A warm NEW YEAR WELCOME to totalkitcar online … the last edition of 2024.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I do hope that you had a fine Christmas. A shortish update this week, just to wish you a VERY HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR, dear reader.

TKC MAG – JAN/FEB 2025 issue of TKC MAG is OUT NOW.

OUT NOW – shop, digital and mail order

Welcome to the first issue of TKC MAG in 2025

Hopefully, we have more winter warmers to entertain you with.

The front cover feature is the Foreman P4R – a popular kitcar making a welcome return to the scene

Solus Motorsport ‘Sinner’ – a brilliant body conversion based on Toyota MR2 Mk3. Originally designed by Wayne Blackwell, it’s been productionised by Lincolnshire-based Mark Gray

Microlino – this fun little car taking its inspiration from ‘bubble’ cars of yesteryear is now available in the UK via Caterham/Morgan dealer, Krazy Horse. Response to the little electric bolide has been exceptional

Morgan Super 3 – Talking of Morgan, we recently tested the latest Super 3 demonstrator. Like Roses, it grows on you (ask your grandad!)!

Industry Greats – Martin Keenan. Plenty of people in the industry realise what a clever bloke Martin Keenan is and the part he has played in building and promoting great kitcars but hopefully, this feature will make more people aware of him

ERA R10 – A new era for Tiger Racing. A namechange may be but the people are the same and the cars are still great just like this, their new R10 demonstrator

EXO Concepts – A new company set up to promote the exo-skeletal kitcar movement, namely the products of Exo Sportscars and Halcyon Sportscars.

Plus, much more inside

DENNIS ADAMS OBITUARY – Very saddened to hear of the death of Dennis Adams late last year. One of the specialist car industry’s greatest designers, he was best-known for his work with Marcos, but there was lots of other stuff, including, of course, the Probe, Glenfrome Facet, Rotrax and Adams Roadster not to mention wrought iron work…

Alternatively, you can CLICK HERE to pre-order your JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2025 copy NOW.

Great book

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 digi 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.

If you live overseas and want to swerve FIERCE airmail postage costs, why not get TKC MAG on your phone … tablet … MAC … or PC. The digital age, I’m told …

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.

Why not visit the ‘totalkitcar YouTube Channel’?

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.

Search YouTube for the ‘totalkitcar YouTube Channel’ or follow this link: https://www.youtube.com/@tkcmag.

Our popular TRACKDAY CALENDAR is where you can find out where, when and how much by CLICKING HERE. Now updated to cover January and February 2025.

Another great new release

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.

Classic Kit Cars & Specials has a new home at totalkitcar.com

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.

SNIPPETS 1 …….. Crikey, no sooner is Christmas done and dusted for another year, then we find the first big show of the year upon us – AUTOSPORT INTERNATIONAL at the NEC, BIRMINGHAM, which takes place on January 9-12. All the usual fun of the fair from all levels of motorsport, plus the best aftermarket products to tempt you.

Adult tickets cost £38 each while 6-15 year olds cost £21 each.

More from www.autosportinternational.com.

SNIPPETS 2 ……At the end of October, to coincide with the clocks going back, Auto Express published their annual automotive headlamp bulb test.

The test was carried out at Philip’s lighting lab in Aachen, Germany with H7 and H1 bulbs tested. The test has been undertaken for many years and is focused on looking into claims made and the safety of automotive headlight bulbs supplied in the UK. The test is typically performed at either OSRAM (Ring’s parent company), Ring or Philips’ facilities.

Ring won the Recommended award for both bulbs, coming second overall in the test. Such a result highlights the company’s credibility and position as a leading UK automotive bulb brand. As it’s dark earlier now, drivers are thinking about their bulbs more and more, making now the ideal upselling opportunity.

Managing Director, Andy Gratton, said: “With a trio of Phillips, OSRAM and Ring taking the top three spots it’s no surprise that bulbs manufactured by OE companies i.e those that supply bulbs directly to vehicle manufacturers, are leading the way in performance, compliance and safety.”

Some of the other bulb brands that were tested in Philips’ facility scored less favourably and, in some cases, were unrated, due to not complying with all the ECE regulations regarding minimum/maximum light output.

Andy continued: “It was great to see our environmentally friendly packaging mentioned throughout. Over the last eighteen months, our group has invested heavily in converting our bulb packaging to plastic-free. The Ring range of performance bulbs fully transferred to eco-friendly cardboard packaging in 2022 and the OSRAM range transfer started in 2024 and is due to b by Q1 2025.”

The full test can be read online at https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/product-group-tests/76760/best-car-headlight-bulbs-2024.

SNIPPETS 3 …….. SPECIAL OFFER: 12 months FREE Total Motor Assist for all totalkitcar.com readers!

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Trusted by thousands of members and over 150 organisations, we’re delighted to invite you to join free today at https://tkc.assistprotect.co.uk.

Now with free cycling support and property damage repair as well when you join!

STEVO’S BEER TIP – STARDUST BREWERY – JUST STOUT

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.

Winter is always a good time to sample a few stouts and I sampled a good one the other day. It hails from White Waltham, Berkshire-based Stardust Brewery. It’s called Just Stout and has an ABV of 4.2%. A proper winter warmer.

You might think that a stout is a stout? Well, yes, but not really, if that makes any sense. Just Stout is very dry and has plenty of burnt caramel and roasted malt, not to mention the traditional stout trait of a creamy mouthfeel.

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 – JANUARY 3 – La vie et belle! HAPPY NEW YEAR!.

Best regards

Steve