Retro style puts trade in reverse

GREGG WYCHERLEY visits a North Shore manufacturer whose classic-style cars are a hit in Japan.

New Zealander Neil Fraser has achieved what major car makers have failed at - selling small cars to Japan.

He started Fraser Cars in 1988, selling kits based on the classic Lotus 7 design to the local market.

Now, his biggest market is Japan, where 169 of the zippy cars live.

Mr Fraser said the "coals to Newcastle" adage was a label the company wore with pride.

"People don't believe me ... They have to come out here and see it with their own eyes before they believe it. It is a bit unusual, but we take great pride in it."

He said Fraser cars appealed to the small group of Japanese retro sports car fans, who valued the car because it was not made in Japan.

"It's the fringe element that buy these weird hand-built sports cars, but in a country of 130 million people, the fringe element is really a lot of people."

In January the company began selling a slightly smaller version of the car that takes advantage of Japanese vehicle registration and tax regulations favouring small cars.

Cars up to 3m in length and 1.5m wide with an engine of less than 660cc incur much lower on-road costs. This means Fraser Cars can sell its "K-Class" version for $35,000, compared with $79,000 for the larger 2000cc model.

The car is powered by a three-cylinder, turbo-charged 660cc engine from the Suzuki Cappuccino, which was discontinued in 1996.

Mr Fraser said he had sold four of the so-called Fraser Decaf cars in Japan and had orders for about another 10.

Although the engine is relatively low-powered, after-market modifications can almost double the power and, because of the light weight, the car handles very well.

"It's significantly more sprightly to drive - it boogies very well, gets up and goes."

He acknowledges that the disappearing stockpile of engines means only about 20 of the K-Class cars will be sold. "I honestly don't think we'll build more than 20. By then there'll be another craze.

"Hopefully out of that 20 we might get four or five people upgrading."