham Seven that Sam has done in 22-years. For all things Caterham Cars-related visit www.caterhamcars.com.
DID YOU KNOW? Bridgestone, the second largest tyre manufacturer in the world, by annual revenue (Michelin is number one, in case you were unaware), was founded in 1931 by Shōjirō Ishibashi. When translated, the name roughly translates to ‘stone bridge’! As well as producing tyres for various sectors, Bridgestone also produces golf equipment, including balls and clubs. They also produce a range of bicycles.
Finally, Bridgestone has owned American brand, Firestone since 1988 and also has two budget brands – Supercat and Dayton.
TKC MAG – MARCH/APRIL ISSUE – AVAILABLE NOW
Here’s this issue’s menu, or at least some of it.
DUTTON PHÆTON 5 – FIRST DRIVE – A brand new Phæton from Tim Dutton, 39 years after the last one. The new one is based on Mazda MX-5 Mk3 and is quite simply, great. Hard to miss in its eyecatching Lamborghini Verde Scandal lime green gelcoat.
INDUSTRY GREATS – HAYDN DAVIES AND BURLINGTON MOTOR COMPANY – We were delighted to catch up with Burlington Motor Co founder, Haydn Davies recently to talk about old times and remind ourselves just how important a marque his company was, firstly with the Sport Special traditional roadster and then the Arrow, Berretta and Chieftain plans and patterns projects. Add in some great old archive photos to round things up and it’s a winner.
CATERHAM CARS – Think Caterham Cars and the Seven and 21 will come to mind, but there has been plenty of other elements of the business over the years. We round them all up in this feature.
INTRODUCING WEATHERVELO – CYCLEV – Here’s a cool little electric three-wheeler that you can pedal but ddon’t have to? Curious. read this feature to find out more.
READER’S DRIVE – PETER VIVIAN’S MIDGE BOAT-TAIL – The JC Midge was a cracking little kitcar, another built from plans and patterns. TKC MAG reader Peter Vivian built a lovely example but after quite a few years decided that he’d like revise it to feature a boat-tail rear end. Here’s his story.
THE TKC MAG GUIDE TO SOLDERING – We all take the art of soldering for granted. An easy job to mess up, a tricky one to master. Richard Bird guides you through the process…
WACKY RACERS – A little feature looking at the first two years of the 750 Motor Club’s
KIT CAR CHALLENGE race series. It was great looking back to the mid-eighties for this one.
HUNTSMAN SPYDER – A forgotten one-off that surely deserved more success?
REMEMBERING THE TRIPLE C CHALLENGER – looking back at a classic kitcar that just happened to be a replica of the Jaguar E-type.
Hopefully, that’s plenty to entertain you with although you’ll also find regulars like book reviews, product news and more.
LATEST ISSUE OF TKC MAG – MARCH/APRIL 2026 – AVAILABLE NOW
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 featured in CLASSIC KIT CARS & SPECIALS.
This week in CLASSIC KIT CARS & SPECIALS (click on the link and you’ll find the full list of features) we look at the first car designed by the genius that is Richard Oakes way back in 1970, the TRAMP beach buggy, based on an unmodified VW Beetle floorpan. CLICK HERE to find out more.
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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 APRIL 2026.
SNIPPETS 1 …….. Great limited time offer from Grandmaster Dutton! If you buy a Phæton 5 or a B-Plus 3 (both Mazda MX-5 Mk3-based) kit before the end of April 2026, you receive FREE WEATHERGEAR! Can’t be bad. Contact Tim via www.timdutton.com.
SNIPPETS 2 ……. Wilton House, near Salisbury, will host the inaugural Concours des Légendes on June 19–21, 2026 – an event that puts the people and stories behind the world’s most significant cars front and centre. Rather than lining vehicles up on a lawn for static admiration, Concours des Légendes is built around live talks, panels and narrated displays that give context to the machinery on show. The first speaker line-up brings together figures who didn’t just witness automotive history – they made it.
What a beautiful venue – photo by Amy Shore Photography
The Legends Stage: First names announced
Richard Attwood and Derek Bell will appear together on the Legends Stage to revisit the challenge of mastering the Porsche 917 during one of endurance racing’s most demanding eras. Attwood was central to Porsche’s first overall Le Mans victory in 1970; Bell went on to win the race five times, cementing his status as one of the sport’s most celebrated drivers.
Richard Attwood – Photo courtesy of Porsche Press Office
Ross Brawn, the strategist behind Michael Schumacher’s era of dominance and the architect of the Brawn GP championship-winning season in 2009, will give his perspective on how races are won – not just on the track but on the pitwall.
Valentino Balboni, Lamborghini’s legendary development driver for four decades, will be on hand to discuss a career spent shaping cars from the Miura and Countach through to the Gallardo.
Stefan Johansson, former Ferrari and McLaren F1 driver and Le Mans winner, will appear both on stage and as an exhibiting artist, showcasing his bold, abstract motoring artwork across the event.
Crikey, Stefan Johansson is looking well. He was one of my favourite F1 drivers in the eighties. Photo courtesy of Bernina Gran Turismo
Leading automotive designers will also take part, including Peter Stevens, Frank Stephenson, Wayne Burgess and Ken Okuyama. Further names will be announced in the coming weeks.
Not a traditional concours
“This isn’t about lining cars up on a lawn. It’s about the people behind them, the decisions, the risks and the stories that shaped them. That’s what brings these cars properly to life.”
David Lillywhite, content curator
Alongside the Legends Stage, the event will feature narrated car displays explaining provenance, engineering and significance; curated owner stories presented in partnership with Hagerty; an art exhibition including a display of Formula 1 helmets; working crafts and skills demonstrations; and an auction hosted by event partner Dore & Rees.
The setting
Concours des Légendes takes place within the grounds of Wilton House – home of William Herbert, 18th Earl of Pembroke and one of England’s most significant country houses. Ticket holders will have access to the house and its renowned art collection. Access to Wilton House is exclusive to the event and not open to the general public at any other time during 2026. Concours des Légendes creates a relaxed, curated environment designed for meaningful engagement.
Event details
Dates: June 19–21, 2026
Location: Wilton House, near Salisbury, Wiltshire
Tickets: concoursdeslegendes.co.uk/buy-tickets
Enter a car: concoursdeslegendes.co.uk/enter-your-car
Exhibitor enquiries: info@concoursdeslegendes.co.uk
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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 week on Friday, April 17, 2026
Best regards
Steve