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HAPPY 75^TH ‘BIRTHDAY’ TO THE UK’S KITCAR INDUSTRY – 1949-2024

A warm WELCOME TO totalkitcar online …

The JULY/AUGUST 2024 issue of TKC MAG is OUT NOW in shops and on digital platforms, not forgetting mail order.

As usual plenty of good stuff to entertain you with.

How’s this for starters?

CRENDON CR427 & CR427-E – A look at the activities of Ralph Broad’s Birmingham-based operation of the sixties. Known to specialist car enthusiasts for the Broadspeed GT, there was much to them than that such as tuning packages and parts, Ford/BMC dealerships, the Bullitt Capri and a leading race team.

BURTON – THE 2CV SHOP – The 2CV Shop is one of the largest 2CV specialists in the UK and is also the UK agent for giant French Citroën parts experts CASSIS. They’ve recently become the UK agent for the brilliant Dutch-made Burton, 2CV-based roadster, of which over 1800 have been sold around the world. We recently sampled The 2CV Shop’s first demonstrator.

INDUSTRY GREATS – TONY SOUTHGATE – Honoured to be able to cover the career of one of motorsport’s greatest designers – Tony Southgate. Who, amongst the iconic racing cars he’s designed, also raced a Sylva Phoenix for eight seasons.

MALVERN 2024 REVIEW – Second running of the National Kit Car Show at Three Counties Showground at Malvern. A brilliant showground and a brilliant show. Here’s what caught our eye.

INTRODUCING – STONER CAR CARE – No laughing at the back at the hippy name. US company Stoner has a great range of car care products that really do work. Here’s our round-up.

MARK & JAN SCARROTT’S TRIO OF MARCOS MANTULAS – NEIL WINNINGTON visited Mark Scarrott and his wife Jan who own not one but THREE superb Marcos Mantulas. Actually, as we closed for press they’d just acquired a FOURTH.

KITFEST 2024 REVIEW – North West Kit Car Owners Group (NWKCOG) were back at Santa Pod again in 2024 for another Kitfest. We were there to record it for posterity. Here’s our review.

ANOTHER SUPERB WILLIAM TROUT CREATION – RICHARD BIRD brought us a brilliant Z3-based William Trout-built kit called a Bandini in the last issue. This time he’s back with another BMW-based corker from  William that is equally as stunning.

GOODWOOD 81^st MEMBERS MEETING 2024 REVIEW – Clashing with Kitfest, the Members Meeting is the third of Goodwood’s motoring events after Revival and Festival of Speed but as STEVE HOLE discovered still has lots to offer.

WHAT FRANK NICHOLS DID AFTER ELVA CARS  – Everyone knows that Frank ‘Father’ Nichols was the man behind ELVA CARS but post-Elva Nichols got up to all sorts including a boat company called LOCHIN MARINE. Read all about it here.

CLICK HERE to buy YOUR copy NOW.

A little plug (well, it’s my website and I have good things to make you aware of!) for the digital version of TKC MAG. If not having a hard, paper copy of the mag in your mitts doesn’t bother you then may I recommend the digital edition.

An EXACT replica of the paper version it currently costs just £23.99 for a TWELVE MONTHS DIGITAL subscription to TKC MAG ANYWHERE in the world. Visit Pocketmags.com and type in ‘TKC MAG’ and all will be revealed. Alternatively, you download our APP on your mobile and download single issues or a subscription on your phone or tablet.

I also recommend – well, I would as I am in it! – a video by Trevor Rolfe of the Oscar’s Garage YouTube channel in which he and I did a ‘walk round’ of the manufacturers’ stands at the show. Link is here – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiQIjOyac6Y.

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.

History File Series, in association with the Enwin Motors channel. Don’t miss out, subscribe for FREE now.

TKC MAG – WHY NOT CONSIDER A SUBSCRIPTION THAT LASTS A WHOLE YEAR? – ACTUALLY, IT LASTS LONGER THAN THAT IF YOU USE THIS SPECIAL OFFER, AS IT WILL LAST FOURTEEN MONTHS. WE’LL ADD AN EXTRA ISSUE TO THE STANDARD TWELVE MONTHS PACKAGE. https://bit.ly/3RxuLgU 

By the grace of Royal Mail – if you live in the United Kingdom – we can pretty much say with confidence that you will receive your copies at least two or three days before shop or digital publication dates.

WHAT’S ON 2024 – A POTTED GUIDE!

A quick look for you at some of the key automotive events for 2024 for your diary.

PLEASE NOTE the new date for Newark Kit Car Festival

July 7	Kent’s All Ford Show	Aylesford, Kent
July 11-14	Festival of Speed	Goodwood House, West Sussex
August 15-18	British Motor Show	Farnborough, Hampshire
August 23-25	Silverstone Festival	Silverstone Circuit, Northants
September 6-8	Revival Meeting	Goodwood, West Sussex
September 8	Kent’s Classic Car Show	Aylesford, Kent
September 14-15	International Autojumble	Beaulieu, Hampshire
September 21-22	Newark Kit Car Festival	Newark, Nottinghamshire
November 8-10	Classic Motor Show	NEC, Birmingham

Our popular TRACKDAY CALENDAR is where you can find out where, when and how much by CLICKING HERE. Now updated to cover June, July & August 2024.

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.

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 contained in CLASSIC KIT CARS & SPECIALS.

This week in CLASSIC KIT CARS & SPECIALS we take a look at a very talented and notable motorsport engineer called David Lazenby, who worked for Lotus (race team and Lotus Components), founded Hawke Racing Cars and Pace Products. CLICK HERE.

SNIPPETS 1 ……. Children can dive into the wonderful world of Car Design at the British Motor Museum with a range of fun activities this summer from July 19 to September 2. The world of cars is full of great designs, from the elegant Jaguar E-type to the steadfast Land Rover. This thinking has inspired both the summer holiday activities and the latest feature exhibition, From Sketch To Street, a fascinating exploration of the world of car design through five key areas: interior design, exterior design, functional design, materials and trim.

Each day from July 19 to August 30, one of the museum’s resident car designers, Dottie and Dougie, will host fun and informative ‘Car Designer Family Tours’ exploring different features in car design. Children can then put what they’ve learned to the test as they take on the “It’s All In The Detail” Family Trail, sketching different design features based on the cars they see around the museum.

Children can then get stuck into some designs of their own and visit the ‘Car Details Garage’ to design a fascinating new vehicle. If they want some more inspiration, the latest exhibition, From Sketch To Street is opening on the first day of the summer holiday activities. Families can explore the transformative nature of car design, through a broad range of exhibits and interactives.

On August 16, the museum will be running a Summer Access Day. Throughout the day, visitors can discover a showcase of the museum’s accessible activities and initiatives, bringing a welcoming visitor experience to the widest possible audience. The Museum will also be open later, to give everyone the chance to get in on the action.

The museum will once again be hosting ‘Cars on the Move’ on the grounds during the school summer holidays as well, featuring classic vehicles from the collections.

Emma Rawlinson, Lifelong Learning Officer at the British Motor Museum, said: “This summer, we’re diving deep into car design, with a range of activities that are sure to inspire children’s creativity! The museum is home to over 400 historic British cars, and each one has its own fascinating design features, from imposing grilles and bodywork, to the tiniest details in the wheels and bumpers. It’s amazing how a good design can really capture the imagination!”

NOTE: All activities are included in museum admission. There is no need to pre-book; just drop by the Family Activity station to find out what is going on and when! Activities are suitable for 4+ years unless otherwise specified. museum entry is just £43 for a family in advance or £49 on the day, £16 for adults in advance or £19 on the day, £14 for concessions in advance or £17 on the day, £9 for children (5-16 years) in advance or £10 on the day and under 5s are FREE. There is also the option to Gift Aid or donate your entry fee and get an Annual Pass in return at no extra cost.

For more information about the museum, please visit the website at: https://www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk/whats-on/get-the-picture

For more information about From Sketch To Street, please visit the website at: https://www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk/explore/from-sketch-to-street

For more information about the Summer Access Day, please visit the website at: https://www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk/whats-on/summer-access-day

SNIPPETS 2 …….. The Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show will mark its 40th anniversary by launching a prestigious ‘Hall of Fame’ to celebrate those who work closely with the show and the classic motoring community.

From 2024 onwards, the show organisers will invite its chosen ‘inductees’ to join the Hall of Fame each year and will celebrate them at Birmingham’s NEC as part of the season finale.

Show Director Lee Masters explained: “We wanted to create something special that not only celebrates all that we’ve achieved so far as a show and as a community but also recognises those who continually fight for the future of our hobby. Each year, the Hall of Fame will aim to recognise those people who go above and beyond and publicly thank them for all their efforts.”

Held November 8-10, in the show’s anniversary year, there will be inductees in four categories – Industry Ambassador, Community Ambassador, Classic Car and Motoring Club.

The Industry Ambassador will recognise someone who campaigns for the owners as well as the industry and strives to secure the future of classic motoring.

Awarded to someone who represents the motoring community, the Community Ambassador will be a person who brings new people into the hobby and gives their support to clubs and organisations.

Classic Cars are at the root of our hobby so the show will celebrate a vehicle that has made a significant contribution to motoring, either for its ingenuity, technical advancement, motorsport achievements or longevity in the industry.

If cars are the root, then the Motoring Clubs are the heart of our community. The Hall of Fame will recognise a club that still strives to represent its members and their chosen vehicles, achieves a considerable milestone, and shows unwavering support for the hobby and the show, building on its presence year-on-year.

The first inductees will be revealed nearer to the show and visitors will be invited to a reveal of the Classic Car and Motoring Club on the opening morning of the Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show in Hall 2 where the Hall of Fame will be celebrated throughout the weekend.

As part of the launch, the organisers are inviting the exhibiting motoring clubs to celebrate their own ‘Hall of Fame’ by choosing it as the show’s 2024 theme.

The clubs can choose to showcase the very best of their marque or their members’ cars along with vehicles that have taken on unbelievable challenges, have made history or just achieved the unthinkable. They also have the option to include those cars that are famous for all the wrong reasons too.

Lee added: “The show theme is always interesting because each year the clubs surprise us and the visitors with their fantastic interpretations. We’re very excited to see how they embrace the Hall of Fame for our 40th celebrations.”

The Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show will be held at Birmingham’s NEC from Friday 8 to Sunday 10 November 2024. Tickets are now on sale. Check the website www.necclassicmotorshow.com or sign up for the newsletter at www.necclassicmotorshow.com/newsletter for the latest updates.

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STEVO’S BEER TIP – THREE ACRE BRWERY – RUBY PORTER

CHAMPIONING THE BEERS OF THE UK’S BRILLIANT CRAFT – AND MICRO-BREWERIES.

Nothing like enjoying a beer after an afternoon in the garage or following a drive out. OBVIOUSLY, we don’t condone or promote drink driving at totalkitcar.com/TKC MAG but once the driving is done there’s nothing like a quality drop of real ale.

I’ve been amazed at some of the low-volume craft beers that have been appearing. The names of some of them are crazy enough, some of those I have tasted have been off the charts. A recent one that tasted like Battenberg or breakfast pancakes springs to mind.

A local brewery very close to TKC Towers is Uckfield-based Three Acre Brewery and their Ruby Red Porter (4.2% ABV) which is a very nice pint, indeed.

I found it deliciously smooth, with deep coffee and cocoa flavours. Finished with a rounded selection of first-class English hops. Nothing more to add about such a fine beer except to give you the website address – www.threeacrebrewery.com

So, that’s about it from me for this week, so I’ll bid you a great week, with plenty of enjoyable driving and I look forward to welcoming you once again next Friday – July 12. La vie et belle!

Best regards 

 

 

Steve