The converters

The Torcars Princess Estate was sold through the franchised BL dealer network, and was covered by the BL’s Supercover warranty. The text and pictures at the bottom have been taken […]

The origins of Panther date back to 1971, when Robert Jankel decided that he wanted leave the fashion industry and follow his dream of becoming a creator of exclusive cars. […]

The Owen Sedanca was an amazing coupe, based on the 1970s Jaguar XJ6 and built by Panther Westwinds. Only three were made, but they now have a cult following… […]

Crayford Engineering sought to produce an interesting variation on the TR7 theme, and ended up hatching out this little beauty. The Crayford TR7 Tracer looked awkward, and only one survives, […]

The handsome Lynx Eventer filled a gap in the market for a top-notch sporting estate, and examples could often be seen at the smarter sporting events. Step forward Lynx Engineering‘s […]

Frazer established itself as a new car company in 1981, offering this fabulous-looking Tickford Metro, which was first shown at that year’s London Motorfair. The Tickford name was owned by […]

Crayford Engineering was founded by David McMullan and Jeffrey Smith in the 1962, their first product being a £100 soft-top conversion for the car of the moment, the Mini. Operating […]

The BMC 1100/1300 was the only BMC/BL model to be offered as both an estate and convertible by Crayford Engineering (although these models were not marketed concurrently). You can also […]

Although it’s not based on an Austin Rover product, we love the Rapport Ritz, and think it makes a fascinating comparison with the equally desirable (and Honda-derived) Avon Triumph Acclaim. […]

When the Series III Jaguar XJ6 was launched in 1979, Mercedes-Benz had the the up-market estate scene pretty much to themselves, with Citroën and Volvo bringing up the rear. However, […]

William Towns is probably most closely associated with Aston Martin, having been responsible for the design of such cars as the svelte DBS and the futuristic Lagonda. However, as early […]

At the 1973 Earls Court Motor Show, BLMC expected the new Allegro to be the centre of attention on the Austin-Morris stand. Instead, it was another car which stole the limelight… […]

Wood & Pickett’s riposte to Radford’s upmarket de Ville… Having seen how Radford’s Mini de Ville conversions were catching on, Wood & Pickett decided that they too could take a […]

William Towns had high hopes for the Microdot, but they would eventually come to nothing… The Microdot made its debut at the London Motor Show in 1976, where it couldn’t […]

Dating from 1974, this archetypal Towns design was essentially a reclothed E-type… Story by Declan Berridge One stormy night in 1972, hill-climb champion Jim Thomson – who was also Managing […]

This William Towns-styled Metro-based, mid-engined roadster brought the concept behind the MGF to fruition some 10 years earlier… Looks pretty racy, too. Tracer fire… If you think the Tracer has a […]

Built around a pair of Mini subframes connected by a low-slung, monocoque steel floorpan, its lower body panels and clamshell bonnet were formed from fibreglass, while its upper-body styling mated a rakish front end to a boxy, hatchback-style rear framework filled with large panes of glass, and topped off with the a vinyl-covered roof fashioned from marine-grade plywood. […]

A chop-top Mini, or retro-style on a plate… To find out more, contact Kit Car magazine Banham Roadster IN 2003, having concentrated on the production of his own bodywork designs […]

It seems that few – if any – of these Crayford convertibles actually reached customers before the company decided to concentrate on its Fiesta conversions. And it had a Dr […]

Richard David Nener During 1981 John Miles was writing for Autocar. At that time he purchased a 3.0-litre Capri from Ford’s press department and used this car as a test […]

David Richard Nener Tickford was asked in 1982 to upgrade a Black 1975 Triumph Stag for a customer, and it is the only one they fully did. He wanted it […]