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Kit car
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==History== [[File:Porsche replica - kit car.jpg|thumb|left|Replica of [[Porsche 550|Porsche 550 Spyder]] made from a kit]] Kit cars have been around since the earliest days of the automobile. In England in 1896, Thomas Hyler-White developed a design for a car that could be assembled at home. Technical designs were published in a magazine called ''[[The English Mechanic and World of Science|The English Mechanic]]''.<ref>Alan Sutton, "Mr White and his Motor Cars", ''The Automobile'', June 1986</ref> In the US, the [[Lad's Car]] of 1912 could be bought for US$160 ($5,000 in 2023) fully assembled or US$140 ($4,400 in 2023) in kit form.<ref name="Georgano, Nick">{{cite book | editor-last=Georgano | editor-first = Nick | editor-link = G. N. Georgano | title= Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile | date=2 October 2023 | publisher=Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers | isbn=978-1-57958-293-7 }}</ref> Kit cars became popular in the 1950s. Car production had increased considerably and with [[rustproofing]] in its infancy, many older vehicles were being sent to breaker yards as their [[Coachwork|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, particularly into sports cars. [[Fiber-reinforced plastic]] was coming into general use and made limited-scale production of automobile body components much more economical.<ref>The Big Guide to Kit and Specialty Cars, Harold Pace, 2002</ref> In the UK up to the mid-1970s, kit cars were sometimes normal production vehicles that were partially assembled. This avoided the imposition of a [[purchase tax]], as the kits were assessed as components and not vehicles. During the 1970s, many kits had bodies styled as sports cars that were designed to bolt directly to VW Beetle chassis. This was popular as the old body could be easily separated from the chassis, leaving virtually all mechanical components attached to the chassis. A fiber-reinforced plastic body from the kit supplier would then be fitted. This made the Beetle one of the most popular "donor" vehicles.<ref>The Big Kit Car Buyer's Guide, Harold Pace and Jim Youngs, 2002</ref> Examples of this conversion include the [[Bradley Automotive|Bradley GT]], [[Sterling Sports Cars|Sterling]], and Sebring which were made by the thousands. Many are still around today. Volkswagen-based [[dune buggy|dune buggies]] also appeared in relatively large numbers in the 1960s and 1970s, usually based on a shortened floor pan. Current kit cars are frequently [[replica]]s of well-known and often expensive classics. They are designed so that anyone with the right technical skills can build them at home to a standard where they can be driven on the public roads. These replicas are in general appearance like the original, but their bodies are often made of [[fiberglass]] mats soaked in [[polyester]] resin instead of the original sheet [[metal]]. Replicas of the [[AC Cobra]] and the [[Lotus Seven]] are particularly popular examples. The right to manufacture the Lotus 7 is owned by [[Caterham Cars]], who bought the rights to the car from Lotus founder [[Colin Chapman]] in 1973. Caterham cars are component cars and are a continued development of Chapman's design. All other Lotus Seven-style cars are replica kit cars costing significantly less than the Caterham without the residual value. These replica kit cars enable enthusiasts to possess a vehicle closely resembling a vehicle that they may not be able to afford due to scarcity, 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. It was licensed under several different names with an estimated 10,000 sold. A common concern about kit cars is that it appears to many to be technically impossible to assemble a car at home and license it for public roads, including meeting standards for the mandatory [[quality control]] (road worthiness test) that is required in most countries. For example, to obtain permission to use a kit car in Germany, every such vehicle with a speed over 6 km/h without a general operating license (ABE) or an EC type permission (EC-TG) has to undergo a technical inspection by an officially recognized expert. In the United Kingdom it is necessary to meet the requirements of the IVA (Individual vehicle Approval) regulations. In the United States [[SEMA (association)|SEMA]] has gone state by state to set up legal ways for states to register kit cars and speciality vehicles for inspection and plates. A survey of nearly 600 kit car owners in the US, the UK and Germany, carried out by Dr. Ingo Stüben, showed that typically 100–1,500 hours are required to build a kit car, depending upon the model and the completeness of the kit.<ref>Published in: Bausatzkraftfahrzeuge (Kit Cars) als ein Beispiel technischer Freizeit- und Mobilitätsinnovation, Tectum Verlag, Marburg 2000</ref> As the complexity of the kits offered continues to increase, build times have increased. Some accurate replica kits may take over 5,000 hours to complete. Several [[sports car]] producers such as Lotus, [[Marcos (automobile)|Marcos]], and [[TVR]] started as kit car makers.
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