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A kit car is an automobile available as a set of parts that a manufacturer sells and the buyer then assembles into a functioning car. Usually, many of the major mechanical systems such as the engine and transmission are sourced from donor vehicles or purchased new from other vendors. Kits vary in completeness, consisting of as little as a book of plans, or as much as a complete set with all components to assemble into a fully operational vehicle such as those from Caterham.
A model car, or toy car, is a miniature representation of an automobile. Other miniature motor vehicles, such as trucks, buses, or even ATVs, etc. are often included in this general category. Because many miniature vehicles were originally aimed at children as playthings, there is no precise difference between a model car and a toy car, yet the word 'model' implies either assembly required or the accurate rendering of an actual vehicle at smaller scale. The kit building hobby became popular through the 1950s, while the collecting of miniatures by adults started to gain momentum around 1970. Precision-detailed miniatures made specifically for adults are a significant part of the market since the mid-1980s.
The Isetta is an Italian-designed microcar built under license in a number of different countries, including Argentina, Spain, Belgium, France, Brazil, Germany, and the United Kingdom. Because of its egg shape and bubble-like windows, it became known as a bubble car, a name also given to other similar vehicles.
Ulrich Helmut Bez is a German businessman and was, until the end of 2013, chief executive officer of Aston Martin motorcars when he stepped down to serve as non-executive chairman.
Crude ideas and designs of automobiles can be traced back to ancient and medieval times. In 1649, Hans Hautsch of Nuremberg built a clockwork-driven carriage. In 1672, a small-scale steam-powered vehicle was created; the first steam-powered automobile capable of human transportation was built by Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot in 1769. Inventors began to branch out at the start of the 19th century, creating the de Rivaz engine, one of the first internal combustion engines, and an early electric motor. Samuel Brown later tested the first industrially applied internal combustion engine in 1826. Only two of these were made.
Lagonda is a British luxury car brand established in 1906, which has been owned by Aston Martin since 1947. The trade-name has not had a continuous commercial existence, being dormant several times, most recently from 1995 to 2008, 2010 to 2013, and 2016 onward.
Fiberfab was an American automotive manufacturer established in 1964. Starting with accessories and body parts, they progressed to making kit cars and fully assembled automobiles. They became one of the longest lasting kit car manufacturers.
Internal combustion engines date back to between the 10th and 13th centuries, when the first rocket engines were invented in China. Following the first commercial steam engine by Thomas Savery in 1698, various efforts were made during the 18th century to develop equivalent internal combustion engines. In 1791, the English inventor John Barber patented a gas turbine. In 1794, Thomas Mead patented a gas engine. Also in 1794, Robert Street patented an internal-combustion engine, which was also the first to use liquid fuel (petroleum) and built an engine around that time. In 1798, John Stevens designed the first American internal combustion engine. In 1807, French engineers Nicéphore and Claude Niépce ran a prototype internal combustion engine, using controlled dust explosions, the Pyréolophore. This engine powered a boat on the river in France. The same year, the Swiss engineer François Isaac de Rivaz built and patented a hydrogen and oxygen-powered internal-combustion engine. Fitted to a crude four-wheeled wagon, François Isaac de Rivaz first drove it 100 metres in 1813, thus making history as the first car-like vehicle known to have been powered by an internal-combustion engine.
New Zealand had a long history of small garages and vehicle enthusiasts modifying and creating sports and sports racing cars. Out of these interests grew the New Zealand kit and replica car industry with the introduction of fibre-glass car bodies in the 1950s.
Brockmore Classic Replicas Limited was a British automotive manufacturer.
RW Kit Cars Ltd. was an English manufacturer of kit cars, founded in 1983 by Roger Woolley.
AK Sportscars Limited is a British manufacturer of automobiles.
Asquith Brothers Limited is a British manufacturer of automobiles.
Autotrak (Cobretti) Limited, previously Cobretti Engineering, is a British manufacturer of automobiles.
Autotune (Rishton) Limited is a British manufacturer of automobiles.
Blaze Motorsport Limited is a British manufacturer of sports cars.
Blitzworld Buggies Limited, previously Blitzworld Limited, is a British manufacturer of automobiles.
Buckland Cars was a British manufacturer of automobiles.
Caburn Engineering Limited is a British manufacturer of automobiles.
Crendon Replicas is a British manufacturer of automobiles.
References
- 1 2 3 Linz, Harald H; Schrader, Halwart (2008). Die Internationale Automobil-Enzyklopädie[The International Automotive Encyclopaedia] (in German). Munich: United Soft Media Verlag. ISBN 978-3-8032-9876-8.
- ↑ Georgano, George Nicholas (2001). The Beaulieu Encyclopaedia of the Automobile. Volume 1: A-F. Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers. p. 81. ISBN 1-57958-293-1.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Hole, Steve (2012). A-Z of Kit Cars. The definitive encyclopaedia of the UK's kit-car industry since 1949. Sparkford: Haynes Publishing. pp. 27–28 and 143. ISBN 978-1-84425-677-8.