Nice to hear from Tim Simic boss of Australian kitcar manufacturer, Dirty Dog Outlaws, this week.

Dirty Dog Outlaws boss, Tim Simic with his MGF-based Speedster body conversion

We spent a good couple of hours on a WhatsApp video call on Monday morning (thank god that’s a free service!) and Tim told me about his cars and his business.

The marvellously named Dirty Dog Outlaws has been in existence for around 18 months after builder (a renderer, to be precise) and lifelong car enthusiast, Tim decided to pursue his hobby as a business. He’s rather glad he did, to put it mildly.

Thus far the company has concentrated on their Porsche Speedster-inspired body conversion. This came about because Tim has always had a passion for the iconic car, like a lot of us around the world. He says that he couldn’t find something that suited him, either because he didn’t like it or couldn’t afford it, so he decided to do his own.

He looked at the Porsche Boxster as a donor – he likes the Iconic Autobody kit a lot – but by chance, he also noticed that the humble MGF (there’s quite a scene for them in Australia, apparently) was of a similar size and wheelbase to the Porsche and cogs started to whirl in Tim’s mind.

Hard to believe it’s an MGF (you can also use TF) under there

Things accelerated when he considered the price of an MGF donor against a Boxster (Mk1 986 generation), not to mention the costs of spares for both cars. So, Tim set about converting an MGF into a Speedster lookalike.

He laughs as he tells me about the day he finished his first prototype and wheeled it out of the garage into the daylight and stood back to admire his handiwork. Within five minutes, he was pushing it back in closing the garage doors behind him and fired up the angle grinder.

“That was a bit demoralising but I’m a perfectionist and just wasn’t happy with it. It sat too high and the read end was wrong. I knew I could do better.”

Within a very short time, I realised that Tim is one of life’s doers. When it reappeared, however, he was very happy. Although he can produce you a standard Speedster ‘shell the real interest for Tim and, it appears that of his customers, is the ‘Outlaw’ look.

I ask how the Dirty Dog name came about. “I spent what seemed like an eternity rubbing down GRP and filler and my dog, who is always in the garage with me, was literally covered in glassfibre dust and I said: ‘You dirty dog’” Tim laughs.

Tim’s premises has become a tourist attraction on Philip Island!

He is a really likeable character Tim and during our conversation his passion comes shining through, plus he has a great sense of humour. One of his mottos is: ‘Call it a  Body Swap, Restomod, Kitcar; call it what you will. But do yourself a favour – be different!’

Tim is based in a place called Cowes. Not the one on the Isle of Wight, but rather Philip Island, an idyllic place known to fans of superbike racing thanks to the stunning circuit there. “My premises was a garage for about 50 years. When we took it over, we restored it and gave it a bit of a nod to the past. It’s become a bit of a stopover for people, especially as we are on the last roundabout before you hit town,” he tells me.

Amongst his sales – he offers fully built cars for his domestic customers – for the Ultimate Outlaw kit five have gone to the USA (he offers a Toyota MR2 Mk3 donor for that market – and three to the UK. More will surely follow. Fast.

“Sterling is incredibly strong against the Aussie dollar so it is quite cost-effective,” he says. His kit costs $20,000 AUD, which equates to approximately, £10,000 GBP. Add in shipping, which Tim says takes about four weeks, VAT and duty and it remains value for money.

Tim is keen to stress that the kit includes everything you need to build your car besides the donor MGF (or TF) and brightwork. “No hidden parts or unexpected surprises,” Tim says.

There are some options forthcoming which include Jaguar D-type-style head fairings, a five-stud wheel hub conversion and 18in custom wheels. Throw in a Coupé body and even an electric version. Tim is the sort of bloke who thrives on being busy.

He is also open to speaking with a UK-based company who’d like to talk about becoming an agent, but he is content sending the kits direct from the factory to the UK.

Two other products are also on the chocks. The Bulldog and the Dingo, which are equally exciting but more on those shortly.

I have a strong feeling the Ultimate Outlaw by Dirty Dog Outlaws will become well-known in the UK … it’s hard not be enthused by Tim Simic, the sort of bloke you’d love to have a beer with.

More from www.dirtydogoutlaws.com or contact Tim via EMAIL ENDS.