1.
Kit car
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A kit car, also known as a component car, is an automobile that is available as a set of parts that a manufacturer sells and the buyer then assembles into a functioning car. Usually, many of the mechanical systems such as the engine. Kits vary in completeness, consisting of as little as a book of plans, there is a sub-set of the kit car, commonly referred to as a re-body, in which a commercially manufactured vehicle has a new body put on the running chassis. Most times, the drive gear and interior are retained. The definition of a kit car usually indicates that a manufacturer constructs multiple kits of the same vehicle, a kit car should not be confused with a hand built car or special car, which is typically built from scratch by an individual. Kit cars have been around from the earliest days of the automobile, in 1896 the Englishman Thomas Hyler-White developed a design for a car that could be assembled at home and technical designs were published in a magazine called The English Mechanic. In the USA, the Lads Car of 1912 could be bought for $160 fully assembled or $140 in kit form and it was not until the 1950s that the idea really took off. Car production had increased considerably and with rust proofing in its many older vehicles were being sent to breaker yards as their bodywork was beyond economic repair. An industry grew up supplying new bodies and chassis to take the components from these cars and convert them into new vehicles, fiber reinforced plastic was coming into general use and made limited-scale production of automobile body components much more economical. The Lotus Elan, for example, was available in this form and it was often claimed that the kits could be taken home and completed in only a weekend. During the 1970s many kits had bodies styled as sports cars that were designed to directly to VW Beetle chassis. This was popular as the old body could be separated from the chassis leaving virtually all mechanical components attached to the chassis. This made the Beetle one of the most popular donor vehicles of all time, examples of this conversion include the Bradley GT, Sterling, and Sebring which were made by the thousands and many are still around today. Volkswagen based dune buggies also appeared in large numbers in the 1960s and 1970s based usually on a shortened floor pan. These replicas are in appearance like the original, but their bodies are often made of fiberglass mats soaked in polyester resin instead of the original sheet metal. Replica kit cars enable enthusiasts to possess a vehicle of a type that because of scarcity they may not be able to afford, and at the same time take advantage of modern technology. The Sterling Nova Kit originally produced in the UK was the most popular VW based Kits being produced worldwide and licensed under several different names with an estimated 10000 sold. Many people react sceptically when they first hear about kit cars as it appears to them to be impossible to assemble a car at home
2.
Lotus Seven
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The Lotus Seven is a small, simple, lightweight two-seater open-top sports car produced by the British manufacturer Lotus Cars between 1957 and 1972. It was designed by Lotus founder Colin Chapman and has considered the embodiment of the Lotus philosophy of performance through low weight. The original model was successful with more than 2,500 cars sold. After Lotus ended production of the Seven, Caterham bought the rights, the Lotus Seven design has spawned a host of imitations on the kit car market, generally called Sevens or sevenesque roadsters. The Lotus Seven was launched in 1957, after the Lotus Eleven was in limited production. The Seven name was left over from a model that was abandoned by Lotus, however, the car was completed around Chapmans chassis as a sports car by its backers and christened the Clairmonte Special. Based on Chapmans first series-produced Lotus Mark VI, the Seven was powered by a 40 bhp Ford Side-valve 1,172 cc inline-four engine and it was mainly for lower budget club racing on short tracks. The Lotus Seven S2 followed in 1960 and was supplemented by the Lotus Super Seven S2 from 1961, the Super Seven initially used the larger Cosworth modified 1340cc Ford Classic engine and later examples were fitted with 1498cc or 1599cc engines. The Seven S3 was released in 1968, in 1970, Lotus radically changed the shape of the car to create the slightly more conventional sized Series 4, with a squarer fibreglass shell replacing most of the aluminium bodywork. It also offered some luxuries as standard, such as an internal heater matrix, between 1970 and 1975, following a representation agreement, Lotus Argentina SA obtained the licence to manufacture the Lotus Seven in Argentina. This production reached approximately 51 units and these vehicles were not replicas, but built under licence and original brand Lotus. Under the Purchase Tax system of the cars supplied as a kit did not attract the tax surcharge that would apply if sold in assembled form. However, once the UK joined the EEC on 1 January 1973, in 1973, Lotus decided to shed fully its British tax system-inspired kit car image and concentrate on limited series motor racing cars. As part of plan, it sold the rights to the Seven to its only remaining agents Caterham Cars in England. Caterham ran out of the Lotus Series 4 kits in the early 70s, when this occurred and in accordance with their agreement with Lotus, Caterham introduced its own brand version of the Series 3. They have been manufacturing the car ever since as the Caterham Seven, Steel Brothers Limited in Christchurch, New Zealand assembled Lotus Seven Series 4s until March 1979 when the last of the 95 kits provided by Lotus was used up. The last Lotus badged Seven, a Series 4, was produced in New Zealand. Steel Brothers attempted to make a wider, modernised version of the Series 4, in the spring of 1978 it was announced that this was to be sold in the United States - but the American importer had no funds and the project came to naught
3.
Colin Chapman
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Anthony Colin Bruce Chapman CBE was an influential English design engineer, inventor, and builder in the automotive industry, and founder of Lotus Cars. In 1952 he founded the car company Lotus Cars. Chapman initially ran Lotus in his time, assisted by a group of enthusiasts. His knowledge of the latest aeronautical engineering techniques would prove vital towards achieving the major automotive technical advances he is remembered for, subtracting weight makes you faster everywhere. Under his direction, Team Lotus won seven Formula One Constructors titles, six Drivers Championships, the production side of Lotus Cars has built tens of thousands of relatively affordable, cutting edge sports cars. Lotus is one of but a handful of English performance car builders still in business after the decline of the 1970s. Chapman suffered a heart attack in 1982, aged 54. Chapman studied structural engineering at University College London, joined the University of London Air Squadron, Chapman left UCL without a degree in 1948, resitting his final Mathematics paper in 1949 and obtaining his degree a year late. He briefly joined the Royal Air Force in 1948, being offered a permanent commission, after a couple of false starts Chapman joined the British Aluminium company, using his civil engineering skills to attempt to sell aluminium as a viable structural material for buildings. In 1948, Chapman designed the Mk1, a modified Austin 7 and he named the car Lotus, he never confirmed the reason but one theories is that it was after his then girlfriend Hazel, whom he nicknamed Lotus blossom. With prize money he developed the Lotus Mk2, with continuing success on through the Lotus 6, he began to sell kits of these cars. Over 100 were sold through 1956, along with John Cooper, he revolutionised the premier motor sport. Their small, lightweight mid-engined vehicles gave away much in terms of power, eventually, with driver Jim Clark at the wheel of his race cars, Team Lotus appeared as though they could win whenever they pleased. With Clark driving the Lotus 25, Team Lotus won its first F1 World Championship in 1963 and it was Clark, driving a Lotus 38 at the Indianapolis 500 in 1965, who drove the first ever mid-engined car to victory at the Brickyard. Clark and Chapman became particularly close and Clarks death in 1968 devastated Chapman, among a number of automotive figures who have been Lotus employees over the years were Mike Costin and Keith Duckworth, founders of Cosworth. Graham Hill worked at Lotus as a mechanic as a means of earning drives and it was Chapman who in 1966 persuaded the Ford Motor Company to sponsor Cosworths development of what would become the DFV race engine. Many of Chapmans ideas can still be seen in Formula One and he pioneered the use of struts as a rear suspension device. Chapmans next major innovation was popularising monocoque chassis construction within automobile racing, the technique resulted in a body that was both lighter and stronger, and also provided better driver protection in the event of a crash
4.
Caterham Cars
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Caterham Cars is a British manufacturer of specialist lightweight sports cars established in Caterham, Surrey, with their headquarters in Crawley, Sussex. Their current model, the Caterham 7, originally launched in 1973, is an evolution of the Series 3 Lotus Seven designed by Colin Chapman. In the 1990s the company made the Caterham 21, a soft top alternative to the MGF. A track-only car, the SP/300. R, a joint project with Lola was released for testing in 2010 and was scheduled for release in 2013. On 27 April 2011, Team Lotus owner Tony Fernandes announced that he had purchased Caterham, Colin Chapmans Lotus Cars launched the Series 1 Lotus Seven in 1957. The car was immediately embraced by enthusiasts as a low-cost, lightweight sports car, revised Series 2, Series 3 and Series 4 versions were subsequently launched in 1960,1968 and 1970 respectively. Caterham initially restarted manufacture of the Lotus Seven Series 4, however, in 1974, under the name of Seven Cars Limited, Caterham built 20 production cars with chassis numbers 1-20 and one prototype, with chassis number 0. The Lotus/Caterham 7 is widely regarded by car enthusiasts and the media as one of the sports cars of the 20th century. With 2007 marking the 50th year of production, the Seven still enjoys strong support. Since 2006 Caterham Cars has been run by a management team led by Ansar Ali. In June 2012 Ansar Ali announced he was to leave Caterham Cars, as with its Lotus Seven precursors, Caterhams are constructed of aluminium sheet attached to a tubular steel chassis. Nosecone and wings are either GRP or carbon fibre depending on specification, all Sevens are front engined with rear-wheel drive and two seats. Their extremely high performance is achieved through light weight rather than particularly powerful engines, Chapman and Lotus helped to pioneer the British kit car industry. The Lotus Seven was offered in kit form to allow buyers to avoid new car tax in the UK, subsequently Caterham continued offering cars in complete knock down kit form as the tradition of hand building your own Seven was well established amongst enthusiasts. Today, all Caterham Sevens are still offered in kit form in the UK except the CSR model, modern Caterham kits differ from the majority of kit cars as all parts are supplied ready to assemble, not requiring a donor car, fabrication or any special skills. As a result, the combinations, specifications, pricing. In the past in the United States Caterhams were sold as only, lacking some modern safety features required of manufacturers. Buyers could either choose to construct the cars themselves or pay their regional dealers or local builders to assemble them, typically the engine and transmission are sourced separately as a unit - often from Caterham - but all other components were provided in kit form
5.
Lotus Cars
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Lotus Cars is an English company that manufactures sports cars and racing cars with its headquarters in Hethel, Norfolk, England, and is a subsidiary of Malaysian automotive company Proton. Notable Lotus cars include the Esprit, Elan, Europa and Elise sports cars, Lotus Cars is based at the former site of RAF Hethel, a World War II airfield in Norfolk. The company designs and builds race and production automobiles of light weight and it also owns the engineering consultancy Lotus Engineering, which has facilities in the United Kingdom, United States, China, and Malaysia. Lotus is owned by DRB-HICOM through its subsidiary Proton, which acquired it following the bankruptcy of former owner Romano Artioli in 1996, the company was formed as Lotus Engineering Ltd. by engineers Colin Chapman and Colin Dare, both graduates of University College, London, in 1952. The four letters in the middle of the stand for the initials of company founder. When the logo was created, Colin Chapmans original partners Michael and Nigel Allen were led to believe that the letters stood for Colin Chapman, the first factory was situated in old stables behind the Railway Hotel in Hornsey, North London. Team Lotus, which was split off from Lotus Engineering in 1954, was active and competitive in Formula One racing from 1958 to 1994, the Lotus Group of Companies was formed in 1959. This was made up of Lotus Cars Limited and Lotus Components Limited, Lotus Components Limited became Lotus Racing Limited in 1971 but the newly renamed entity ceased operation in the same year. The company moved to a purpose built factory at Cheshunt in 1959 and since 1966 the company has occupied a modern factory and road test facility at Hethel and this site is the former RAF Hethel base and the test track uses sections of the old runway. In its early days Lotus sold cars aimed at privateer racers and its early road cars could be bought as kits, in order to save on purchase tax. After the elegant but delicate Lotus Elite of the 1950s, Lotus found critical, Lotus was notable for its use of fibreglass bodies, backbone chassis, and twin cam engines, initially supplied by Coventry Climax but later replaced by Lotus-Ford units. Lotus worked with Ford on the Lotus Cortina, a sports saloon. The Lotus Seven, originating in the 1950s as a simple, Lotus then sold the rights to produce the Seven to Caterham, which has continued to produce the car since then. The mid engined line continued with the Lotus Esprit, which was to one of the companys longest lived. Lotus developed its own series of four cylinder DOHC engines, the Lotus 900 series, and later a V8, variants of the 900 series engine were supplied for the Jensen Healey sports car and the Sunbeam Lotus hot hatchback. In the 1980s, Lotus collaborated with Vauxhall Motors to produce the Lotus Carlton, by 1980, Group Lotus was in serious financial trouble. Production had dropped from 1,200 units per year to a mere 383, in early 1982, Chapman came to an agreement with Toyota to exchange intellectual property and applied expertise. This initially resulted in Lotus Engineering helping to develop the Mk2 Toyota Supra, secondly it allowed Lotus to launch the new Lotus Excel to replace the ageing Lotus Eclat
6.
Mazda
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Mazda Motor Corporation, commonly referred to as simply Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automaker based in Fuchū, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. In 2011, Mazda was the fifteenth biggest automaker by production worldwide, Mazdas company website states that its name is derived from Ahura Mazda, the Avestan word for God, which is also the name of God to Zoroastrians. Specifically, the states that The name was also associated with Ahura Mazda. The company website further notes that the name derives from the name of the companys founder. Mazda began as the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co, Ltd, founded in Hiroshima, Japan,30 January 1920. Toyo Cork Kogyo renamed itself to Toyo Kogyo Co. Ltd. in 1927, in the late 1920s the company had to be saved from bankruptcy by Hiroshima Saving Bank and other business leaders in Hiroshima. In 1931 Toyo Kogyo moved from manufacturing machine tools to vehicles with the introduction of the Mazda-Go autorickshaw, Toyo Kogyo produced weapons for the Japanese military throughout the Second World War, most notably the series 30 through 35 Type 99 rifle. The company formally adopted the Mazda name in 1984, though every automobile sold from the bore that name. The Mazda R360 was introduced in 1960, followed by the Mazda Carol in 1962, both piston-powered and rotary-powered models made their way around the world. The R100 and the RX series led the companys export efforts, during 1968, Mazda started formal operations in Canada although Mazdas were seen in Canada as early as 1959. In 1970, Mazda formally entered the American market and was successful there. To this day, Mazda remains the only automaker to have produced a Wankel-powered pickup truck, additionally, it is also the only marque to have ever offered a rotary-powered bus or station wagon. After nine years of development, Mazda finally launched its new model in the U. S. in 1970, Mazdas rotary success continued until the onset of the 1973 oil crisis. As American buyers quickly turned to vehicles with fuel efficiency. Combined with being the least-efficient automaker in Japan, inability to adjust to excess inventory and over-reliance on the U. S. market, the company suffered a huge loss in 1975. Fortunately, the company had not totally turned its back on piston engines, the smaller Familia line in particular became very important to Mazdas worldwide sales after 1973, as did the somewhat larger Capella series. Mazda refocused its efforts and made the engine a choice for the sporting motorist rather than a mainstream powerplant. Starting with the lightweight RX-7 in 1978 and continuing with the modern RX-8 and this switch in focus also resulted in the development of another lightweight sports car, the piston-powered Mazda Roadster, inspired by the concept jinba ittai
7.
Mazda MX-5
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The Mazda MX-5, released as the Mazda MX-5 Miata /miˈɑːtə/ in North America and as the Eunos Roadster in Japan, is a lightweight two-seater roadster with a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout. Manufactured by Mazda in Hiroshima, Japan, the model debuted in 1989 at the Chicago Auto Show, the MX-5 was conceived as a small roadster – with light weight and minimal mechanical complexity limited only by legal and safety requirements, while being technologically modern and reliable. The MX-5 is conceptually the evolution and spiritual successor of the British sports cars of the 1950s & 60s, such as the Triumph Spitfire, Austin-Healey 100, MG MGA, and particularly the Lotus Elan. The second generation MX-5 was launched in 1998, the third model was launched in 2005. It continues to be the best-selling two-seat convertible sports car in history and by April 2016, over one million MX-5s had been built and sold around the world. Production of the MX-5 had fallen by 2013 to below 14,000 units, due to the finance crisis in 2008. Since the launch of the generation, Mazda has consolidated worldwide marketing using the MX-5 name with the exception of the United States where it is marketed as the MX-5 Miata. The name miata derives from Old High German for reward. The MX5s first generation, the NA, sold over 400,000 units from 1989 to 1997 – with a 1.6 L straight-4 engine to 1993, the third generation was introduced in 2006 with a 2.0 L engine. Launched at a time when production of small roadsters had almost come to an end, just a decade earlier, a host of similar models — notably the MG B, Triumph TR7, Triumph Spitfire, and Fiat Spider — had been available. The body is a conventional, but light, unibody or monocoque construction, with front, some MX-5s feature limited slip differentials and anti-lock braking system. Traction control is an available on NC models. The earlier cars weighed just over a ton, with power output usually 116 bhp. The later cars were heavier, with higher power engines, with an approximate 50,50 front/rear weight balance, the car has nearly neutral handling. Raddatz and Otten won the AASA Australian Endurance Championship in 2011, the Miata has also made Car and Driver magazines annual Ten Best list 14 times. In their December 2009 issue, Grassroots Motorsports magazine named the Miata as the most important sports car built during the previous 25 years, at this time Hall hired designer Mark Jordan to join the newly formed Mazda design studio in Southern California. There, Hall and Jordan collaborated on the parameters of the initial image, in 1983, the idea turned concept was approved under the Offline 55 program, an internal Mazda initiative that sought to change the way new models were developed. Thus, under head of project Masakatsu, the development was turned into a competition between the Mazda design teams in Tokyo and California
8.
Ford Sierra
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The Ford Sierra is a mid-size car or large family car that was built by Ford Europe from 1982 to 1993. It was designed by Uwe Bahnsen, Robert Lutz and Patrick le Quément, the code used during development was Project Toni It was named for the Spanish word for mountain range. The Ford Sierra was first unveiled on 22 September 1982 at the British International Motor Show hosted at the NEC in Birmingham, with sales beginning on 15 October 1982, replacing the Ford Cortina. Its aerodynamic styling was ahead of its time and as such and it was mainly manufactured in Germany, Belgium, and the United Kingdom, although Sierras were also assembled in Ireland, Argentina, Venezuela, South Africa and New Zealand. Assembly for the Ford Sierra in Ireland was located at the Marina in Cork City, the former plant at the Marina is now a distribution point for imported Ford Cars to the South of Ireland. The Sierra was the 1983 Semperit Irish Car of the Year in Ireland, in September that year, it had unveiled the Probe III concept car at the Frankfurt Motor Show, hinting at what the new car would look like when the final product was unveiled 12 months later. At first, many found the design blob-like and difficult to accept after being used to the sharp-edged, straight-line styling of the Cortina and it was also nicknamed the salesmans spaceship on account of its status as a popular fleet car in Britain. Ford had also launched the Escort-based Orion saloon that year, which found favour with buyers who would normally have bought a Cortina or another similar sized family saloon. The most notable changes came at the start of 1987, with a major facelift, as other manufacturers adopted similar aerodynamic styling, the Sierra looked more normal. At its peak, it was Britains second best selling car in 1983,1988 and 1989 and its best year was 1989, when more than 175,000 were sold. However, it was outsold by the Vauxhall Cavalier in MK2 form during 1984 and 1985, however, it comfortably outsold its second key rival, the Austin Montego, which was launched in April 1984. Early versions suffered from stability problems, which were addressed in 1985 with the addition of strakes. These shortcomings saw a lot of attention, and contributed to early slow sales. Other rumours that the car hid major crash damage also harmed the cars reputation and this reached near-hysterical heights in its early months on sale, with UK press making a report that Ford would reintroduce the previous Cortina model out of desperation. These reports were denied by Ford. However, sales began to rise during 1983, and it finished as Britains second best selling car behind the Escort, even in 1992, the Sierra was still Britains fifth best selling car. Additionally, earlier used the 1. 6- and 2-litre versions of the Pinto engine paired with a 4-speed manual gearbox. At a time when the rival Vauxhall Cavalier was offered with a 5-speed option, in the mid 1980s, many smaller cars featured 5-speed gearboxes
9.
Honda S2000
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The Honda S2000 is a roadster that was manufactured by Japanese automaker Honda from 1999 to 2009. First shown as a car at the Tokyo Motor Show in 1995. The S2000 is named for its displacement of two liters, carrying on in the tradition of the S500, S600, and S800 roadsters of the 1960s. Several revisions were made throughout the lifetime, including changes to the engine, gearbox, suspension. Production of the S2000 ceased in June 2009, in Japan, it was exclusively sold through the Honda Verno sales channel. Introduced at the 1995 Tokyo Motor Show, the Honda Sport Study Model concept car was the study for the production S2000. The SSM was a rear-wheel-drive roadster powered by a 2.0 L inline four-cylinder engine and it featured a rigid high X-bone frame which Honda claimed improved the vehicles rigidity and collision safety. The concept car was constructed with aluminum panels and featured a 50,50 weight distribution. The SSM appeared in many shows for several years afterwards, hinting at the possibility of a production version. The S2000 was introduced in 1999 for the 2000 model year and was given the designation of AP1. It features a front mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout with power delivered by a 1,997 cc inline four-cylinder DOHC-VTEC engine, the engine produces outputs of 177–184 kW, and 208–218 N·m depending on the target market. The engine is mated to a manual transmission and Torsen limited slip differential. The S2000 achieved what Honda claimed as the top level. Features include independent double wishbone suspension, electrically assisted steering and integrated roll hoops, the car features 16 in wheels with Bridgestone Potenza S-02 tires. The compact and lightweight engine, mounted entirely behind the front axle, allow the S2000 to achieve a 50,50 front/rear weight distribution, an electrically powered vinyl top with internal cloth lining was standard, with an aluminum hardtop available as an optional extra. Honda offered Berlina Black, New Formula Red, Gran Prix White, Sebring Silver, the 2001 model was largely unchanged, Honda added a digital clock to the radio display and made the rear wind blocker standard. Honda also added Spa Yellow to the US domestic market lineup, for the 2002 model year, suspension settings were revised and the plastic rear window was replaced by a glass unit incorporating an electric defroster. Other updates included slightly revised tail lamps with chrome rings, a radio with separate tweeters, a leather gearshift knob, leatherette console cover
10.
Pagani Zonda
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The Pagani Zonda is a mid-engined sports car built by the Italian manufacturer Pagani. By June 2009,135 Zondas had been built, including development mules, both 2-door coupé and roadster versions have been produced. Construction is mainly of carbon fiber, some of the early Zonda engineering was done by Formula One champion Juan Manuel Fangio. The car was originally to be named the Fangio F1 after him, but, following his death in 1995, it was renamed for the Zonda wind, the Zonda C12 debuted in 1999 at the Geneva Motor Show. It was powered by a 6.0 L Mercedes-Benz V12 engine producing 394 PS at 5200 rpm and 570 N·m at 3800 rpm mated to a 5-speed manual transmission gearbox. The C12 could accelerate to 60 mph in 4.2 seconds, just five of the original 6.0 L Paganis were built, though it was still available in 2002 when the C12 S debuted. One was used for testing, while another was a demonstrator. The remainder were delivered to customers during the three years. A woman from Switzerland is confirmed to own the last remaining Zonda C12, the Zonda S uses a 7.0 L AMG–tuned version of the engine producing 550 PS. It can accelerate to 62 mph in 3.7 secs, to 100 mph in 7.5 secs, lateral acceleration on the skidpad is 1.18 g, it can reach a top speed of 208 mph, and carries a price tag of US$500,000. The Zonda S features an elongated nose, flaps at the rear for improved aerodynamics, only fifteen 7.0 L Zonda S cars were produced. The Zonda S7.3 of 2002 used a new, and to better handle the power, traction control and ABS were made standard. Performance claims were unchanged from the Zonda S, on the Autobahn in which the car topped out at 198 mph,10 mph off the mark of its claimed top speed of 208 mph. Company representatives at Paganis factory claimed this was the result of the car being in the setting for maximum down force, however, the EVO article claimed that aerodynamic parts, specifically ones that created drag, were removed during the run, bringing Paganis claims into question. In 2003 Pagani presented the Zonda Roadster, a version of the Zonda S7.3. Carrying the same components as the coupé, Pagani promised no loss of performance, a total of 40 roadsters were produced. The Zonda F debuted at the 2005 Geneva Motor Show, production of the Zonda F was limited to 25 cars. It came equipped with an extra headlight and different fog lights at the sides, new bodywork that improved the cars aerodynamics, the Zonda Roadster F debuted at the 2006 Geneva auto show
11.
Automotive industry in the United Kingdom
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Volume car manufacturers with a major presence in the UK include Honda, Nissan, Toyota and Vauxhall Motors. Commercial vehicle manufacturers active in the UK include Alexander Dennis, Ford, GMM Luton, Leyland Trucks and London Taxis International. In 2008 the UK automotive manufacturing sector had a turnover of £52.5 billion, generated £26.6 billion of exports and produced around 1.45 million passenger vehicles and 203,000 commercial vehicles. In that year around 180,000 people were employed in automotive manufacturing in the UK, with a further 640,000 people employed in automotive supply, retail. This declined to 147,000 including supply industry in 2014 The UK is a centre for engine manufacturing. The origins of the UK automotive industry date back to the years of the 19th century. By the 1950s the UK was the second-largest manufacturer of cars in the world, since the early 1990s many British car marques have been acquired by foreign companies including BMW, SAIC, TATA and Volkswagen Group. Rights to many dormant marques, including Austin, Riley, Rover. Notable British car designers include David Bache, Laurence Pomeroy, John Polwhele Blatchley, Ian Callum, Colin Chapman, Alec Issigonis, Charles Spencer King and Gordon Murray. Simms acquired the British rights to Daimlers engine and associated patents, in 1893 he formed The Daimler Motor Syndicate Limited for his various Daimler-related enterprises. Simms documented plans to manufacture Daimler motors and Daimler Motor Carriages were taken over, together with his company and its Daimler licences, by London company-promoter H J Lawson. Lawson contracted to buy The Daimler Motor Syndicate Limited and all its rights and on 14 January 1896 formed and in February successfully floated in London The Daimler Motor Company Limited. It then purchased from a friend of Lawson a disused mill in Coventry for car engine and chassis manufacture where, it is claimed. The claim for the first all-British motor car is contested, but George Lanchesters first cars of 1895 and 1896 did include French, in 1891 Richard Stephens, a mining engineer from South Wales, returned from a commission in Michigan to establish a bicycle works in Clevedon, Somerset. Whilst in America he had seen the developments in motive power and this was entirely of his own design and manufacture, including the two-cylinder engine, apart from the wheels which he bought from Starley in Coventry. This was probably the first all-British car and Stephens set up a line, manufacturing in all, twelve vehicles, including four- and six-seater cars and hackneys. Following intense advocacy by motor vehicle enthusiasts, including Harry J. Lawson of Daimler, under this regulation, light locomotives were exempt from the previous restrictions, and a higher speed limit –14 mph was set for them. To celebrate the new freedoms Lawson organised the Emancipation Run held on 14 November 1896 and this occasion has been commemorated since 1927 by the annual London to Brighton Veteran Car Run
12.
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars
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Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Limited engineers, manufactures and distributes luxury automobiles and automobile parts worldwide. Rolls-Royce Motors Cars Limited is the manufacturer of Rolls-Royce branded motor cars since 2003. Although the Rolls-Royce brand has been in use since 1906, the Rolls-Royce Motor Cars subsidiary of BMW AG has no relationship to Rolls-Royce branded vehicles produced prior to 2003. The Rolls-Royce Phantom four-door sedan was the first product offered for sale in 2003, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Limited has been manufacturing Rolls-Royce branded cars since 2003. Current chief executive Torsten Müller-Ötvös joined the company in January 2010 and that year, the companys sales in China increased by 600%, meaning that it is now Rolls-Royces second largest market after the US. In 1998, Vickers decided to sell Rolls-Royce Motors, the most likely buyer was BMW, who already supplied engines and other components for Rolls-Royce and Bentley cars, but BMWs final offer of £340 million was beaten by Volkswagens £430 million. BMWs contract to supply engines and components to Rolls-Royce Motors allowed BMW to cancel the contract with 12 months notice, volkswagen would be unable to re-engineer the Rolls-Royce and Bentley vehicles to use other engines within that time frame. With the Rolls-Royce brand identification marks split between the two companies and Volkswagens engine supply in jeopardy, the two entered into negotiations. Volkswagen agreed to sell BMW the Spirit of Ecstasy and grill shape trademarks and BMW agreed to supplying engines. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Limited became the manufacturer of Rolls-Royce branded cars in 2003. From 2010 – Ghost 4-door sedan, Rolls-Royce announced in September 2006 that it would develop a new four-door model named Ghost. The Ghost will be smaller than the previous Rolls-Royce automobile launched, only 20% of the components would be sourced from BMW F017 Series, and it will be positioned below the Phantom. On 4 March 2014, the new Ghost Series II was revealed to the public at the Geneva Motor Show and it has a facelift front with new LED headlights. The interior has had an update as well, from 2013 – Rolls-Royce Wraith coupé. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars launched a new car at the Geneva Motor Show on 5 March 2013, the new car, named the Rolls-Royce Wraith was a luxury coupe, with a long bonnet and a sleek roof line, and was a coupe version of the Ghost. It was powered by a 623 bhp, twin-turbocharged V12 engine connected to an eight-speed gearbox, deliveries were expected to begin by the end of 2013. Rolls-Royce had stated that the Wraith would be the most powerful Rolls-Royce motor car to that date, from 2015 – Rolls-Royce Dawn 2015 Rolls-Royce announced the production of SUV for the very first time in the company history. According to Rolls-Royce, the new SUV will set new standards among cars of this segment
