2010 Exeter Kit Car Show

I liked the Gardner Douglas T70 replica very much, especially in spider form. You can either have classic or high tech - I think a nostalgic blast gets the nod from me but the looks are timeless anyway.

Depending to whom I talked at this year's show, we are either in for a long, hard winter thanks to all those cuts or kit car manufacturers offer a viable means of realising that track day/replica dream at reduced cost. 

I went with Peter Tuthill, also known as Motormind, who was delivering some of his books to one of the booksellers exhibiting at the show. His books on subjects as diverse as Turner, Paramount and Kieft are selling steadily but he doesn't feel the time is right to take the financial risk of publishing any more for the immediate future. This is a terrible shame because some of them sound fascinating and explore obscure parts of motoring history nobody has examined yet.

We were particularly impressed by this Ultima at the show and Peter just had to get in to see if he would fit. The owner was more than happy to let him. He'd bought the car as an unfinished project and had dismantled it and re-assembled it over a 12 month period.

Peter Tuthill got into this Ultima without much trouble. As 74 years olds go, he's very sprightly. To be honest it's not that difficult, just requires the right technique and no hanging onto the doors during ingress or egress.

With a supercharged V8 in the back this car had the guts to match its Group C endurance racer looks - in black and without any gaudy race car graphics it looked like the Black Knight of medieval legend had entered Le Mans.

Black is probably the most unforgiving colour for GRP panels but if you have the quality of moulding - as in this Ultima GTR - it looks the business.

Although the outside car park reserved for kit cars was nearly full, there didn't seem to be as many manufacturers this years as there were last year. This seems to be a continuing yearly trend but there was still plenty to see. As well as the Cobra reps and Locaterfields, there were kits to transform your MX-5 into an Aston Martin and your MR2 into a Ferrari. 

I would prefer to have seen something original and outrageous instead of a replica but I suppose it's like me going to see a tribute band - there's no way I'll be able to see the original (many of the original performers are dead for chrissakes) but if some look-a-likies can play the songs well, who cares if it's not the real thing so long as everyone has a good time?  

The public knows what it wants and it wants a Ferrari but can't afford it. Using a Toyota or a Peugeot 406 probably makes the resulting conversion a far more practical proposition than the real thing but the performance will never live up to the looks and neither conversion will ever offer the same sort of driving experience. The egalitarian in me applaudes these replicas but the hedonist feels there should be a Ferrari or Aston engine involved somewhere. There isn't quite the same legitimacy as a big block Cobra replica or an XJ6 powered C-type recreation.

The quality of the panels was very impressive, however, and I think an expert would have difficulty telling an Extreme F355 conversion of an MR2. I found the videos of the conversion in progress very interesting. It's really not that difficult to change the look of a car and I feel inspired to have a go at re-skinning one of these cars myself - except that it would have to be something original. And another project when I have so many to be getting on with.

The Aspire MX-5 makes me wonder if the MX-5 is becoming the Beetle chassis of the 21st Century but, as I really like the look of the original car, if ever a tired MX-5 fell into my lap I'd probably simply restore it. If a company is going to offer an Aston bodykit, why not make an Elan kit for the MX-5?

I like the Toniq R a lot. It may be derivative but definitely in a good way.

One car that certainly does it for me without any reservations, though, is the Toniq R. That's not just because it's made here in Cornwall - it's a genuinely original take on the classic Lotus 7 concept but cannot be included in the generic class of Locaterfield. While its influences are obvious, its designer, Colin Williams, has gone to great pains to give the Toniq R its own look and its obvious that he's succeeded.

Daniel Deronda was George Eliot's controversial swansong. The Deronda 7 is packed with Audi 1.8 turbo power.

Another growth area is the exoskeleton track day machine. A new car this year was the Deronda, to my eyes a high tech interpretation of the Ferrari Dino GP car. This uses VW/Audi running gear and featured rocking arm specially designed rocking arm front suspension. Most powertrain package for the Deronda is the Audi 1.8T but there's no reason why a V6 can't be fitted.

The company outsource most of the components from high quality suppliers who produce uprights and panels and chassis to the alternative car industry. It's not what you've got, it's what you do with it and I particularly liked the specially made rocker arms on the front suspension.

Almost  a shame to hide even under the glorious panels of their Porsche 356 replica is this hi-tech composite chassis from Inrekor. The wheelbase is shorter than a Vee Dub but if ever a VW powered exotic from the seventies needs a new floorpan, this would be the way to resurrect it. Just imagine a Siva Raceabout with one!Ultima