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A kit-car is an automobile that is available in kit form, i.e. you buy a set of parts that you have to assemble yourself. Usually many major mechanical parts such as the engine and transmission are taken from one or more donor vehicles. Kits vary in completeness from as little as a book of plans to a complete set of all the components required. The definition of a kit car is usually taken to mean that a number of examples are produced by a manufacturer for sale to the public. A car built at home as a one-off to the designs of its builder is termed a Special.

History of the Kit Car


Kit cars have been around from the earliest days of the automobile industry. The Englishman Thomas Hyler White developed a design for a car that could be assembled at home in 1896 and technical designs were published in a magazine called The English Mechanic.Alan Sutton, "Mr White and his Motor Cars", The Automobile, June 1986 In the United States the Lad's Car of 1912 could be bought for US$160 fully assembled or US$140 in kit form.

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Kit Cars and Replicas :: Enthusiasts
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Comments for AutoReport

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Andrew Charles Fri, 03 Oct 2008 22:54:36 -0000
Nissan's version of the new Suzuki Alto. Odd they didn't use the Twingo as a base instead. This is a very basic car—note the rear windows are fixed.
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Ellington Thu, 25 Sep 2008 22:21:41 -0000
One day we're all going to turn around and find that China makes a lot of really good cars and other products. The economic forces in their favor are vast and there's simply no way they can continue to NOT compete in the world market. People scoff now, but just wait until Chinese cars are on sale in every country and they lead the way with vehicle efficiency and innovation.

Auto news - CNNMoney.com

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