Welcome to totalkitcar online …

A warm WELCOME to totalkitcar online … Crikey, a snowy week in many parts of the country this week. Many poor people seem to be dealing with flooding, so our sympathies to them. Other difficult stuff, too like the breach on the Bridgewater Canal near Manchester, which seems like a massive issue, not only the flood water it’s the ice and snow that they are dealing with too, which is compounding things greatly.

Fingers crossed things improve soon. STAY SAFE AND KEEP WARM.

OUT NOW

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 produced 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 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 name change may be but the people are the same and the cars are still great just like this, their new R10 demonstrator

Morgan Super3 feature in the Jan/Feb 2025 issue

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

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 can 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.

As the name suggests we look at some of the classic marques, great cars, not-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.

Why not visit the ‘totalkitcar YouTube Channel’?

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.

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 …….. Reader Patrick Adam from West Sussex got in touch the other day after reading our Dennis Adams tribute in the Jan/Feb 2025 issue of TKC MAG. He owns the second example built, which is unique in being 12in longer thus the only one in 2+2 configuration. The car is now for sale at a fiver under 36K.

It’s a rather fine example with Patrick only having done 738 miles in the car since 2012. If it’s of interest visit https://www.carandclassic.com/car/C1484297

SNIPPETS 2 ……..As a diehard Alpine fan, I was very interested to note that a new book on the marque has just been published in France called ‘Alpine – Les Flèches de Dieppe – 1955-2022’ by Alpine expert Maxime Joly of MeganeRS-lelivre.com. Photos are by Étienne Rovillé.

It’s written in French, but even a working knowledge of the language will be enough to enjoy it. The photography is first-class and more than helps tell the story of Jean Rédéleé’s interesting little marque. In any case, if you are an Alpine enthusiast, you will buy it regardless: https://bit.ly/4285grX. The link goes to Maxime’s online shop, where you can order a copy, with Paypal being the preferred and easiest option.

I paid the equivalent of around £43 including Airmail post.

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 – DOCKER BREWERY – FLATTEN THE CURVE

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.

I picked up a couple of cans of Docker Brewery’s Flatten The Curve while on a Christmas trip to the marvellous Folkestone Harbour Arm. They are based just down the road in Hythe. It’s an IPA of 6.2% ABV.

Three types of hops are used, there are definite flavours of stone fruits. I found it extremely interesting. I really liked it, actually. More from www.dockerbrewery.com.

So, that’s about it from me for this week, so I’ll bid you a great seven days, with plenty of enjoyable driving and I look forward to welcoming you once again next Friday – JANUARY 17 – La vie et belle!

Best regards

Steve