Variety is the spice of life
Britain’s cottage industry of kit car manufacturers has never lacked creativity. Derek Buckler effectively ushered in the movement in the late 1950s via his eponymous Mk6 sports car package.Since then, marques have come and gone, some making like the mayfly, while others enjoyed prosperity only to be undone by outside forces. Some kits of yesteryear were not lacking in invention, with the likes of Lotus’ talismanic founder Colin Chapman having started out making cars for home assembly.
Gathered here is a selection of some of the more memorable British kit cars of the past 70-something years. All were sold in DiY form with customers required to source running gear as opposed to being supplied nearly completed and with all new parts as a tax dodge. Some were brilliant, others less so. None could ever be accused of being boring.