Alternative Cars Limited is a New Zealand-based kit car company that manufactures fiber-glass bodied cars based on the 1950s MG TF. [1] The company was founded by Russell Hooper, a medical supply representative, as Kit Kars Limited in 1984. In 1996 Kit Kars Ltd changed its name to Alternative Cars Limited. Initially the company operated from the owner's home, until moving to a small 600 square foot workshop in Auckland.
In the early 1980s Hooper decided to build his own MG TF using a Triumph Herald chassis. [2] Many kit car companies in the United Kingdom were using the Herald as a donor vehicle because it provided all the mechanical parts required. By 1983 the car was completed and shown at the Auckland Motor Show. Enough interest was generated to indicate demand for the vehicle in kit form. In 1984 Hooper commenced production, trading as Kit Cars Limited. Warwick Tweedy also joined at this time to assist in the marketing and development of the car. Tweedy left the company 1997. [3]
Alex Rohde, who had developed the one piece body mould for the T Mark 2 was contracted and consulted from 1997 to make all the steel work for the T car including the steel/brass grills. His company was Multicraft Services Ltd, later known as Rohde Engineering. Jim Woonton was the upholsterer for most of the cars.
Prior to 1992 the company had used various fiber-glass laminating companies. From 1992 it created AC Fiberglass with one person was operating in a 1200 square feet of factory. By 1996 the company had grown to 11 staff and 12000 sq feet of factory space.
In the late 1980s Hooper decided that the local market was too small for future growth and decided to develop a chassis and redesigned car for the Australian market. Richard Wong, a consultant design engineer was employed to design the items required by the Australian Design Rule specifications. Walter Wing replaced him.
In 1996 the T Mark 5 was sent to Australia. Bill Walters was appointed the Australian distributor. In 2001 to meet Australian compliance issues the motor upgraded to an injected motor from the Mazda MX5. It was launched at the 2001 National motor Show. In 2002 Daryl Swaine took over the Australian distributorship and retained the name Alternative Cars Australia Pty Ltd. Swaine also rented out two Mark 5 T Cars, his own white one and the demonstrator from New Zealand.
By 2000 Hooper decided to develop a model for left hand drive markets, primarily the United States. The model was designed around a Mazda MX5 donor car. At the 2002 Carlisle Kit Car Show in Pennsylvania Hooper obtained a commitment from an interested party to being an agent and the option to show the model at Knotts Berry Farm Kit Car Show in April 2003. Rohde lead the development team and the car was shipped on the 3 March 2003. It won the Peoples Choice trophy at Knotts Berry Farm and was shown at the Carlisle National Kit Car Show in Pennsylvania. [4] [5]
TGs are currently sold in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom (Alternative Cars (International) Limited), and Australia. [6]
During the model's life the grill was modified from the Mark 1 to a fiberglass replica of the TF, then ABS plastic, steel, and eventually brass. Chrome plating the grill was only successful on the later two. All the Mark 1 to 4 T cars had a Triumph Herald chassis with either Triumph Herald motor, or Nissan A series 1200, 1400, or 1500 cc motors with a 4- or 5-speed gearbox. [8]
The TG Sports 1955 is a semi-built or turnkey minus vehicle aimed at the export markets. [10] It was named TG because in 2002 MG launched a new TF. The car is delivered in a completely built up state and driveable within days of receipt. All that had to be added was the Mazda MX5 mechanicals thus significantly reducing assembly time. [11] [12]
In 2006 Hooper built a replica of a 1954 Jaguar XK140. This was powered by a Nissan 280Z motor and used Holden Torana suspension. The car was called the XK130 as it was a mixture of XK120 and XK140 features.
A Locost is a home-built car inspired by the Lotus Seven. The car features a space frame chassis usually welded together from mild steel 1 in × 1 in square tubing. Front suspension is usually double wishbone with coil spring struts. The rear is traditionally live axle, but has many variants including independent rear suspension or De Dion tube. Body panels are usually fiberglass nose and wings and aluminium side panels. Each car is highly individualized according to the resources, needs and desires of each respective builder.
A sports car is a car designed with an emphasis on dynamic performance, such as handling, acceleration, top speed, or thrill of driving. Sports cars originated in Europe in the early 1900s and are currently produced by many manufacturers around the world.
The Ford Telstar is an automobile that was sold by Ford in Asia, Australasia and Africa, comparable in size to the European Ford Sierra and the North American Ford Tempo. It was progressively replaced by the Ford Mondeo. It was named after the Telstar satellite.
The Triumph Herald is a small two-door car introduced by Standard-Triumph of Coventry in 1959 and made through to 1971. The body design was by the Italian stylist Giovanni Michelotti, and the car was offered in saloon, convertible, coupé, estate and van models, with the latter marketed as the Triumph Courier.
The MG F and MG TF are mid-engined, rear wheel drive roadster cars that were sold under the MG marque by three manufacturers between 1995 and 2011.
The Lotus Mark VI is the first production car by Lotus Cars. It was introduced by Colin Chapman in 1952 after previously building multiple trials and road racing cars. The heart of the Mark VI is a space frame chassis. Rather than a complete car, it was available to the general public as kit, wherein the customer could install any preferred engine and gearbox, making it eligible for a wider number of formulae.
JATCO Ltd, abbreviated from "Japanese Automatic Transmission COmpany", is a company that manufactures automatic transmissions for automobiles.
Sylva Autokits is a kit car manufacturer based in Lincolnshire, England. Sylva was founded in 1981 by Jeremy Phillips and has developed and produced a number of small and lightweight sports cars. Sylva cars have won a number of 750 Motor Club Kit Car championships.
The Toyota TF107 is the car with which the Toyota team competed in the 2007 Formula One season. The chassis was designed by Pascal Vasselon, Mark Tatham and Mark Gillan with the engine being designed by Luca Marmorini and Noritoshi Arai overseeing the entire project.
Haynes Roadster is a replica of Lotus Seven home-built according to a book Build Your Own Sports Car: On a Budget by Chris Gibbs (ISBN 1-84425-391-0). Ford Sierra is used in the car as a donor for drivetrain and suspension components.
The Nissan Silvia is the name given to the company's long-running line of sport coupes based on the Nissan S platform. Although recent models have shared this chassis with other vehicles produced by Nissan, the name Silvia is interchangeable with the chassis codes. The Nissan Silvia's main competitors worldwide were the Honda Prelude, Mazda MX-6, Toyota Celica, Mitsubishi Eclipse, Isuzu Impulse, Subaru Impreza and Honda Integra.
Mills Extreme Vehicles (MEV) is a kit car design and manufacturing company based in Gloucestershire, England, founded in 2003. As of January, 2016 they manufacture the Exocet, an exoskeletal design which uses donor parts from the Mazda MX5 Mk1 sports car. An enhanced version of the Exocet, the MX150R, can participate in UK race series regulated by the 750 Motor Club and the MSA.
The Gentry is a British kit car styled to resemble a MG TF. It was offered for sale to the public by RMB Motors of Barwell, Leicestershire from 1974, the original prototype having been completed at the end of 1973. 15 kits were supplied in this first year, rising to over 80 per year produced in 1979.
Almac is a New Zealand based kit car company founded in 1984 and located in Upper Hutt. Almac cars is a part of Almac Reinforced Plastics Ltd fibreglass product manufacturing a company founded in 1971 by Alex McDonald. McDonald's interest in kit cars started while he was living in England, having purchased a Jem Marsh Sirocco. Jem Marsh founded the Marcos car company.
Heron Cars were racing cars, sports and kit cars built in New Zealand between 1962 and 1999 by Ross Baker. They also included a one-off electric car.
The automotive industry in New Zealand supplies a market which has always had one of the world's highest car ownership ratios. The distributors of new cars are essentially the former owners of the assembly businesses. At the dealership level they have maintained their old retail chains in spite of the establishment of the many new independent businesses built since the 1980s by specialists in used imports from Japan. Toyota entered into direct competition with those used-import businesses refurbishing old Toyotas from Japan and selling them through their own dealers as a special line. The nation's car fleet is accordingly somewhat older than in most developed countries.
The Naylor TF 1700 is a British sports car built in the 1980s by Naylor Cars, Ltd., located in Shipley, West Yorkshire, England. Presented in 1984, it was the brainchild of Alastair Naylor and was developed together with Alan Staniforth.
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.
The Mazda MX-5 (NA) is the first generation of the Mazda MX-5 manufactured from 1989 to 1997. Inspired by the post-war era British sports cars, the MX-5 rejuvenated interest in roadsters after the demise of cars such as the MG B and Triumph Spitfire. Since its debut, the MX-5 has won numerous automotive awards and has become the world's best selling sports car.
Robert W. Kastner, commonly known as R.W. Kastner or Kas Kastner, was born in Batavia, New York. He is a builder and tuner of racing cars, a racing driver, and an author. He also raced sailing boats competitively. At different times he was Director of Motorsports in the United States for both the Triumph Motor Company and Nissan. Kastner has been called one of the most influential Americans in the history of Triumph cars. He coined the maxim "Never be beaten by equipment."