Kit Car

Key Points

• Vehicles sold as components in ‘kit’ form for assembly by the purchaser, or provided in complete turnkey spec by the company.

Key Examples

• AC/Shelby Cobra replicas
• Lotus 7 ‘Clubman’ replicas and derivatives
• Purvis Eureka
• Bolwell MkV / MkVII
• Porsche Spyder replicas
• Ford GT40 replicas
• Manx beach buggy replicas

Kit Cars, as the name suggests, refer to vehicles that are provided in kit form and require the purchaser to assemble themselves by adding the running gear and fitting other components, like the wheels, brakes, electrics and interior, to the supplied chassis and/or body.

The level of components supplied vary from company to company, with some offering rolling chassis, wired-in electrics and trimmed interiors, right through to complete ‘turnkey’ cars that are ready to register and drive.

The most popular examples of kit cars for sale in Australia are replicas of the AC/Shelby Cobra, usually consisting of a tube-frame chassis with a fibreglass body in the style of the original Cobra roadster, to which the purchaser can add their own engine, usually a small-block Chevrolet V8, but more powerful GM and Ford engines are common. As well as supplying kits, most Australian Cobra replica companies can also build cars to finished spec.

1986 Kouger Sports Roadster

Other examples of kit cars for sale in Australia include replicas of the Ford GT40, which like the Cobras, are offered in varying degrees of completeness, with powerful V8s the most common engine choice.

Also common in this category are ‘Clubman’ cars, based on the original Lotus 7. Unlike those who purchase a Cobra, those looking to buy a Clubman in Australia want them primarily for competition use (circuits, sprints, hillclimbs, etc.) and not regular road driving.

The ‘Beach Buggy’ is another example of a kit car for sale in Australia. Usually made up of a reinforced fibreglass chassis/body and Volkswagen engine in the style of the original Meyers Manx of the 1960s.

Kit cars for sale in Australia also include “rebodied” cars that add partial or complete replacement bodies over an existing production model’s chassis and running gear, usually to replicate another production model, eg. Ferrari 250 GTO replicas based on Datsuns, various Mini-based replicas and Aston Martin replicas based on Mazda MX5s.

While not strictly kit cars, the ‘neo-classic’ cars from the likes of Excalibur, Zimmer, Clenet, etc., would also be suitable for this category.

All vehicles submitted for this category MUST be in complete or near complete condition, even if disassembled, to be suitable for listing. Groups of random parts and vehicles regarded as being beyond near-complete condition will not be listed.