STEVE HOLE tells the story of the brilliant ‘Commuter City Car’, the TiCi

The TiCi was created by Anthony Hill, Design RCA, a 34-year-old (in 1971) design consultant and lecturer based in Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire.

Hill was a talented chap with a Royal College of Art pedigree. He’d previously designed a motorcycle and several domestic and industrial appliances and had also done consultancy work for the likes of Ford Motor Company and Hawker Siddeley. Clearly, a clever man.

There were also things as diverse as wheelchairs, locomotives and even a trimaran on his CV. He also had a desire to create his own ‘commuter city car’ (as he described it) and so, TiCi Cars Ltd was founded in 1966.

The original TiCi prototype was built in his kitchen in 1968. It was a complicated build with inter-connected suspension and a Triumph 500cc motorcycle engine and dampers. It was just 6ft long (or ‘short’ depending on your outlook on life). A three-piece body was made from a material produced using cotton waste impregnated with resin, like the Trabant’s body although that used Polyester waste. Both were clearly made from old underpants, however!

Friends and family helped fund the prototype, but it didn’t go into production because sufficient extra funding couldn’t be found, so Hill shelved the idea for a while, continuing his core design work and also lecturing budding designers.

However, he did return to the idea and the car we know as the TiCi (actually TiCi II) was based on Mini mechanicals and although larger, was just 89in long, which was a whopping 3ft shorter than the Mini donor.

It had a beautiful little monocoque structure, 10in wheels, a Mini front subframe and the A-Series engine in the rear. For the production version, Hill had ditched the cotton and used GRP for the body instead, which was still supplied in three sections, one of which featured a tray-like interior that incorporated the seats.

Hill also claimed that the car was very safe and mentioned a built-in ‘crash structure’ and although the windscreen surround featured steel reinforcement, I’m not sure if it had any side-impact, front or rear protection, however. Definitely not like the brilliant Tridion crash safety cell used on the Smart ForTwo and ForFour, even though the word sounds daft.

I read in an old magazine feature from around the time of its launch that stated that Hill had received some investment from BRM founder, Raymond Mays to help, although that can’t be confirmed.

Mentioning, the official launch this was at the John Webb-devised Evening News Motor Show Boat event in January 1972. This was a floating show, with the action taking place on a Townsend Thoresen ferry, normally to be found plying its trade between Dover and Calais. Typical of the late Webb’s innovation, the Brands Hatch boss was an amazing chap and was responsible for many motorsport milestones.

From its launch, the TiCi gained incredible publicity in magazines and on TV on high-profile primetime shows like Tomorrow’s World, Roy Castle’s Record Breakers and even Blue Peter. Hot Car, Cars & Car Conversions and Car magazines all featured it.

I found an old video – which now seems to have disappeared – where Hill was interviewed about his little bolide and he firmly believed in it and was expecting sales per year to run into thousands.

Notable brand ambassadors were appointed including pre-knighted Clive Sinclair and Stirling Moss and the latter particularly loved the car and would often be seen buzzing around central London in his TiCi, running errands and using it to get to and from meetings. As the photo here shows, he featured heavily in the car’s promotional material.

Other celebrities were also courted and several placed orders. The rock and roll band Showaddywaddy loved it as drummer Romeo Challenger (did you know that Romeo is the dad of Olympic silver medallist high jumper, Ben Challenger?), lead vocalist (now the band’s manager) Dave Bartram and rhythm guitarist Trevor Oakes (did you know that top ex-footballers, Scott and Steffan are Trevor’s sons?) all had TiCis. There is also while some conjecture surrounding whether singer and Catwoman, Eartha Kitt ordered one. She certainly appeared in promo shots at the Motor Boat Show in 1972 and is said to have loved the car and seems very happy in the photo.

Some say she ordered one, although it’s also been claimed that her manager blocked it and demanded a free one from Hill, who refused. I’ve seen it said that she never owned one although someone who should know told me once that she over-rode her manager and paid real money for one.

Hill set up TiCi Sales Ltd in Sutton-in-Ashfield although cars and kits were produced by an outside GRP company in a small workshop in Shepshed (note I refrained from using the words ‘in a shed in Shepshed!). Most were supplied in kit form at £399 and all came in yellow gelcoat. There was an options list, which included weather gear and little GRP doorlets, for those who didn’t wish to feel completely exposed and totally at the mercy of errant Scammell drivers getting too close on roundabouts.

Our main photo originally appeared in Hot Car magazine in March 1973 and shows both a Mini-powered TiCi and the Electric prototype. On the left is Anthony Hill (with his Old English Sheepdog!) with none other than Stirling Moss. This was all part of a famous photoshoot that centred around Moss seen driving a TiCi across Westminster Bridge.

Hill might have sold as many as 40. Twelve went overseas (six to Spain, five to Japan and one to Cyprus).

The remarkably enthusiastic collector of Mini-based kits and specials, Paul Wylde owns a lovely example of the breed and several others still exist.