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THE STORY OF LYNCAR – INCLUDING WILT ‘THE STILT’ CHAMBERLAIN’S ‘SEARCHER 1’ PROJECT
Aug 25th
Most specialist car enthusiasts of today won’t have heard of a company called Lyncar, as they appeared on our radar for a very brief period nearly 30 years ago, but as STEVE HOLE reports there was quite a story behind the business.
Lyncar Engineering was based in Slough, Berkshire and run by a very clever engineer called Martin Slater, born in Windsor in 1936. Back in the Sixties, the motorsport enthusiast had built – and raced – his own Formula Junior and F3 cars.
Lyncar was debuted in kit form at the 1992 National Kit Car Motor Show
Slater’s first car build, the More >
NYVREM NIRVANA
Aug 17th
Created by a chap called Mervyn Edwards who was based in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset.
As often happens he was disillusioned by proprietary kits on the market so decided that he could do better himself. I’ve heard that one time and time again.
With commercial aspirations, he decided to offer ‘replicas’ and spelt his Christian name backwards to get Nyvrem! So, NYVREM Cars was born in 1987.
The car featured Ford Cortina running gear and was the culmination of a lifelong dream by Edwards to build his own car.
Mervyn managed to obtain a grant from the Department of Industry, while a local Somerset businessman, Bob More >
THE BIG SHOW – THE SILURIAN (DEFINITELY ‘A ONE THAT GOT AWAY’)
Aug 11th
The Silurian story by Steve Hole
PHOTOS COURTESY OF BRIGHTWELLS
The men behind the remarkable Silurian project were Mike Phillips and his business partner, Jack Orwin. They ran a classic car restoration business called MGP Restorations and were based in the wonderfully-named ‘Brassknocker Street’ in Magor, Gwent.
The company specialised in the restoration of Bentleys, Bugattis and pre-war limousines. Phillips and Orwin had intended to build a high-quality petrol-powered children’s car and came up with detailed drawings and plans. Sadly, when they costed the project it was clear that it would be more cost-effective to build a full-size vehicle.
Phillips was a very keen More >
SPLENDID ISOLATION – THE IMPERIAL ROYALE
Aug 4th
[title] SPLENDID ISOLATION – THE IMPERIAL ROYALE DOUBLE SIX
Here’s a photo taken at Stafford kit car show back in the early nineties.
The Imperial Royale was a real bit of specialist car grandeur that took its influences from the vast neo-classics that were so popular in the USA in the eighties.
A chap called Terry Marshall was the man behind the Royale and worked at Callington Motors in, er, Callington, Cornwall. The company was known back in the day for the interesting work they got involved in so Marshall clearly learnt his trade well there.
Here’s an image of the same car taken More >
NEWARK 2022 – SHOW REPORT
Jul 28th
NEWARK SHOW REPORT – words and photos by Carol Hardy
DATE FOR 2023 IS JULY 22 & 23
PHOTOS BELOW
What a brilliant event the ‘new’ Newark show was. After a five-hour-plus journey up the M11 and A1 on Friday afternoon, I was hot and bothered when I arrived to set up.
It did feel good being in a venue that I first exhibited at way back in 1985 (right up until the show ceased in June 2013) and the place is as one almost with the kitcar industry although I was slightly concerned about the fact that there’d been a nine-year gap.
I needn’t More >
PHILIP COLES’ NOVA STORY
Jul 21st
Totalkitcar.com reader, Philip Coles brings us a lovely little build story dating back to the early eighties about the Nova that he built in the early eighties Here, he tells the sorry of his build and shares some beautiful 40-year-old photos with us. Over to you, Philip.
The Nova, designed by Richard Oakes, possessed a unique styling for its time and I think the body shape still grabs attention today.
I started building my Nova in the early eighties and at the time I was a post-graduate student, so for me, it was always a very relaxing way to spend my downtime. The More >
NYMPH … A CUTE LITTLE IMP
Jul 14th
A real lightweight that became too heavy. Then the balloon went up. CAROL HARDY explains why the ‘Stables’ door was bolted
Clever little concept created by Peter Bohanna and Robin Stables, who had previously designed the car that became the AC ME3000, the Austin Maxi-powered Diablo.
This four-seat Hillman Imp-based utility called the Nymph appeared in 1976 as a kit after a proposed deal for 20,000 units with Chrysler fell through. They’d seen it as a rival to the Mini Moke but the deal foundered when Chrysler UK ditched the Imp! It claimed to be the world’s lightest production four-seater, incidentally.
Bohanna Stables would More >
HOW YOUR KITCAR’S WINDSCREEN IS MADE
Jul 7th
Have you ever wondered how your kitcar’s windscreen is produced? For many years the brilliant Peter Swan ran Pilkington’s Classic division on the Isle of Sheppey although soon after Peter retired Pilkington closed the facility.
Pilkington Classic was based on the Isle of Sheppey for many years, but specialist car ‘screens are now made at their vast Redditch factory
Peter Swan ran the Pilkington Classic factory on the Isle of Sheppey. A lovely bloke. His knowledge was amazing and he helped many a kitcar owner out over the years
Their mainstream windscreen factory is in Redditch and the production of specialist glass has More >
THE HOT ROD HISTORY OF ED ‘MISTER ED’ WIMBLE
Jun 30th
THE OUTLAW, FAST EDDIE AND MISTER ED – THE EDDIE WIMBLE STORY
[standfirst] Eddie Wimble is rightly regarded as one of the UK’s greatest exponents of hot rod building. He is deservedly in the UK’s National Street Rod Association’s Hall of Fame, but unless you are into the hot rod scene or were reading Filby’s mags back in the late seventies, the name of Eddie Wimble won’t be known to you. I thought it was time to pay a little tribute to Eddie and highlight the great work he did. I hope you enjoy reading it …
A bit of a cliché More >
THE HISTORY OF FLEUR DE LYS VEHICLE MANUFACTURING
Jun 23rd
FLEUR de LYS VEHICLE MANUFACTURING
The Fleur de Lys range of period vans was one of several around in the eighties– most being offered in kit form. Several of them frankly weren’t very good but the Newark company’s offerings thanks largely to the input of sixties motorsport designer-great LEN TERRY, were first class. They were available as turnkeys or as kit packages.
Fleur de Lys means ‘flower of the lily’ and has been widely used in heraldry through the ages and the company behind the vans and period vehicles had a very interesting story.
It’s often been said that when Newark patisserie owner, Dionysios More >
