Stoneleigh Rocks!

The UK's largest kit car show

Photos and Story by Rob Hawkins

The annual kit car show held at Stoneleigh has become the major event of the year over the last 30 years. Thousands of people and cars attend, along with major manufacturers keen to show off their skills. Held south of Birmingham in the middle of England, on Sunday and the first Monday in May (a bank holiday in the U.K.), it’s also when most kit car clubs hold their annual general meeting. And if the weather is good, it often turns into a barbecue and beer festival. All told, Stoneleigh is one rockin’ event!

The GT40 Enthusiasts Club of the U.K. always supports Stoneleigh with a mouthwatering assortment of quality replicas.

The all-new BMW-based 250 from Mirage Auto Developments has been seven years in the making and finally made its debut at Stoneleigh.

Nottingham-based Exo Sports Cars sell several kits in the U.S., including the Yamaha R1-based tR1ke and Ford Zetec-powered Exotech.

The Zero from Great British Sports Cars sells well in the U.S., and the body and chassis can be supplied as a completed assembly.

Jazzed up with a “Purple People-Eater” paint scheme, the Miata-based MEV Exocet is available in the U.S. and is one of the U.K.’s most popular project cars.

Squealing tires rock the showgrounds at Stoneleigh, caused by Westfield and their slalom rides for £10 a turn.

Yorkshire-based MNR was one of the first Seven-type kit car manufacturers to develop a Miata-based kit. It’s now available and selling well in the U.S.

This year’s show didn’t disappoint. The weather held up, and the club fields were full of everything from exotic Beetle-based Novas (Sterlings) and 50-year-old beach buggies to rows of Cobra replicas and over 200 Lotus Seven-style Westfields.

Inside the exhibition halls, manufacturers from across Europe displayed their vehicles, including several new models. Highlights include two replicas of the classic Ferrari 250 California coupe, one from Mirage Auto Developments, and the other an entry-level rebody for the BMW Z3 from Tribute Automotive. Famed car designer Lee Noble (Ultima and Noble M10, M12 and more) returned with a new model that looks like a modern take on the beach buggy. The Mini-based Cox GTM was back, along with several variations of FF Buggies that first appeared in the 1980s.

BMW Z3 body kits are popular in the UK, and this Tribute Kalifornia is built by Nubodi Automotive.

Once the dream machine in the early days of the kit market, Beetle-based Novas, Sterlings and Eurekas still appear at Stoneleigh for their annual meeting, and they have a following in the U.S. as well.

Pie Valley’s replacement chassis for Beetle-based kit cars began with MGF/TF donor components, but has recently evolved to an Audi V6 and inline transaxle.

Surviving the test of time, Marlins have been manufactured for nearly 40 years and are a useable daily driver based on Triumph, Ford or BMW components.

While it’s still early days for the Tritium from Finland, the specification looks promising with carbon fiber bodywork.

Everyone we spoke to was keen to export overseas, and many have agents around the world, including the U.S. and Australia, making the biggest kit car show in the U.K. open to a worldwide audience. So even Yanks from the other side of the pond are invited to rock out at Stoneleigh.