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Welcome to totalkitcar online …

A warm WELCOME to totalkitcar online … Of the notable anniversaries for the kitcar industry in 2025 one of the biggest is HAWK CARS celebrating a marvellous forty years, since being founded by Gerry Hawkridge in 1985 as Transformer Cars, producing a Lancia Stratos. That legendary replica has evolved greatly over the years and is still available today as the Hawk HF.

Forty years of great replicas from Hawk Cars who are celebrating forty years in 2025. The company began life as Transformer Cars in 1985.

Forty-years of kitcar show fun with Gerry Hawkridge!

A Stratos looks stunning in Alitalia livery. A popular choice for Hawk customers ..

We have a TWELVE page HAWK HF feature upcoming in the forthcoming March/April 2025 issue.

Congrats to Gerry Hawkridge for hitting the forty-year club, still run by the founders, joining the likes of Tornado Sports Cars (Andrew Sheldon) and Autotune (Rishton) Ltd (Anthony and Carolyn Taylor).

Verified unique readers per month for this website currently average 16,447 (covering October, November and December 2024). 

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 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 recebtly 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 well make more people aware of him

ERA R10 – A new era for Tiger Racing. A namechange maybe 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-skelatal 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 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 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.

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 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.

This week in CLASSIC KIT CARS & SPECIALS we take a look at one of the leading kitcar manufacturers of the eighties – Burlington Motor Company. They produced traditional roadsters such as the Burlington SS, Arrow, Berretta and Chieftain. CLICK HERE.

Burlington Motor Company founder Haydn Davies at the wheel of a Beretta – the company is the subject of this week’s CLASSIC KIT CARS & SPECIALS video

SNIPPETS 1 ……..  You may have seen the conversations around LED headlights in the last week as MP Lilian Greenwood has given an update on the ongoing issue of bright headlights and the possible countermeasures

Ring, whose parent company is OSRAM, are both leading bulb manufacturers and has been assisting the Government since last year about the causes of headlight glare.

Henry Bisson, the marketing director from Ring, explains the reason for glare – and it’s not LED bulbs:

“The most common reason for glare is unfortunately inconsiderate drivers that are not dropping from high beam to low beam. While there is a time and place for high beam, inappropriate use is down to driver behaviour and not due to the car or its headlights.

Another cause is misalignment, so if a bulb hasn’t been fitted correctly, it is not set in the headlight unit correctly, therefore can cause dazzle drivers rather than putting light on the road as intended, as the bulb is pointing in the wrong direction. There are also more SUVs on UK roads than ever before, their lights are naturally higher than on conventional vehicles, and, although this shouldn’t cause dazzle, the effect may be accentuated when driving up or downhill.

“Retrofitting bulbs is an unregulated market, so anyone can replace their regular bulbs with cheap HID kits or LED bulbs bought online and that are not designed to conform to legal regulations. While some comply with the law, others are illegal and may be throwing out too much light in a less controlled way. The final, and most worrying reason, is poor quality bulbs, of which there are many, as brands cut costs by producing cheap and unregulated bulbs with no research, testing or quality control.

“There has also been confusion over LEDs causing glare on the road. LED bulbs are currently not road legal and should not be confused with LED light units that are a non-replaceable component. Many new vehicles that use these LED light units have been homologated with the headlamp units. These LEDs are road-legal. LED bulbs, though, remain not road-legal. They have not been designed to work with the headlamp units for halogen bulbs, and cause glare.

“There are brighter bulbs in the market that are popular, which do put more light onto the road, however, that’s only where the light is needed and does not cause glare or dazzle. High-quality materials and detailed engineering ensures the light output is maximised onto the road, conforms to the legal cut-off marks and is not scattered across into the other lane to dazzle. The whiter lights used in these are more noticeable and human’s eyes are drawn to notice whiter colour temperature light, but that is different to causing glare.”

SNIPPETS 2 …….The British Motor Museum is to launch a new Young Artists Competition to celebrate the opening of the exhibition, The Gallery 2025. This exclusive contest with the theme ‘The car and the environment’ gives young artists with a passion for automotive art, the rare chance to display their work at the museum.

There are three age categories for entry: under 11s, 12-16 years, and 17-20 years with one winner per category. Entries open on Thursday, February 6 and close on Monday, April 28, giving interested applicants February Half-Term and the Easter holidays to perfect their masterpieces.

The winning artwork will go on display in the museum from Thursday, May 29 – Friday, June 27, as part of The Gallery 2025 exhibition. The winning artists will each receive a half-day workshop with an esteemed artist featured in the exhibition, getting tips on everything from how to set the scene for their next artwork to how to succeed with art as a career.

The generous sponsor of the prize is Peter Mitchell, Patron of the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust. The winner of each age category will also receive £50 worth of art vouchers, thanks to a generous donation from LifewithArt.

The Gallery 2025 exhibition will open on Friday, April 4, featuring a combination of paintings and sculptural pieces. The Gallery 2025 is a continuing collaboration with Historic Car Art and will showcase some of the UK’s most talented automotive artists, including John Ketchell, Keith Woodcock, Emma Capener, Jonny Ambrose, Oliver Ray and Steve Goodwin. There will be ‘live art’ taking place where the artists continue their artwork at the Museum for visitors to see. The artists work with a variety of media, including acrylics, oil, watercolour, pen, and pastels.

Stephen Laing, Head of Collections & Engagement at the British Motor Museum, said: “It’s going to be an exciting few months for artists of all ages. The Young Artists Competition is a wonderful way to encourage artists of the future and help them begin to fulfil their creative potential. Displaying their artwork alongside established artists is an enormous opportunity and the winning artworks will add to an already stunning range in the upcoming exhibition, The Gallery 2025.”

Rupert Whyte, Historic Car Art owner, said: “We are pleased to be working alongside the British Motor Museum for a third year to curate an exhibition of motoring art celebrating the depth of talent amongst British automotive artists. Each year we introduce new artists to the exhibition and 2025 will be no exception.”

The Young Artists Competition will be judged by a returning panel, including Rupert Whyte, owner of Historic Car Art and Stephen Laing, Head of Collections & Engagement at the British Motor Museum.

Access to the exhibition is included with standard museum admission tickets. Museum entry is just £46 for a family of 4 in advance or £52 on the day, £17 per adult in advance or £20 on the day, £15 for concessions in advance or £18 on the day, £9 for children (5-16 years) in advance or £10 on the day and under 5s are FREE.

You can choose to donate your entry fee and get an Annual Pass in return at no extra cost and there is also the option to Gift Aid your donation. Being a Gift Aid visitor makes a big difference to the British Motor Museum. To find out more information about the exhibition and the Young Artists Competition, please visit the website at https://www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk/explore/the-gallery

SNIPPETS 3…..…Latest from Race Retro …

Picture it: the roar of the DFV engine, James Hunt wrestling an M23 to victory, the most dramatic F1 season unfolding before your eyes. Now, you don’t have to just imagine it – you can see it. The McLaren M23, one of the most iconic Formula 1 cars ever, is waiting for you on the Bugatti Owners Club stand at Race Retro. While you’re there, why not explore their race series and start your own motorsport journey

To book tickets visit https://raceretro.seetickets.com/content/ticket-options/?src=EMAIL but you can  USE DISCOUNT CODE ‘EM17′ TO SAVE £2 PER TICKET!

SNIPPETS 4 …….. SPECIAL OFFER: 12 months FREE Total Motor Assist for all totalkitcar.com readers!

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24/7 UK-based helpline

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!

ITALIAN SPORTS BIKES

A new little series celebrating Italian sports bikes – a particular passion of mine.

This week we drool over the Bimota KB4 – a complete thing of beauty.

Bimota UK describe the KB4 thus: “The KB4 combines Bimota’s heritage with the latest technology, combining the classic design of the iconic Bimota motorcycles of the 70’s with the function and usability of a modern bike. In the spirit of Bimota the KB4 is a contemporary thoroughbred. Handcrafted in Italy with attention paid to the smallest detail and design.”

The 1043cc KB4 produces 142bhp and is yours from – £29,995.

More www.bimotauk.co.uk.

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 – FEBRUARY 14 – La vie et belle!

Best regards

Steve