Connecting Kit Car (and Replica) Enthusiasts Worldwide | KitCarConnection.com

One of my favorite things in life is that "sun on my shoulders and wind in my face" feeling I get from driving an open cockpit car. And if the car happens to be an ultra-sexy Cobra replica, then life just doesn't get much better. However, if one lives in an area that has cold, inclement winters, hitting the highway in a Cobra-inspired kit car is definitely a seasonal indulgence.

I recently posted a blog about the DAX Tojeiro from D J Sportscars out of Essex, England. However, these kit car geniuses have another very cool model called the Rush, which is a Clubman-style vehicle.

So what exactly is a Clubman? It's a lightweight two-seater roadster that has an open top and is designed to run on both the roadways and on the track. The very first example of a Clubman was introduced way back in 1957 by Colin Chapman in the form of a Lotus Super 7. This original Clubman featured a front engine, rear wheel drive design.

Today, the DAX Rush remains true to the original Lotus Super 7, with its spot-on front engine, rear wheel drive design. The really great thing about the Clubman-inspired DAX Rush kit car, though, is that it uses Ford components which are both easy to find and economical to purchase and maintain. In fact, it's designed to accommodate a variety of engines ranging from the Ford OHC/DOHC to the Sierra Cosworth Turbo to the Rover V8.

The DAX Rush kit car features a triangulated steel chassis and the body is crafted from composite reinforced molded fiberglass.

In designing the Rush, the D J Sportscars team expanded its interior space by three inches. Now, this might not sound like a lot of extra room, but when you consider that they also lowered the floor pan, people who never thought they could fit into a Clubman are discovering that this model is actually quite comfortable. In fact, even drivers who are over six feet tall can slide in and out without problem.

Designed for maximum agility with minimum weight, the Rush De Dion LX is D J Sportscars' "entry-level" kit. It's based on using a Ford Sierra as the sole donor. The base price for the De Dion LX is £7,783.55, or around $15,300 in U. S. dollars.

The guys at D J Sportscars have been in the business of designing and manufacturing component cars for over 25 years, and have an exemplary reputation for excellence.

So if you're in the market for a great looking, high quality Clubman-style kit car, the DAX Rush might exactly what you've been searching for.

Of course, it doesn't hurt that they have a fully-loaded DAX Rush at their Essex facility, ready and waiting for potential customers to take for a thrill-filled spin.

The next time you're out for a spin around the English countryside, why not take a trip over to Harlow, Essex and visit the team at D J Sportscars. They'll be waiting with keys in hand.

For more information on the DAX Rush and D J Sportscars, be sure to visit http://www.daxcars.co.uk.

If you're a kit car enthusiast living in the U.K., you're likely familiar with D J Sportscars. However, I live in the heartland of the U.S., and only recently discovered their DAX website.

I just read some really great news for Canadian fans of the Factory Five stable of kit cars.

First, a bit of background.  Unbeknownst to me (and probably the majority of kit car aficionados in the United States), very few U.S. kit car manufacturers have been able to successfully jump through the endless hoops that Canadian law has created regarding the import of what our northern neighbors call "starter car kits."  By the way, starter car kits are the same thing as our U.S. kit cars.  That is, vehicles built from the ground up using a kit.

It seems that the problem has been the illegal importation of vehicles that were billed as kit cars, when they were actually fully assembled cars that were only lacking engines or major running gear parts.  Presumably, somewhat shady companies or individuals labeled the vehicles this way in order to gain a loophole through Canadian vehicle regulations.

Adding to the complicated mire of these regulatory laws is the fact that some kit car parts are allowed in the United States, but not in Canada.  Which means that these parts have to be removed before the starter kits hit the Canadian border.

Now for the good news I mentioned earlier.  The team at Factory Five has been shipping parts and chassis kits to Canadian customers for over a decade.  And they've done so while fully complying with the tricky and apparently highly confusing Canadian laws regarding the importing of starter car kits.

Here's another really impressive factoid about Factory Five's commitment to their Canadian customers.  They've not only take the time to understand Canadian regulations, they have also established a relationship with a Canadian company called Western Canada Cobras.  These guys help Canadian FFR customers through the process of importing their kit car virtually hassle-free.

So if you live in Canada and have been itching to start your own Factory Five project car, give FFR a shout at (508) 291-3443 or get in touch with a rep at Western Canada Cobras.

I just read a news story that made me proud to be a part of the kit car enthusiast family. Recently, the family of Larry Reynolds, a long-time fan of the art of auto mechanics who had recently passed away, went through the difficult struggle of deciding what to do with his cherished possessions. One of Larry’s favorite things was his 1967-style Cobra 427 kit car, which he was in the process of building when he died.

Kit cars in a classroom? If you’re talking about the Mott Community College in Howell, Michigan, you bet! In an innovative partnership with Factory Five Racing, this progressive community college boasts a Technical Education Center that teaches car aficionados how to build their dream car.

November is just around the corner, and that means it’s almost time for one of the U.K.’s biggest kit car shows of the year.

Organized by European Promotions, the 2007 Great Western Kit and Builder Show is slated for November 17 and 18 in Westpoint, Exeter.  Last year’s show attracted over 10,000 visitors, and I’m told that an even higher attendance is expected for this year’s blowout.

Of course, most of Europe’s top kit car manufacturers will be present at this annual car builders’ spectacular.  It’s your chance to chat up representatives from big names like AK Sports Cars, Beauford Cars, Hawk Cars, Pilgrim Cars UK, Fisher Sportscars, Tiger Racing, Great British Sports Cars Ltd, GTM Cars, Cradley Motor Works, Regent Motor Company, Auto Speciali, MK Sportscars, Tifosi Sports, TEAC, Malone Racing, Aquilla Cars, Innotech Cobras and Spire Sports.

Westfield Sportscars is even going to be demonstrating their kit cars on a slalom course inside the arena.

In fact, over 60 British kit car manufacturers have made plans to take part in this show and I hear that over 600 hand-built cars are going to be showcased.

Over 50 trade booths will be set up at the Westpoint Arena, and at least 20 car clubs are planning to be on hand.

The organizers of the Great Western Kit and Car Builder Show have even lined up some pretty cool entertainment in the form of professional stunt rider Neil Porter.  This guy does some absolutely unbelievable stunts on his motorcycle!

So if you plan on being anywhere near the Westpoint Arena in November, you don’t want to miss out on this show.  Who wouldn’t want to take a lustful peek at the amazing 5EXi from Marlin Cars or the muscle-bound GT40 replica from MDA?

This family-friendly show opens at 10AM both mornings and closes up shop at 5PM each evening.  In the past, there has been plenty of great food and free parking and I imagine this year will be no exception.

Sounds like Exeter is definitely the place to be this fall in the U.K!