Self-build sports cars
Impecunious, ingenious, or just plain curious enthusiasts have long chosen to build their own sports cars, rather than buy a complete car.
With that in mind, here’s our pick of do-it-yourself sports cars from around the world, presented in alphabetical order.
1. Arkley SS
The Arkley S and SS models made a vague effort to offer traditional 1930s looks based on the 1960s Midget.
More appealing to many customers was that this bodykit’s glassfibre panels quickly replaced rusty steel originals to keep their car on the road for longer.
Company founder John Britten created the S with the same width as a standard Midget and the wider-bodied SS with help from the Lenham Motor Company.
He later sold the project in 1987 after producing around 1100 kits, and the Arkley remained available as late as 2011 for anyone looking to repurpose their MG.
2. Bolwell Nagari Mk8
The Bolwell Nagari Mk8 should have enjoyed more success than just in its home of Australia.
Introduced by Campbell Bolwell’s company in 1969, the Mk8 followed a line of pretty self-build sports cars and did well in domestic motorsport, with power from 5- and 5.7-litre Ford V8 engines.
The Nagari Mk8 lasted until 1974 after 100 coupés and 18 convertibles had been sold.
All used a glassfibre body over a backbone chassis similar to a Lotus Elan’s, and suspension components were taken from contemporary Fords along with an Austin 1800 steering rack.
The company continues to offer its latest mid-engined Nagari 300 as a fully built sports car.
3. Buckler MkV
Derek Buckler is widely credited as the father of the kit-car movement in the UK with his simple, low-cost and effective chassis as the basis.
The MkV was the most popular model and lasted from 1949 through to 1960, and it was closely based on Buckler’s own Special that he’d built in 1947.
Early Bucklers could be ordered with a simple hand-formed aluminium body. However, unlike other emerging companies, Buckler did not offer a glassfibre body for its later cars, so builders had to make or source their own. As a result, no two cars are the same.
4. Byers SR-100
Jim Byers learned his trade in the early 1950s in the US as glassfibre emerged as a low-cost means of producing exotic body shapes.
He was involved with the Victress and Meteor SR-1 cars before launching his own SR-100 in 1955. It quickly gained wide acclaim and was even called the world’s most beautiful car by some.
The name is derived from ‘Sports Roadster’ with a 100in wheelbase, and power came from Chevrolet or Ford V8 engines.
It’s thought 25 SR-100s were built between 1953 and 1961, with 10 believed to still be in existence.
5. Caterham
In 1973, Caterham Cars took over production of the Lotus Seven S4, but it moved back to the S3 model after selling just 38 S4s.
It was a shrewd move and Caterham has now sold more than 22,000 Sevens of all types, and both fully built and as self-assembly kits for home builders.
Although the introduction of VAT on kit cars in 1973 forced many to the wall, the popularity of the Seven kept Caterham viable and customers still saved money by completing their cars at home.
Today, you can still choose to build many Caterham models at home from a comprehensive kit and save £2595 on the final price.
6. Clan Crusader
Like Lotus (which we will come to later), Clan offered its Crusader either fully built or as a complete set of parts for the owner to finish at home.
Initially, this helped buyers avoid Purchase Tax, but the introduction of VAT on kit cars coupled with supply issues forced the firm out of business in 1974, after around 350 cars had left the impressive County Durham factory.
The Crusader punched well above its weight thanks to the revvy Hillman Imp engines, superbly made and stiff all-glassfibre body, and aerodynamic shape.
All of this was no surprise given the Clan was designed by former Lotus employees Paul Hassauer, John Frayling and Arthur Birchall.
7. Davrian Mk8
The Davrian developed from an open sports racer into a closed coupé for road and motorsport use, and all were offered for owners to build at home.
A light, strong glassfibre monocoque body helped give the Davrian superb handling, which translated into considerable success on track and later as a Tarmac rally car when it became the Welsh-built Darrian that is still available today.
Power for the Davrian came from the Hillman Imp, though versions based on the Mini and Volkswagen Beetle were also offered. Later models used a mid-mounted Ford Fiesta motor.
The short-lived Corry Cars incarnation of the Davrian lasted from 1983 to 1985 with Ford power, before the company came to Tim Duffee in Wales where it has had lasting success as Darrian.
8. Diva GT
Racing was the main focus for the Diva GT in its various forms and it proved very successful. It was the idea of Tunex Conversions boss Don Sim and a useful way to promote his uprated engines.
The first Diva GT appeared in 1961 and used a glassfibre body made by Heron. Evolutions of the model appeared under the Tunex brand until 1966, when Skodek Engineering took over until the model was discontinued in 1968.
The D-type of 1965 was made with road use in mind, because it had headlights – 51 were made. It was followed by the 10FS as a dedicated roadgoing car under Skodek, but only three were produced.
9. Dutton Phaeton
Perhaps more than any other, the Dutton Phaeton promoted the idea of the self-build car throughout the late 1970s and 1980s.
It was priced low to sell in big numbers and it did just that, with a total of around 3000 sold in 11 years under Tim Dutton’s stewardship.
A simple chassis with Ford Escort components was clothed in an equally basic glassfibre body that was similar in style to the Lotus Seven S4.
Easy and quick to build, the Phaeton was fun on the road and many were used in competition with a variety of engines including the Ford 3-litre V6 and Rover V8.
10. Elva Courier
Like many self-build cars of the era, the Elva Courier developed from a successful one-off special built for racing.
Frank Nicholls had commissioned his CSM from Mike Chapman and this inspired the Courier that arrived in 1958 with Triumph suspension and engines from either the MGA or Riley One Point Five.
The first Courier was good, but the Mk2 was the best seller with around 350 produced from 1959 to 1961.
Courier sales continued up to 1965 under the ownership of Trojan Cars, with approximately another 200 made and each model found success on track.
11. Fairthorpe Electron Minor
Fairthorpe started out with the intention of offering fully built cars with its Atom microcar, but Air Vice-Marshall Don CT Bennett’s car company really got into its stride with its Electron range of self-build models.
Based on a simple chassis with Triumph suspension to begin with, the Minor was the big hit and based on the Standard Ten.
Approximately 300 Electron Minors were sold, plus around 120 in total of the subsequent five generations.
They included the pretty EM3 coupé from 1963 to 1965, while the final EM6 soldiered on until 1973 based on the Triumph GT6.
12. Falcon Mk2
The first Falcon used the tried and trusted method of grafting a glassfibre body on to an Austin Seven chassis, but later models switched to a Ford base for better power.
The Mark 2 followed this simple formula and was the company’s most successful model by some margin, with 1000 or so sold.
Falcon was primarily a maker of bodyshells for the home builder to adapt to their needs, but the Competition of 1960 was a complete kit with a spaceframe chassis and a Ford 100E engine.
13. Fiberfab Jamaican
Emerging from the California hot rod and tuning scene of the early 1950s, Fiberfab sold various bodyshells under licence in the US before launching its own models.
These included the Apache and the Aztec, as well as the GT40-like Valkyrie. However, the best-known car is the Jamaican of 1968.
Based on an Austin-Healey, MGA or Triumph TR chassis, the home builder fitted the sleek Jamaican body to the frame.
There was also an option for the Volkswagen Beetle as a base, and as many as 1000 kits were sold for all base vehicles.
14. Gilbern GT
Giles Smith and Bernard Friese found themselves with an unexpected hit when they launched the Gilbern GT in 1960.
Its pretty looks helped and it was initially made with MG Midget or Coventry Climax engines in mind, so performance was brisk. It went on to use the MGB’s motor as the GT 1800.
The rest of the GT’s mechanical parts were lifted from an Austin A35, which dictated the Gilbern’s compact dimensions.
Later cars also used Morris Minor components, and a total of 277 GTs were made before the model was replaced by the short-lived Genie in 1967.
15. Ginetta G4
The Ginetta G4 was a logical development of the Walklett brothers’ growing experience and talent in building cost-effective sports cars.
Its light chassis and sleek glassfibre body were just right for the time when it was introduced in 1961 and the early Ford 105E-based cars proved themselves in competition.
The enduring appeal of the G4 meant it remained a pillar of the Ginetta range up until 1969, by which time around 570 had been sold.
However, the model’s appeal meant it was reintroduced in 1981 as the Series 4 and another 33 were built. The car was further revived under the Walklett brothers’ Dare brand in the 1990s.
16. Ginetta G15
The Ginetta G15 was sold as a complete kit of parts, much like buyers had the option with the Lotus Elan that was the G15’s main rival.
Its low-slung coupé shape hid the Ginetta’s tiny size very well, and few would guess that a Hillman Imp engine was tucked under the lift-up rear deck.
With lightweight and easily tuned engines, the G15 was quickly showing its ability on track as well as being one of the best self-build cars for those looking to use it on a daily basis.
Production lasted from 1967 through to 1973 and 610 G15s left the factory.
17. Kellison J4 GT
Jim Kellison applied his US Air Force pilot’s mindset to producing self-build sports cars that he launched in 1958.
That first car was based on the Austin-Healey Sprite, but the following models made use of the large-capacity and cheap-to-source V8s that proliferated in the US.
The J4 GT was one of the best-selling Kellison models thanks to its attractive coupé looks and strong performance from its Corvette-sourced engine. It also acquitted itself well on track.
Kellison went on to produce a huge variety of home-build cars, including early replicas of the Ford GT40 and AC Cobra.
18. Lotus Elan
One of Lotus’ most successful cars, the Elan was offered in self-build kit form right from the beginning of its life in 1962.
It came as a complete kit of parts that included the engine, gearbox, suspension, brakes and interior. As a result, all the customer had to do was assemble the car, rather than source the components.
As the Elan became more sophisticated throughout its life, more units were sold as complete cars from the factory.
Altogether, Lotus produced around 9000 Elans between 1962 and 1973, but it’s unknown how many were sold as kits or what the split was between coupés and roadsters.
19. Marcos
Marcos developed out of Jem March’s Speedex tuning-accessories business and produced its definitive coupé shape in 1964 with input from Frank Costin, and Dennis and Peter Adams.
This low, aerodynamic two-seater started life with a wooden chassis, but the company quickly switched to a steel version.
Offered as a kit from the very start, customers had a choice of Ford and Volvo engines to begin with, while the later Mantula version adopted the punchy Rover V8.
There was also a Martina model that used the Ford Cortina as its base to offer a more affordable option, but Marcos stopped offering kit packages in 1993 to concentrate on fully built turnkey cars.
20. Purvis Eureka
If the Purvis Eureka bears more than a passing resemblance to the Nova kit car, it’s because this Australian self-build sport coupé was a licence-made version of the original British design.
The Purvis stuck with the Volkswagen Beetle as its base car, though Ford engines could also be fitted in place of the VW flat-four.
First offered in 1974, the Eureka remained in production as a kit and a complete car right up until 1991.
By that time, 683 had been produced by Allan Purvis’ company including a targa-roofed version that joined the line-up in the early 1980s.
21. Rochdale Olympic
Rochdale took its name from the town near the British city of Manchester where the firm was established in 1948 and it supplied glassfibre shells to fit to proprietary chassis to begin with.
The company hit the headlines when it launched its Olympic coupé in 1960, which was only the second car to use a glassfibre monocoque after the Lotus Elite.
The Olympic was handsome and went well thanks to its Riley One Point Five or Ford sidevalve engines.
Around 250 Phase 1 Olympics were made before a factory fire interrupted production.
The Phase 2 model picked up the reins in 1963 and went on to sell around 150 more kits up to 1966, when the company ceased car building to focus on industrial glassfibre work.
22. Tornado Typhoon
Tornado hedged its bets with its first car, the Typhoon, by offering it both as a bodyshell to fit to an existing chassis or as a full kit with a chassis designed by the company.
Customers could choose from a roadster, a coupé and even an estate body, which all helped the Typhoon reach sales of almost 400 when it was discontinued in 1962.
The Talisman of 1962 was available as a kit or fully built using Triumph Herald suspension on a simple ladder chassis.
A good-looking coupé, the Talisman reached sales of 196 before the company went into liquidation in late 1963 and sealed its fate.
23. Turner Sports Mk1
A series of one-off and low-volume race cars gave Jack Turner the confidence to offer the Sports model as a home-build kit from 1955.
It started off based on the Austin A30 and then the A35 with its larger engine, but it was the Sports Mk1 of 1959 that really put the company on the map.
Good looks allied to peppy engines including the Coventry Climax unit, plus motorsport success, helped this model shift around 160 units.
The Mk2 enjoyed similar sales and success with added performance from the option of a Ford pre-Crossflow engine. A Mk3 followed in 1963 and lasted until the company closed its doors in 1966.
24. TVR Vixen
TVR began building cars as early as 1949, but it was when it introduced the Grantura in 1957 that the press and public really started to take notice.
The good-looking compact coupé could be bought as a kit or complete and used a sturdy backbone chassis. This set the template for the models that followed, including the big-selling Vixen series.
The first Vixen went on sale in 1967, with the Series 2 arriving in 1968, and then S3 and S4 models in 1970 and 1972, respectively.
Ford engines were by far the most commonly used in these models and each series brought improvements in quality, handling and performance.
The S4 was the best of the lot, but only 23 were made as focus shifted to the M-Series cars that were also offered in kit form alongside fully finished production cars.
25. Unipower GT
One of the most lauded self-build cars of the 1960s is also one of the lowest, because the Unipower GT’s roof was only 40in (101.5cm) off the ground – the same as a Ford GT40.
Launched at the London Racing Car Show in 1966, the Unipower offered amazing performance from its mid-mounted Mini Cooper ‘S’ engine. With a 1275cc motor, the GT could reach 113mph.
Production moved from the original Universal Power Drives company in 1968 to UWF (Unger Weld Forester). In total, it’s thought around 75 Unipower GTs were sold – and they are highly prized today.
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