Kit cars! Talk to me

[sweep]

So, now I've got a (reasonably) sensible daily, I've got itchy feet for something highly impractical and totally stupid that'll have me grinning like a Cheshire cat.

I've pondered on all sorts of cars, but earlier I had minor brain wave in the shape of a kit car.

Preferably a part finished project, and something other than the usual Lotus Seven style, I've no experience in anything of the sort, but I am a fabricator by trade so what could possibly go wrong?

I assume they require specialist insurance?

If you have any knowledge on anything kit car related, please share! Especially ideas on various kinds of kits that have been produced over the years.

Ben.

[Midas]

I've been running a kit car for about 5 years now, just bought another. You are right on the insurance, you'll need a specialist policy which more than likely won't attract any no-claims, though if the mileage is limited (say 5k a year) will actually cost very little. There are plenty of firms out there though in my experience most will want you to be over 25 before quoting.

I've been running the Midas Gold and have just bought a GTM K3, there's a kit car out there of just about any shape you could want (and plenty you wouldn't). Buying parts for projects can be a pain in the arris so personally I'd suggest buying a complete car for restoration if that's your thing. Beware of unregistered projects or cars still registered as their donors, there can be a world of pain and expense trying to register a kit that was never designed to pass an IVA.

[composimmonite]

I've got a Marlin Roadster - based on a Marina but issued with a Q reg.
There are a vast choice of used kitcars but what is most important is that it's properly registered. At one time it was semi acceptable (can't think of another ways of describing) to have a kit still registered as the base such as Escort, Cortina, Marina, Herlad and such. DVLA had an amnesty for such incorrectly registered kit cars but that was a few years ago and now if you have an incorrectly registered kit car then they will probably demand a BIVA test even if the car was build many years ago.
So if buying a complete kit car first thing to check is how registered. A Marlin, for example, if incorrectly registered then there would be very little chance of passing an BIVA without substantial modifications so some of the cheaper ones you might find on eBay etc are only suitable as a source of parts.
That then leads onto a part completed, not yet put on the road kit cars. If an older design then, like the Marlin, even if you chuck money at them to complete you might not then gain a BIVA test pass.
My advise - read up as much as possible, trawl the web sites to research a design you like, attend shows / owners events to see them "in the flesh" and if possible see if somebody will let you sit in their car to try for size then once you have an idea of the direction you want to spend your money start searching. A BIVA isn't cheap so whilst an uncompleted kit might seem cheaper option when you add the cost of the test it can make an already registered vehicle in need of a rebuild a far better option. This is the route I decided to go with my own car on the advise of other people and now agree this is the best route.
Have fun.

Paul H

[DWDarkWheels]

^^^^^ all good advice.

Time was when you could buy an unfinished kitcar project cheap, strip-it-down and start again. So many unfinished kits are next-to-impossible to pass BIVA that it's a nightmare. I built 2 kitcars ground-up, 5 more as abandoned projects (stripped and started again), but BIVA makes the poorly developed kit impossible to make roadworthy (and probably rightly-so).

So my point it as the chaps say, buy something already properly registered and do your thing with it. The kitcar industry has played safe with 7's for too long, so anything left-field, properly built and engineered can be a steal.

[sweep]

Unfortunately the budget isn't huge, so perhaps finding a registered project might be a struggle! I'll certainly be keeping an eye out though, thanks for the advice chaps.

Are there any dedicated kit car forums worthy of checking out?

[Ryannn]

Aug 28, 2014 19:05:09 GMT sweep said:

Unfortunately the budget isn't huge, so perhaps finding a registered project might be a struggle!

If you don't buy a registered one, chances are, it will turn into an expensive driveway ornament.

[ettorebugatti]

Pistonheads has a sub forum on kit cars, there's madaboutkitcars and locostbuilders is a good source.

On the lower budget, I think a Rickman Ranger or Quantum Saloon is excellent value.

[wagoneer]

I've just picked up a Westfield project for very little. Whilst 7 based, it's a tried and tested route. There's one on the club that might need a bit of work. The guide price is £1750 but it's been on the road and is registered, just needs some attention.

[composimmonite]

I paid £850 for my Marlin. Plywood floor needed replacing but otherwise just needed recommissioning to put back on the read (last used around 5 years ago). I've sold the 1800TC engine & box for £100, Minilite wheels for £100 and am using the 1275 engine & box out of my, now sold, Sprite. A set of 5 brand new wheels and tyres (MGF steel spares with normal Goodyear tyres) cost me £100.
Whilst I intend a full strip down and rebuild plus incorporating some of my own ideas at the same time I can see it's going to cost me around £1000 to get on the road - already properly registered as a Marlin on a Q reg.
I've owned several kit cars in the past so knew what I was after and one essential requirement was correctly registered. That alone is worth around £500 when you consider the cost of BIVA and DVLA fees. A little like a tax exempt VW, MG, Land Rover and such always demand more than an identical vehicle that is not tax exempt - well same applies to kit cars in that a correctly registered will always sell whereas if not then it's a case of "buyer beware"

[Midas]

The Midas came to me for £850 needing a complete going over (cost another grand) but with a professionally rebuilt and modified engine/box, the GTM is coming in at £1k on the road with a new MOT and needing a bit of a tidy up.

[merlind100]

This is mine, a Dutton Legerra, correctly registered without a Q plate

It's Escort based with 1700 Crossflow. I bought it a year ago from a Christian charity with a new MOT and supposedly all ready to go. I drove it 100 miles home and then it spent 2 months in pieces while I made it safe to use. I did 6000 miles in the first year with it, had a lot of fun, and spent way more that I intended, it owes me about £1800 now. You'll need to be handy with spanners and have a lot of patience to run an old kit car but it should be a laugh. I've decide to try and move mine on but I don't rule out having another, even another Dutton

[montythemole]

Agree with what's already been said. I bought a properly registered and MOTd Dutton for around £800 and it's a great laugh. In the garage now with a view to sorting a few bits and getting back on the road:


I swapped my MGB for a much nicer, better spec Tiger (freshly rebuilt Pinto on twin carbs, £1k of alloys) just needing some tidying etc for an IVA. It was actually built very well but still needed more work and more hassle than I could be bothered to get it on the road legally so sold it to a chap in Germany for a track car.


If you're happy with the work I'd be tempted to buy an old MX5 and a kit and make one of these. If you buy the MX5 carefully and sell the bits on ebay there are some that have come out with a total outlay of £500 plus IVA costs (which you'd have with any unregistered kit you buy) and probably the closest to an Atom you'll ever buy, with bomb proof Mazda engine.

[spongeh]

I had similar thoughts about a kit car, but ended up with a Scimitar 1800ti as it was basically a kit car anyway.

Mines a mixture of Ford, Vauxhall, BL & Nissan all on a separate chassis covered in plastic panels

[montythemole]

Forgot to say, plus point of kit cars is very cheap insurance. Shop around and you'll get under £100 in a lot of cases. I've had classic insurance near that, but never as cheap.

[penski]

Aug 29, 2014 13:32:22 GMT spongeh said:

I had similar thoughts about a kit car, but ended up with a Scimitar 1800ti as it was basically a kit car anyway.

Mines a mixture of Ford, Vauxhall, BL & Nissan all on a separate chassis covered in plastic panels

The level of want I have for an 1800ti cannot be measured on any conventional scale.

*n

[Midas]

Aug 29, 2014 13:32:22 GMT spongeh said:

I had similar thoughts about a kit car, but ended up with a Scimitar 1800ti as it was basically a kit car anyway.

Mines a mixture of Ford, Vauxhall, BL & Nissan all on a separate chassis covered in plastic panels

That's actually a greater spread of manufacturers than is involved in either of my kit cars.

[Rebuilda]

I got to this a bit late but my 2p's worth... Dutton, all different shapes and sizes and they are original designs not replicas pretending to be something else.
I'm biased admittedly as I currently own 4, one is my daily donkey. but i'm never short of an excuse to head out to the garage...

If you are still looking then I know of a couple of these going 'cheap' all registered correctly.


Sierra II by Adrian Southgate, on Flickr

Or if bugs in the teeth is more your thing then this?

[peter96]

Just been through this thread. Can't offer much advice about building a Kit as I bought my Marlin Roadster fully built. Mine was an older build, it had been registered in 1988, but it had only done a few hundred miles each year so was in really good condition. I had wanted to build one in the 80s but a severe lack of a garage stopped that. Nowadays with all the regulations etc I think they would be too much hassle. Buy yourself one that has already been registered and if it's well worn and needs a rebuild it's still got to be much more solid than a 60s or 70s roadster. I vote foe a Marlin. Incredibly strong structure and there is absolutely no flex from the chassis/windscreen as they were designed as trials cars. They looked like a 30s Alfa 8c that had shrunk in the wash and if you get the right exhaust can sound like a 30s racer, like mine. Great fun cars but don't buy one if you are anyway shy. Right I'm off to ebay to see if there's any for sale. Here's a couple of pictures of my old one. Sold when I needed a new central heating system!

[peter96]

[peter96]