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A warm welcome to totalkitcar online … HAVE YOU SEEN THE NEW GOODS & SUPPLIERS A-Z DIRECTORY YET? See the menu bar above or CLICK HERE.
WELCOME AS ALWAYS TO TOTALKITCAR ONLINE
I know that lots of readers used our GOODS & SUPPLIERS listing as a guide to the specialist car aftermarket, so essential did they regard it. It needed an upgrade but it took a couple of years to get it right.
GOODS & SUPPLIERS is BACK. It’s certainly less wieldy, is easier to use and well, see what you think. It’s not yet complete by any means but is a workable and useful A-Z listing that I hope you enjoy using and check back regularly because I will be adding to it daily, almost.
CLICK HERE to BUY a copy of the new JULY/AUGUST 2026 issue of TKC MAG.
Here’s this issue’s menu, or at least some of it.
Welcome to the JULY/AUGUST 2026 issue. So, what have we got to tickle your fancy this time?
CRAFTED CLASSICS CAFÉ RACER – A visit to Suffolk-based Christopher Hamilton who runs Crafted Classics Tuning, Classic Mini restorers par excellence as well as their own beautiful restomod called the CAFÉ RACER.
INDUSTRY GREATS – LES WELLER – A man who has supplied more steel wheels than anyone else (probably) as well as being the king of Formula Ford wheel supply. This could just be the only time that his story has appeared in print.
MALVERN SHOW REVIEW 2026 – A bumper five-page review of the National KIt Car Motor Shows written by show organiser, PETE SLATER with input from STEVE HOLE
DOUG KNIGHT’S SUPER BEETLE! – A superb Beetle drag car, recently purchased by Doug Knight. He tells us about his new project.
WITHOUT OUR PAST – Another pictorial look back to the past
SYLVA PHOENIX RESTORATION – A beautiful 35 year old Phoenix that has been beautoifully restored by design technology teacher, Phil Donington.
ELVA’S SPORTS RACING CARS – People usually assume that Elva just produced the Courier model in its various generations. However, the company originally started out by producing racecars and when Frank Nichols sold the roadcar side of his business to the Trojan Group he set up Elva Racing [1961] Ltd to continue building sports racers. We round them up …
LAYCOCK DE NORMANVILLE OVERDRIVE UNIT – The story of Edgar de Normanville’s extremely popular overdrive unit.
DUTTON B PLUS 3 – Another new Dutton model, following swiftly behind the Phæton 5 is the third iteration of another very popular Dutton kit. Like its brother it’s also based on Mazda MX-5 MK3.
We have much more to entertain you with this time as well as the regulars.
Hope you enjoy the issue.
CLICK HERE to BUY a copy of the new JULY/AUGUST 2026 issue of TKC MAG.
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.
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SNIPPETS 1 …….. Those who like cars, will love the 2026 Hagerty Festival of the Unexceptional. Thousands of memory evoking cars will return to the lawns of Grimsthorpe Castle in Lincolnshire once again on Saturday, July 25, along with the best line-up of entertainment seen since the show was launched twelve years ago.
In that time the event has evolved, becoming bigger and better as its reputation has spread around the world. And while the star of the show remains the fifty cars chosen to be judged as part of the Concours de l’Ordinaire, the event also presents thousands more unexceptional cars, and an unrivalled array of entertainment, making this a genuinely action-packed day out for those who love forgotten automotive gems.
The Telegraph will host a very special area featuring some wonderfully rare family cars as part of their UK’s Rarest car display. Here showgoers can enjoy even more exceptionally ordinary cars, once so common on our streets but have now all but disappeared. Cars include a striking Fiat Strada five-door, a capacious Nissan Prairie and a remarkably ordinary Alfa Romeo Arna This specially curated selection features cars on the verge of extinction, giving a rare opportunity to see them once more, and to learn all about what makes them so special to their owners.
If looking at the amazing cars on display puts showgoers in the mood to take part themselves, a visit to the FOTU Forecourt is a must. This area gives fans of base model brilliance the opportunity to browse a selection of unexceptionally wonderful cars for sale. Each car will display a special FOTU Forecourt card showing details about the car alongside the kinds of quirks and stories that define the Festival of the Unexceptional spirit.
Want more? The team from the British Motor Museum will bring some super-rare FOTU-era classics to delight lovers of low-spec. Treats on display include the very first Austin Maestro off the production line, and the Austin LC10 Maestro prototype that inspired it. Loitering in the Hagerty Drivers Club area will be a pre-production Austin Mini Metro – one of 300 pre-production models built in May 1980 and the centrepiece of Austin Rover’s stand at the 1980 Motor Show.
Finally, Hagerty has announced some of the rarities chosen to be a part of the Concours de l’Ordinaire with a range of seldom seen stunners including a 2000 Kia Clarus Estate, a 1973 Mazda 1300 Estate, a 1992 Toyota Previa and a 1996 Seat Ibiza 1.9D. FOTU 2026 will truly have something for everyone.
“Festival of the Unexceptional is no longer just a show, ” said Mark Roper, Managing Director of Hagerty UK. “Now Unexceptional cars represent a new era of classic motoring, one that appeals to a younger driver with cars steeped in nostalgia and memories. What started as a few cars in a small field twelve years ago is now an event known around the world, with many online social groups and smaller events taking place because of it. Join us at Grimsthorpe Castle to witness a new generation of classic car and be prepared to see models you forgot even existed…there is nothing else like it. ”
Gates will again open at 7.30am allowing owners and fans of unexceptional classic vehicles to make the most of a day packed with events that will continue right up to 5pm. For ticket information click this link.
SNIPPETS 2 ……..The British Motor Museum invites visitors to return to the golden era of hot hatches in their new exhibition: ‘Spoiler Alert: The Hot Hatch Story’, celebrating these everyday road heroes. Inspired by the energetic atmosphere of car meets and the bold visuals of era-defining car magazines, the exhibition immerses visitors in the 80s and 90s hot hatch culture in a space brimming with nostalgia. ‘Spoiler Alert’, which opened on June 20, will run until February 21, 2027 in The Rubery Owen Gallery.
There are eight iconic vehicles on display, each marking different phases in the history of the hot hatch. The selection includes a 1981 VW Golf GTI, a 1985 Group B rally era MG Metro 6R4, a 1988 Peugeot 205 GTI Tolman Edition, and a 2021 Honda Civic Type R built in the Swindon works before its closure. Visitors will love exploring the enduring legacy of these groundbreaking vehicles through a range of dynamic exhibits and installations, including objects that evoke the spirit of the era, such as a Sony Walkman, a shell suit, and a selection of retro toys.
Visitors can customise their own hot hatch designs and enjoy an interactive hot hatch-themed photo opportunity, as this new exhibition celebrates the lasting impact of these cars on automotive culture to this day. The gallery blends a crescendo of revving engines and a retro soundtrack to recreate the feel of a bustling car meet and reflects the power of these amazing vehicles to bring people together.
The 80s saw the term ‘hot hatch’ used by the motoring press for the first time and that decade and the one that followed are considered a golden age, combining family car practicality with turbocharged engines, sharp suspension, and sports car styling. Celebrated for their accessible performance, the hot hatches became cultural icons and are still coveted by enthusiasts today.
Cat Boxall, Curator at the British Motor Museum, said: “We’re really excited to have opened this exhibition celebrating hot hatches! Those born in the 60s, 70s & 80s will fondly remember these ‘souped-up’ cars as their first or second cherished vehicles. Many have reached classic status and are now as highly prized as some supercars!”
Don’t miss your chance to experience ‘Spoiler Alert: The Hot Hatch Story’ in person. To find out more information about the exhibition and book your Museum tickets, please visit: www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk/spoiler-alert-the-hot-hatch-story. Access to the exhibition is included with your admission.
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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, JULY 3, 2026
Best regards
Steve