Message-ID: <3336CC68.4B67@virgin.net>
Date: Mon, 24 Mar 1997 18:48:08 +0000
From: Paul Hunt <paul.hunt1@virgin.net>
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To: Simon.MATTHEWS@st.com
Subject: Re: The low down on some cars
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Simon.MATTHEWS@st.com wrote:
>
> Paul, the UK does have a car industry -- in fact, it *owns* one
> segment: race cars! Apparently the race car industry employs some
> 50,000 people in the UK (makes Nissan in Sunderland and the like look
> insignificant!).
>
> So if kit cars are still thriving, I'm not surprized -- but I believe
> one of the factors that drove the beginnings of this industry was the
> avoidance of car tax (now abolished and replaced as extra profits for
> the car industry!).
>
> Regards,
> Simon
>
> P.S. I don't remember where I read the figure of 50,000, but I'm
> pretty sure.... Just remember that every major part of just about
> every Indy car is built in Britain, plus all the F1 cars (even
> Ferrari's F1 engineering team is in the UK).
>
> ______________________________ Reply Separator
>_________________________________
> Subject: Re: The low down on some cars
> Author: paul.hunt1 at internet/DD.RFC-822=paul.hunt1@virgin.net
> Date: 21/03/97 19:00
>
> Simon.MATTHEWS@st.com wrote:
> >
> > Panther cars made a number of different models, they were probably
> > sold with a kit option at one time (avoiding the car tax in the UK),
> > but I would hazard a guess that the kit option was dropped some time
> > after the tax advantages disappeared. Last think I heard, the company
> > had been bought by a Taiwanese (or Korean, or some other far-eastern)
> > businessman.
> >
> > Last time I saw one of these, it was in a showroom in Northampton.
> >
> > Sorry for the vagueness. Simon
>
> Kit cars are still a relatively thriving business in the UK, as they
> frequently can make use of a donor car. Top Gear recently did a review
> of the British car industry and came up with about 20 manufacturers
> including kits. Not bad for a coutry without a car industry anymore.
>
> PaulH.
You're almost right, Simon, and I was fully aware of our race car
industry - a tribute to Britains success in niche markets - but I was
referring to road cars, of course.
The last time I heard we did indeed make everyone of the Indy cars. As
far as Ferrari goes the chassis design is indeed British but the engines
are rumoured - strongly denied by Ferrari (EF always denigrated British
teams as 'garigistes') - to be made by Honda. Only Ligier, now known as
Prost, have no British input at all, being fully funded by the French
Government and French companies.
PaulH.
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