Vintage Thing No.72 - Ontos
An Anglo-French hybrid, British Racing Green but definitely une bolide I first met Ontos at the Exeter Kit Car show. It had been widely reported in the media that Lomax were going to do something different from their 2CV powered trikes and the result was this surprising device. It was a very clever motoring joke, recreating a vintage Bentley out of a 2CV. But what really made our heads spin was the drivetrain that looked like a supercharger. Despite a great deal of publicity, it remained a one-off but Ontos cropped up at Geevor Tin Mining Museum earlier this year when I visited this fascinating site, and when it re-appeared at the Lanlivery Show this September I was able to talk to the owner, who works at the museum and instructs school children on rock breaking. If the government is seriously expecting to re-generate heavy industry, this is more important than most people think. Ontos has a standard 2CV chassis so avoids any SVA test. However, everything else is different...