Specialist carmakers living in fast lane

By Alastair Sloane

British motoring fans have such enthusiasm for specialist cars that the sector is becoming a booming niche business.

Marques that many people may never have heard of are making an appearance. Other more popular marques expect customers to join the queue, sometimes years long.

This is the custom-built, hand-crafted car market where production can be as low as three or four cars a month.

They are firms where each customer is an individual, where the car is tailored to meet their needs. Most such carmakers encourage buyers to visit the factory and see their car being produced.

Another big selling point for cars in this sector is their typically long life and good resale value.

Christopher Marsh, managing director of sports car specialist Marcos, which exports 40 per cent of its annual production of 200 cars, said: "As each owner drives away we know they will enjoy the excitement of owning a high-quality and high-performance sports car.

"But we also want them to feel that they have been involved in the creation of a vehicle that has been tailored to meet their individual requirements."

The cheapest Marcos has a top speed of 250 km/h and costs about $80,000, but it is considered cheap compared with its big-name competitors.

Healey Sprite is doing something different, producing a car for about $35,000. Founder Britain Rayward said: "We see the market as young, 30-somethings with no need for a large car, individuals and couples with no family, or those looking for a second 'fun car' as well as the over-50s whose children are now adults."

One of the most famous names is Morgan which builds only 500 cars a year but has as many as 20,000 still on the road.

Still built with hardwood frames, more than half the sales go to export and there has been a phenomenal growth in owners' clubs throughout the world.

The name of Jensen has been synonymous with high-performance, advanced technology vehicles for over 60 years.

The company has launched a new V8 high-performance convertible with a spacious book. Although it is not due to go into production until next year, orders now total several million dollars.

An example of the dedication that goes into the production of specialist cars is the story of Ascari.

It announced a new car two years, ago, took deposits and then decided the car did not meet its exacting standards, in spite of receiving rave reviews in the British motoring press.

So it gave the prospective customers their money back. After two more years of development, Ascari launched a 350 km/h supercar said to be as close as possible to a racing car on the road.

More than 100 orders for the built-to-order vehicle have already been taken. A company spokesman said: "The car is aimed squarely at a select band of individuals who have already sampled the ranks of mass-produced exotic vehicles and who now want a greater level of exclusivity."

The small Dare company took a stand at last year's Birmingham motor show to show off its DZ Gullwing coupe. One multi-millionaire who had just parted with $500,000 on an exotic supercar so liked the Dare DZ that he ordered one on the spot – for $60,000.

The biggest player on the specialist scene is TVT, with a workforce of 75O, seven or eight times that of many other companies. TVR hand-builds 2000 cars a year, half of which go to export.

It defies the trend towards more and more bland cars produced by fewer and fewer people.

TVR chairman Peter Wheeler, an engineer, said "If the company ever had accountants in positions of authority the cost of some of the components we use would mean that they would never let us get a car off the drawing board. I just like designing and building things."