One of the joys of attending classic car shows is that every now and again you will see something you haven’t come across before. It might be customised, a kit, upgraded or maybe race prepared.
I attended a small local show in Huddersfield and came across a striking green kit car with a very peculiar roofing system. A bit of online research revealed all.
It turns out that the car is a Car Craft Cyclone, a British kit car manufactured between 1994 and 2000. It is rare as only 32 kits were produced.
The car is a Lotus Seven style car with cycle wings and aerodynamic sculptured bodywork. The unique feature of the car is its single piece, forward hinged, top opening, gullwing targa top.
Parts were sourced from Vauxhall Cavalier MK2 with some other parts from the Opel Manta and Vauxhall Astra. The engine came from the Vauxhall family with a choice of 1.8 or 2.0L Red Top and is installed in a mid engined transverse layout making it rear wheel drive and powered through a 5 speed gearbox.
A basic kit would set you back £4 000 and a more complete kit around £8 000. A complete build would be around £10 000 to £13 000. If you can find one for sale today you would expect to pay between £5 000 and £8 000.