![]() It was intended to be a one-off build, but then a person asked Dutton if he could assemble a Lotus Seven. This first car taught Dutton a lot about welding and other car building processes. Based on a Lotus IX chassis, the Mantis featured hand-formed aluminum panels and a design inspired by TVRs of the day. ![]() In 1969, after a five-year tool making apprenticeship, Tim Dutton built a car called the Mantis. Those of you who guessed Buick Regal/Century for its headlights and 1973-1987 GM truck lenses for the taillights are correct! Our Hans Bishop notes that the amber turn lenses are just those GM truck lenses molded in that color. We asked you to guess its headlights and taillights. It was an expensive Class A RV built by a company that sought to create drivable dream homes. Last week, we looked at the 2005 Monaco Diplomat. Like our previous entries, Dutton’s cars are built using a donor car, and are a mash of automakers’ parts. Dutton has been building kit cars for decades and his amphibious cars have even outlasted more famous designs. These are the Dutton Surf and Dutton Reef, amphibious cars from the mind of UK entrepreneur Tim Dutton-Woolley. Welcome back to Parts Bin Puzzle, the Autopian challenge where we give you a vehicle and you figure out where its bits came from! We’re returning back to the world of weird kit cars to find out what is underneath these amphibious cars. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |