Anyone see that kit-car in The Mirror today?
Discussion
gtr-gaz said:
Wow, nice one Ferg!
Fame at last
Gary (also a plumber(of sorts))
Get the GTR in Gary. Let's have a kitcar assault on The Mirror motoring section. There was a Mk3 Escort last week for f
k's sake. Send some photos and blurb to: motors@mirror.co.uk
It's dead easy they must be desperate for 'interesting' cars.
Cheers,
Ferg (also a plumber(of sorts))
Mmmmmmmm, Libra. 
Want one.
GTM offer the car with a 1.6 VTEC Honda engine in it. Will the 2.0L Civic Type-R engine fit, I wonder? 197bhp out of the box, 220bhp with some tuning, and 275bhp available in supercharged form (as with the Ariel Atom 275 - oh yes indeedy)
Although I am drawn to the V6, simply because I love my Corrado VR6 so much.
>> Edited by JonRB on Friday 28th January 19:24
Want one.
GTM offer the car with a 1.6 VTEC Honda engine in it. Will the 2.0L Civic Type-R engine fit, I wonder? 197bhp out of the box, 220bhp with some tuning, and 275bhp available in supercharged form (as with the Ariel Atom 275 - oh yes indeedy)
Although I am drawn to the V6, simply because I love my Corrado VR6 so much.
>> Edited by JonRB on Friday 28th January 19:24
andygtt said:
Passing through Earls Colne last night I saw a GTM Libra.... it strikes me that this could have been you?
Around 6.30-7.00 Andy??
That was me on my way home from Colchester with my son following my wife's Multipla full of 10 year olds coming home from my Daughter's birthday 'do' at the Pizza Hut after swimming.
Good spotting!!!!
ferg said:
Wow, nice one Ferg!
Fame at last
Gary (also a plumber(of sorts))
Get the GTR in Gary. Let's have a kitcar assault on The Mirror motoring section. There was a Mk3 Escort last week for f
Send some photos and blurb to: motors@mirror.co.uk
It's dead easy they must be desperate for 'interesting' cars.
Cheers,
Ferg (also a plumber(of sorts))
Well, I've sent a letter to Classic Cars talking about something similar. Basically they have a 'Future Classics' section in there every month which takes a car which they think, in the future, will be on the front page of their mag. They've had some good choices.
Anyway, my letter reads:
Dear CC,
I have enjoyed your Future Classics section since its inception and I think it’s vital to retain a sense of continuity within the classic motoring press. However, one aspect, I think, needs redressing through this section – too many people think the British automotive industry is dead, or in corporate hands with no care for heritage.
This, I am glad to say, is definitely not the case. As the American car culture lies in building hot rods, and the German in Autobahns and constant development, the centre of British car culture, and therefore its industry, lies in kit cars. Think back to the greatest surviving British sporting names – Lotus, TVR, Marcos, Caterham, Ginetta – any country can mass-produce saloons, but the classic British recipe for a sports car lies in tuned saloon components, a well-designed chassis optimised for our country lanes and twisting race tracks, and a lightweight fibreglass body shell.
Mentioning kit cars to many classic car fans is something of a dark art – too many associations with bad Lotus Seven knock-offs and lurid beach buggies, but this has kept the British kit car industry out of the public eye for too long, and I think Classic Cars has a duty, through the Future Classics section, to demonstrate how traditional British sports car thinking is alive and well – and independent – as well as highly evolved to new levels of sophistication in performance, handling and luxury.
To name a few of these cars – not all kits, many factory ‘turnkey’ options – we have companies such as Dax, Quantum, Sylva, Aeon, Fisher, Phantom, YKC and Shelsley. The GTM Libra is a quality sports car that could give an Elise a run for its money; the VMC Royale Windsor has luxury and presence unlike any other large saloon; and the Ultima GTR’s 200mph+ performance and McLaren F1-inspiring chassis has not gone unnoticed by the mainstream motoring press. Above all, in the best British tradition, they all undercut their rivals by tens of thousands in the value-for-money stakes.
So I’m sure Future Classics can do its bit by featuring some of them. Looking at today’s British kit car scene is reminiscent of the ‘50s and ‘60s specials era, only with production-line quality and performance. With a bit of publicity and critical appraisal, Classic Cars can help some British companies follow in the footsteps of Lotus and TVR, rather than disappear like hopefuls such as Clan, Dellow, Elva, Falcon, Gilbern and Trident.
If we open our eyes we can see that the real British motor industry is more alive than ever before!
Enjoy the drive.
Yours Faithfully
Sam Dawson
ferg said:
Passing through Earls Colne last night I saw a GTM Libra.... it strikes me that this could have been you?
Around 6.30-7.00 Andy??
That was me on my way home from Colchester with my son following my wife's Multipla full of 10 year olds coming home from my Daughter's birthday 'do' at the Pizza Hut after swimming.
Good spotting!!!!
Yep, I was in my boring M3... and I had deep jeolousy prangs when I saw your GTR, it looked loverly.
Maybe one day I will get to see it in the flesh as you are so close.
JonRB said:
Mmmmmmmm, Libra.
Will the 2.0L Civic Type-R engine fit, I wonder? 197bhp out of the box, 220bhp with some tuning, and 275bhp available in supercharged form (as with the Ariel Atom 275 - oh yes indeedy)
If you love the VR6, you probaly would not mind the Audi / Volkswagen 1.8 20VT engine either ?? Serious power, very tunable, and it indeed does fit in a Libra. More details on www.b_bakker.dds.nl/index.htm
My website is in Dutch (Sorry), but you'll get the general idea from the pictures. Feel free to email me with any questions.
Bertram
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