New Zealand has a long history of small garages and vehicle enthusiasts modifying and creating sports and sports racing cars. Out of these interests grew the New Zealand kit and replica car industry, with the introduction of fibre-glass car bodies in the 1950s.

Beginnings

In the early 1950s, with the advent of fibreglass bodied cars, a new opportunity arose for local companies associated with car enthusiasts to create car bodies. Among the first of these early manufacturers was Weltex Plastics Limited of Christchurch, which imported a Microplas Mistral sports car mould and began making bodies and chassis in 1956, along with Brian Jarvis. They were followed in 1957 by Frank Cantwell's Puma, the Ching, F10, and Falcon.Historic Racing Cars of New Zealand, Graham Vercoe, Reed Books, Auckland 1991, Also in New Zealand during this period, Ferris de Joux was constructing a variety of sports racers. De Joux is noted in particular for his Mini GT from the 1960s.

The Everson brothers, who were noted for making New Zealand first indigenous twin engined mono-plane, between 1935 and 1937 created a small two-seater rear engined car called the Everson Cherub. Three different one-off models were made by the brothers. Ernest's son Cliff built a variety of Everson models from the 1960s to the 1980s. The most successful was his eight Cherubs that were similar in design to the Mini Moke.

Ross Baker's Heron Cars started in 1962 making racing cars and eventually began producing kit cars in 1980. Bill Ashton, and Ted George in the 1960s and moulded Tiki fibreglass bodies at their firm George and Ashton Limited in Dunedin.Three were known to have been made. Graham McRae with Steve Bond of Gemini Plastics imported a replica Le Mans McLaren M6B styled GT mould in 1968, The cars were made and sold by Dave Harrod and Steve Bond of Fibreglass Developments Ltd, Bunnythorpe as the Maram. McRae went on to make a very good Porsche Spyder replica in the 1990s.

A number of new companies entered the market in the 1980s - Almac 1985, Alternative Cars (1984), Cheetah (1986), Chevron (1984), Countess Mouldings (1988), Fraser (1988), Leitch (1986), and Saker (1989). Some recent ones are Beattie (automobile) (1997), which became Redline in 2001, and McGregor (2001).

Two companies which specialise in making replicas of various models to order are Classic Car Developments (1992) and Tempero. Both of these companies were noted for the quality of their workmanship. Commencing in 2002, Coventry Classics Limited from Gore specialised in making replica Jaguar C-Types.Southland made Jaguars headed to England, The Southland Times, 13 February 2015

Notable people

Bill Ashton Bill Ashton and Ted George (George & Ashton Limited) moulded fibreglass Tiki sports car bodies in Dunedin.

Ferris de Joux

Ferris de Joux (1935–2009) was a designer, engineer and constructor of sports cars. He was born on 24 August 1935. De Joux was said to have been one of New Zealand's most talented automotive designers. He appeared regularly in motoring magazines such as Motorman and Sports Car World from the 1970s.

Patrick Harlow Patrick Harlow is a New Zealand automotive historian, journalist, teacher, and car enthusiast who is noted for his work on the New Zealand kit car industry. He has been a regular contributor to New Zealand Classic Car Magazine and the Constructors Car Club magazine, Spare Parts.New Zealand made cars feature in book, Jeff Hampton, 12 October 2013, retrieved 4 April 2015

Graham McRae

Graham McRae (5 March 1940 – 4 August 2021) was a racing driver from New Zealand. He achieved considerable success in Formula 5000 racing, winning the Tasman Series each year from 1971 to 1973, and also the 1972 L&M Continental 5000 Championship in the United States. McRae went on to make Porsche Spyder replicas in New Zealand.

Peter Pellandine

Peter Pellandine founded Ashley Laminates with Keith Waddington. They designed and made fibreglass sports cars bodies under the name "Ashley". In late 1956 Peter Pellandine split from the partnership up Falcon Shells. It had the rights to the short wheel base Ashley 750, which became the Falcon Mk 1, and the Ashley Sports Racer the Falcon Mk II. Pelladine moved to New Zealand with his family in 1957, and set up a New Zealand branch of Falcon Shells. In 1959 he returned to England via Australia.

Manufacturers

Acorn A series of six cars built by Peter Parkinson of Christchurch. The cars were named after Peanuts characters, with the first being called the Acorn Lucy (now registered as the Strike88) in the early 1970s. He built two Acorn Marcies - a small sports car based on a 1300cc Triumph Herald engine. The last car was called the Acorn Schroeder, a car similar in shape to the Bugatti Type 35.Acorn rolls back into makers life, Kim Newth, The Press, Christchurch, page 6, 23 January 2014 The other known name was Linus.Acorn (New Zealand) - All Car Index, All Car Index, retrieved 22 June 2023

Almac

Almac is a New Zealand-based kit car company founded in 1984 and located in Upper Hutt. Almac Cars is a part of Almac Reinforced Plastics Ltd, a fibreglass product manufacturing company founded in 1971 by Alex McDonald. McDonald's interest in kit cars started while he was living in England, having purchased a Jem Marsh Sirocco. Jem Marsh founded the Marcos car company.

Alternative Cars

Alternative Cars Limited is a New Zealand-based kit car company that manufactures fiber-glass bodied cars based on the 1950s MG TF.Kit Car Directory, New Zealand Classic Car, April 2009, Auckland, page 53, The company was founded by Russell Hooper, a medical supply representative, as Kit Kars Limited in 1984. In 1996 Kit Kars Ltd changed its name to Alternative Cars Limited. Initially the company operated from the owner's home, until moving to a small 600 square foot workshop in Auckland.

Amero

Gordon Hook began making fibreglass bodied cars in 1974 while working as foreman of a fibreglass manufacturing company. His father had been an A grade motor mechanic, which had sparked his interest and mechanical ability. His first car was called the Amero 2+2, which was smaller than but had similar styling to the Ford Capri. It is rumoured that this car was first made by an Air New Zealand employee and the body was extensively modified by Hook when he acquired it. Hook made another three of these car bodies between 1974 and 1977.Patric Harlow, New Zealand Manufactured Cars - A cottage industry, Willsonscott Publishing International Ltd, Christchurch,

After this, Hook began making fibreglass replacement panels for Australian made Holdens and Fords. In 1979 he obtained a burnt out C3 Corvette, while in the United States. Using this, he created his own chassis and fibreglass body panels. Holden HQs were used as the donor car for mechanical parts and wiring. Trim and lights were imported from the United States. The replica C3 Corvette was made between 1983 and 1995. In all 25 kits were made with three versions: roadster, fastback, and T-Top. Hook's final car in this series, a replica Greenwood Corvette, only progressed as far as a prototype.

Between 1993 and 1995 Hook began development of a new car the Amero California. Based around spy photos of the upcoming Chevrolet Camaro, the prototype was completed in mid-1993. Unfortunately no orders eventuated and Hook left New Zealand for Australia in 1995. The moulds and jigs were sold and no further cars made.

Asco Aura A 1950s style sports car made between 1984 and 1988 by Peter Andrews of Andrews Sports Car Company of Taupo. The Aura was first shown at the 1985 New Zealand Motor Expo in Auckland. 11 kits were made.

Aspen Aspen built two kit cars in Auckland - the Aspen Aurora from 1976 to 1985 and the Aspen Siris from 1989 to 1998.Automotive Art - New Zealand Style, Patrick Harlow, New Zealand Classic Car, Parkside Media, Auckland, August 2021, pages 68-69

Auckland Cobra A replica AC Cobra made in Papatoetoe, Auckland by Rex Garland since 1983. The cars are fitted with Ford 302 V8s and Toyota 5 speed gearbox. By 2012 49 kits or turnkeys had been made. Two of these had hard-tops.

Beattie (now Redline)

Beattie was originally a New Zealand kitcar created by Stephen Charles Beattie and its manufacture is now based in the United Kingdom. It made the Beattie SR2000 and Clubman Sports, based on the Lola-Climax Mk1.NZ Classic Car Magazine Issue 1, 28 August 2001 Kevin Hunt of Redline Performance Cars Limited acquired the design from Stephen Beattie in 1999 and the car was renamed the Redline Sprint with a least two models being available, the Sprint and the Road Sport. It was available up to at least 2007.Redline Roadsport – Redline Fury – 176, 11 October 2007, NZ Classic Car

Briford Sports A roadster made by Brian Ford since 1982 and still in production in 2012. It is a cross between an AC Cobra and a Mistral. Up to 2012 16 kits had been made. It may have been based on a Microplas Stiletto or Scimitar which has an almost identical shape.Briford photograph Most have been sold with Brifords chassis, although some were fitted to others chassis.

Cantwell Car Limited Frank Cantwell's company Cantwell Car Limited made a fibreglass sports car called the Puma between 1957 and 1960. The cars used an Ashley 750 body and a chassis designed by New Zealander Arthur Praed. A total of 6 were thought to have been made. There are believed to be only two surviving cars. One of these has been in the United States since 2003.1955/6 Ashley 750 Cantwell Puma Sports No.1 retrieved 4 March 2016

Cheetah Cars

Cheetah Cars is a New Zealand-based kit car company that commenced in 1986 and produced a kit loosely based on the Jaguar E-Type shape. It ceased constructing cars in 1991. This car is not to be confused with John Bush of Oamaru's Cheetah Sports from the early 1960s.

Gideon de Lautour suggested the idea of creating a kit car based on a picture in the 1981 January–March issue of the Australian Sports Car World magazine. It was a BRG Jaguar E-Type S1 convertible that had been stripped of all chrome, had a roll bar installed, a set of lake pipes out the side and flared wheel arches and was being used for classic car racing.

Gideon had extensive experience working on exotic machinery in the United Kingdom.

The body style was to be based on the E-Type with Triumph 2000/2500 chassis and running gear. The HQ Holden was suggested as a better option because they were plentiful and cheap. Also, there were numerous variants from six cylinders to 350 V8s. The running gear was robust and the brakes exceptional for the period. The track was a little wider than the S1/S2 E type. Maximising the use of the donor vehicle for parts was also a key factor. Work started in 1986 in Gideon's garage with the purchase of an HQ which was stripped for parts. The rear floor pan was cut from the body and a central space-frame was constructed that connected the rear floor pan to the front sub-frame. On this was constructed a buck to be used for taking body moulds.

An incomplete prototype was presented at the 1988 New Zealand Car Show in Epsom, Auckland. Some sales were generated as was a lot of skepticism.

During construction of the first car fibreglass sills, doors, and windscreen surround were decided upon to reduce the workload. Tron Cars on Auckland's North Shore were given the task of mould making due to their quality work on a Lamborghini Countach replica and an RX7 based car called the Mountach. Two more vehicles were sold during this period and delivered in 1989 as rolling chassis. Also, four chassis were made for the Company Directors to test and improve the assembly manual.