The ‘father’ of the kitcar industry, Derek Buckler (far left) demonstrates the strength of one of his kart chassis’!

HAPPY 75TH ‘BIRTHDAY’ TO THE UK’S KITCAR INDUSTRY – 1949-2024 

Welcome to totalkitcar online

A warm WELCOME to totalkitcar online … Really good to see Mika Sportscars’ Meon all-electric beach buggy starring in ‘first drives’ in this week’s Autocar magazine (18-25 September issue), describing Robin Hall’s creation as ‘A brilliantly British buggy’.

I had a drive of the car soon after it passed its IVA test and definitely think that it’s a sportscar masquerading in a beach buggy body. The Michelin Pilot Sport performance tyres kind of hint at what’s in store. I’ll be popping in to see Robin very soon in the meantime visit www.mikacars.co.uk or pick up a copy of Autocar and read the feature (by Matt Saunders) for yourself.

Final kitcar show of the season is Newark Kit Car Festival this weekend

TKC MAG – Sept/Oct 2024  issue of TKC MAG is OUT NOW. You can CLICK HERE to order your SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2024 copy NOW.

AVAILABLE NOW

We have loads more with which to entertain you, dear reader  – indeed, this one is jam-packed with good stuff

Look Who’s Back – Tim Dutton – the grandmaster kitcar seller – he’s back with a brand new Series 5 Phaeton – now based on Mazda MX-5 Mk3

Industry Greats – Barry Treacy – Delighted to be featuring Barry Treacy in this issue. If the name isn’t familiar Wolfrace wheels, Sonic six-wheeler and Evo locking wheel nuts might be! A marvellous career oh … and a wondrous collection of cars that includes Ferrari F40, F50 and Enzo!

Reader’s Drive – Ian Deakin’s superb EXO Rocket

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Tomcat Motorsport – Neil Winnington recently spent a day with some owners of Tomcat Motorsport’s product. He had a great time and an ideal feature to reacquaint ourselves with these fun, capable off-road kits

Two Scamps tackle St Leonards to Frankfurt and back – Scamp owner, Chris Westgate and his friend Jonathan went off to Germany in their Scamps (a Mk1 and a Mk2) to visit the brilliant International Mini Meeting. They had a joyous time. Chris tells us all about it.

WMT Oldtimer – Steve Hole was on holiday in the Black Forest area of Germany this summer and visited a beer market to collect a few supplies and saw this unusual-looking, very specialist, electric car parked outside

Plus lots more …

Alternatively, you can CLICK HERE to pre-order your SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2024 copy NOW.

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

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.

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.

TKC MAG – WHY NOT CONSIDER A SUBSCRIPTION THAT LASTS A WHOLE YEAR? – ACTUALLY, IT LASTS LONGER THAN THAT IF YOU USE THIS SPECIAL OFFER, AS IT WILL LAST FOURTEEN MONTHS. WE’LL ADD AN EXTRA ISSUE TO THE STANDARD TWELVE MONTHS PACKAGE. https://bit.ly/3RxuLgU.

SUBSCRIBE NOW!

By the grace of Royal Mail – if you live in the United Kingdom – we can pretty much say with confidence that you will receive your copies at least two or three days before shop or digital publication dates.

Our popular TRACKDAY CALENDAR is where you can find out where, when and how much by CLICKING HERE. Now updated to cover September, October and November 2024.

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 ……. Radical Motorsport has engineered a number of upgrades for its model year 25 (MY25) race cars. This includes several new features and options for the SR XXR model range, allowing customers the opportunity to secure their 2025 season race car at 2024 pricing.

Unveiled in a bespoke Daytona Green hue, with complementing green details to further underline its customisation abilities, this latest one-of-one Radical SR10 XXR will not go unnoticed in the paddock. The team at the Cambridgeshire factory has ticked every box on the options list to highlight the new MY25 upgrades, which focus on key themes of safety, reliability, performance and personalisation.

Safety
Putting safety first, new seating options have been launched for both SR3 XXR and SR10 XXR. An all-new carbon single seat has been designed in-house by the Radical research and development team in response to customer feedback.

This was primarily driven by a demand in the USA where this specification is popular, and sees the new seat feature an integrated wrap-around headrest made of pre-impregnated carbon fibre, resulting in a seat that is both stronger and lighter than its GRP predecessor. The seat is available on left-hand drive, right-hand drive and central driving position configurations.

For drivers who prefer the twin-seat option, to enable in-car driver coaching or exhilarating passenger rides, occupant safety has been further enhanced by the addition of strategically placed Kevlar inserts and stronger seat mounts and bracketry. For all seating options, new and improved harnesses have improved driver comfort while adding further personalisation options with the introduction of four different colour choices.

Personalisation
Radical offers a number of personalisation options that do not impact the performance of the car but allow it to stand out in the paddock and bring a customer’s dream to reality. In addition to the custom bodywork colours, lightweight Braid wheels can be painted to compliment the body colour.

Inside, the driver can now select from a number of different colour harnesses. Additional customisation options include a custom-designed livery which can be applied at the factory. Once complete, and quality inspected, the finished car is taken for a photoshoot before being shipped to its final destination, which could be one of 20+ countries via a 30+ strong Radical dealer network.

 2025 ready
These MY25 updates further enhance the ownership experience of the world’s best-selling purpose-built race cars. SR3 XXR and SR10 XXR share multiple common updates, along with model-specific features responding to worldwide customer feedback. The release of these models well in advance of the 2025 season gives customers the confidence to upgrade to the latest specifications in preparation for next year, as well as take advantage of 2024 pricing. Visit www.radicalmotorsport.com for more information.

SNIPPETS 2 ……..As autumn weather takes hold, drivers across the UK are being reminded about the heightened risk of fines due to tyre-related issues. Ian Shaw, a motoring expert at GM Direct Hire, is urging motorists to ensure their tyres comply with legal safety standards to avoid dangerous road conditions and significant financial penalties.

According to Shaw, “Wet roads and fallen leaves in autumn create challenging driving conditions. Many motorists overlook the importance of tyre maintenance, which not only jeopardises their safety but can also result in substantial fines.”

Keep an eye on your tyres

No ‘Kojak’ bald tyres

The Legal Requirements for Tyre Safety

UK regulations stipulate that car tyres must have a minimum tread depth of 1.6mm across the central three-quarters of the tyre. Drivers caught with tyres below this threshold could face fines of £2500 per tyre, alongside three penalty points on their licence.

“For vehicles with all four tyres in substandard condition, this could lead to £10,000 in fines and 12 penalty points, which is enough to cost a driver their licence,” warns Shaw. “It’s essential to check tyre tread regularly, especially during autumn when rain and fallen leaves increase the risk of skidding.”

Tips for Staying Safe and Avoiding Fines This Autumn:

Check Your Tread Depth Regularly – A simple 20p coin test can help determine if your tyres are below the legal limit. If the outer band of the coin is visible when placed in the tread, your tyres may need replacement.

Monitor Tyre Pressure – Tyres with incorrect pressure can affect vehicle handling and increase stopping distances, particularly on wet surfaces.

Replace Worn tyres – If your tyres are nearing the legal limit, replacing them promptly can prevent both accidents and fines.

Ian Shaw, a motoring expert at GM Direct Hire said:

“A small investment in tyre maintenance can prevent thousands of pounds in fines and reduce the likelihood of accidents caused by poor tyre performance.”

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.

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STEVO’S BEER OR WINE TIP – LOST PIER BREWING – DECKCHAIR CRUISER

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.

An interesting beer from a Brighton micro this week. Lost Pier Brewing have several decent beers in their range and one of my favourites is called Deckchair Cruiser.

Described as an homage to a true Munich Helles-style lager with a 4.8% ABV. It has a golden hue with a one-finger white head. Dry-hopped meaning that soft notes of citrus are to the forefront complemented by the malt, honey and bread back notes.

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 – SEPTEMBER 27 – La vie et belle!

Best regards 

 

Steve