An A-to-Z of every vehicle maker in the UK
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Anyone who thinks the United Kingdom’s vehicle industry is in a parlous state only needs to tally up the number of makers present in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
Almost wherever you look, there’s a company building something on wheels or tracks. Here’s a list of all the companies producing vehicles in the UK. We’ve stuck to those who offer fully built cars, though some also have the option of home assembly, and they are listed in alphabetical order:
AC Cars
AC Cars is one of the longest running names in the automotive world, dating right back to 1903 when the 20HP Weller Touring Car was launched. This became known as the Autocarrier that gave rise to the abbreviation AC and the company adopted the shortened name in 1907.
There have been several attempts to keep the AC name alive since its heyday in the 1960s. The most recent sees the launch of yet another iteration of the Cobra with the options of a 350bhp 2.3-litre four-cylinder engine and all-electric drivetrains. Only 58 each of these models will be made and they are in addition to the existing petrol V8-powered 378 Superblower model with 430bhp. However, diehards will note this model is now powered by a Chevrolet-sourced LS3 motor rather than a Ford V8.
Aero Cycle Cars
Arthur Rayner’s Aero Cycle Cars business has been producing delightful trikes since 2007, which developed from the BRA CX3. Based in Ditchling in East Sussex, the Aero Merlin three-wheelers stick with the classic two wheels at the front, one at the back for a sporting drive and you can assemble one yourself from a kit that starts at ?3995.
Power for the Aero Merlin comes from a Moto Guzzi motorcycle that provides a punchy V-twin motor and shaft drive to make building the car simpler than using chain drive. The Aero Merlin is produced to a very high standard and, being hand-made to customer specification, it can also be tailored to individual requirements for space and style.
Alcraft Motor Company
On the strength of the individuals working at the Alcraft Motor Company, it seems destined for success. The British team is led by David Alcraft, who has brought together names such as Charles Morgan, Matthew Humphreys and Roland Cherry. Their aim is to produce a ‘skateboard’ platform for a range of electric vehicles.
An initial design has been shown of a low-slung coupe and the aim is to offer it as a four-seat sports car. Alcraft states it aims to use the best of British technology to minimise weight and maximise efficiency to give the best performance. That includes using a carbon fibre structure, 400-mile battery range and 0-62mph in 3.8 seconds.
Alexander Dennis
Alexander Dennis has sites in Falkirk and Larbert in Scotland and Guildford in England, which reflects the bases of the two firms that came together in 2004. The company subsequently also acquired Plaxton and is now the UK’s largest bus and coach manufacturer.
Alexander and Dennis both started out producing motorcycles before moving on to heavier vehicles. Dennis fire engines were a common site and Alexander’s Y Type single-decker bus in 1961 became a huge success. Now, the company produces a range of diesel-electric and full EV buses to offer zero tail pipe emissions for city transport.
Allard
Sydney Allard was quick to recognise the benefits of large capacity V8 engines from the USA in the immediate post-war period. He used them to great effect in his sports cars and was also an early proponent of drag racing in the UK, another American import that took his fancy.
After lying fallow for some time, Allard is now back building continuation versions of its JR that competed at the 1953 Le Mans 24 Hour race. Each car has a chassis number that follows directly on from the original’s and power comes from a 5.4-litre Cadillac V8 running through a three-speed manual gearbox. The only real difference between this car and the original is the latest Allard models are constructed in Gloucestershire rather than Clapham, London.
Alvis
The Alvis Car Company is proudly located in the Midlands at its Kenilworth base close to where the firm started out in Coventry. Founded in 1919, the current operation got under way in 1994 when company boss Alan Stote bought the firm. He has since re-introduced a range of Alvis models from the pre- and post-war periods.
These cars include a 4.3-litre version of the Vanden Plas Tourer and Bertelli Sports Coupe, though the motor now comes with fuel injection and a six-speed gearbox. However, it’s produced using the original drawings that are all part of the company’s history. The post-war continuation coupe and convertible models go one better by using genuine old-stock engines that have been stored since the 1960s, though they are minutely checked before being used. Each new Alvis costs from ?250,000, it takes two years to complete the hand-built process, and so far four have been made.
Ariel
Ariel is one of the great success stories of the cottage automotive industry in the UK. Based in the small town of Crewkerne in rural Somerset, the Ariel range of cars and motorcycles is anything but sleepy. It all started with the Atom in 2000, though the company name stretches back to the Ordinary bicycle of 1870. That first Atom tapped into the burgeoning track day scene and offered fabulous performance thanks to its mid-mounted Rover K Series engine with up to 190bhp and minimal, featherweight design ethos.
Since then, the Atom has developed into a 320bhp supercar baiter, while the Nomad offers similar thrills off-road. There’s also a revival of the Ariel name on two wheels with the Ace motorcycle that uses a Honda engine and twin-clutch gearbox. Impressively for such a cottage industry company, Ariel has produced more than 1800 cars to date.
AS Motorsport
The UK’s cottage automotive industry specialises in producing sublime recreations of past sports cars and AS Motorsport’s R1 Le Mans Aston Martin DB3S evocation is about as exquisite as it gets. From the outside and the driver’s seat, there’s almost nothing to give the game away, while under the bonnet you’ll need an eagle eye to spot the Jaguar XK engine that’s used.
Each R1 Le Mans is constructed to the customer’s choices at the company’s base in Bressingham, Norfolk and all cars are supplied complete and ready to use. The price of perfection starts at around ?90,000 for a car with a glassfibre body or ?130,000 if you opt for the hand-formed aluminium version.
Aston Martin
It doesn’t get more blueblood bulldog British than Aston Martin. It’s even named one of its models after that breed of dog, though the Bulldog supercar remained a one-off. The company began in in 1914, founded by Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford, though they didn’t produce their first car till 1922. After the Second World War, Aston enjoyed relative prosperity under industrialist David Brown’s wing, but then slumped in the 1970s as the fuel crisis bit and the firm sold just 20 cars in 1974.
The company moved from Feltham, London to Newport Pagnell during the David Brown period and enjoyed success with its DB models. Now based at Gaydon, the firm also has a production site at St Athan’s in Wales for its DBX SUV, which it hopes will increase sales from 2017’s high of 5117 cars. The Newport Pagnell site also remains in use for the firm’s Works historic and classic operation.
Atalanta Motors
Atalanta Motors was all set to join the elite of British motoring when it launched its first model in 1936. However, the company based in Staines, near London, found production halted by war after only 22 cars had been completed. These models are now hugely sought-after by collectors, which inspired the company’s rebirth in 2011.
The modern Atalanta is made in Bicester, Oxfordshire and may look all but identical to the 1930s car, but it’s a different story under the swooping bodywork. The chassis is made from a bonded aluminium composite, there are disc brakes and the engine is a 214bhp 2.5-litre unit from Ford. All of this makes the Atalanta a quick car, which costs from ?150,000 to buy.
BAC
BAC, or the Briggs Automotive Company, was started by brothers Ian and Neil Briggs and they launched their Mono sports car in 2011. Rather than try to create a road car that would satisfy on the track, the pair came up with a single-seater track-focused machine that also happened to be road legal. It makes a Caterham Seven look civilised.
The firm is based in Speke. near Liverpool, and BAC is proud that 95 per cent of the components for its car are sourced within the UK. Power comes from a mid-mounted four-cylinder Ford engine and the company has recently added a turbocharged 2.3-litre version for the latest version of the Mono. In a car weighing 570kg, that equates to 0-60mph in 2.7 seconds and a 170mph top speed.
Bentley
Although now German-owned, Bentley’s factory resolutely remains in Crewe, where it’s been sited since the firm moved car production there after the end of the Second World War. Bentley only lasted a few years in Derby under its then-new owner Rolls-Royce and had previously built cars in Cricklewood, north London.
Up until the beginning the of the new millennium, Bentley made cars in the hundreds, with most post-war models based on the contemporary Rolls-Royce. That all changed with VW ownership and the introduction of the Continental GT and its W12 powerplant. Suddenly, Bentley was building cars by the thousand and has never looked back. 2016 was a high for the company, with 11,817 cars made and helped by the launch of the Bentayga that year.
Bowler Motorsport
Bowler may now be part of the Jaguar Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations Division, but it has a history going back to 1984. That first car for off-road competition led to the Cobra model, followed by the hugely popular Tomcat that may have looked like a Land Rover Defender but was a much hardier, faster beast in the rough stuff.
As Bowler Motorsport grew, so did the ambition of its racing programme. This culminated in outings on the infamously difficult Dakar Rally and fielding a team in 2005 that resulted in the highest rate of finishers from any make.
Bradshaw Electric Vehicles
Bradshaw is the largest producer in the UK of electric vehicles for industry. Most of its vehicles are destined for use in airports and warehouses, so you may well have spotted them without realising it when boarding a plan for a holiday.
The company also builds small electric commercial vehicles for use in cities. The Goupil G4 has a 50-mile range and 31mph top speed, so it’s ideal for urban refuse collection. It also remains a family-owned business that has been based in Stibbington, Peterborough since it started in 1975. Over the years, it has produced thousands of vehicles and employs more than 50 staff.
Buckland B3 Motor Company
Always built to a very high standard, the three-wheeler Buckland is now with its third owners and undergoing some subtle updates. Powered by a four-cylinder Ford engine, it drives the single rear wheel by chain, in a similar fashion to the original Morgan trikes.
Run by three friends from the company’s Worcestershire home, the Buckland has a unique party piece where the entire body tilts up to give access to the rear wheel and suspension. Not the cheapest three-wheeler on the market, the Buckland is one of the best made which should see sales increase from the total of 23 sold so far.
Caterham
When Graham Nearn started Caterham Cars in 1959 to sell Lotus’ range of sports cars, little did he realise what he was founding. Jump to 1973 and Caterham bought the rights to the Lotus Seven and quickly switched production back to the Series 3 shape that is still so familiar today.
Only 40 of the slightly awkward S4 models were made by Caterham and the Super Seven that succeeded it sold around 100 cars per year for a long time before sales grew with the rise of track days and the firm’s own racing series. Now, Caterham sells about 500 Sevens of all models annually, helped by incredibly strong residual values and the option for customers still to build their own car at home from a complete kit.
Caterpillar
Caterpillar may be an American company, but it has been building machinery in the UK for more than 55 years. It now has 16 sites around Britain, making everything from diesel engines to solar turbines. On the vehicle front, it has two UK facilities, with one in Leicester that builds plant for use in the construction industry and another in Peterlee in the north of England making articulated trucks for earth moving.
The Leicester factory was the first Caterpillar facility outside of the USA. Although the company won’t say how many vehicles have been built in the UK, it says there are more than 4 million of its products in use around the world right now.
CCM
Clews Competition Machines is better known as CCM, a maker of very able off-road motorcycles produced in Bolton. The current Spitfire range has more of a caf? racer look, but they still hark back to their heritage with a thumping single-cylinder 600cc engine at the core of the machine. CCM also builds motorcycles for military use, as well as quad bikes and offering all-terrain rider training to its customers. Private buyers of its Spitfire range can modify their bikes with a huge range of options, making every bike bespoke.
Chesil
It may look like a Porsche 356 Speedster, but the Chesil hails from Kingswinford, Dudley in the Midlands. The firm is now under the ownership of Westfield Sportscars and before that the cars were built in Dorset, where the Chesil name comes from.
Always regarded as one of the best of its type, the Chesil 356 Speedster replica can be built from a kit at home or bought as a turnkey car. More than 500 have been produced since the first was made in 1991 and the company now also offers an electric version with 200-mile range.
Combat Vehicles (UK)
The name says it all, really, and Combat Vehicles (UK) has around 4000 vehicles currently in service with the British Army. That may not sound like a lot, but when you consider some of those machines include the Challenger tank, Warrior Infantry Fighting Vehicle, and Terrier armoured vehicle it adds up to a considerable range.
Part of the wider BAE Systems group, Combat Vehicles has facilities in Filton, Newcastle and Telford. The Challenger tank comes with a 1200bhp V12 turbodiesel engine, six forward gears and two reverse gears. A recent upgrade programme will see the Challenger remain in service until 2035.
Crossl?
One of the longest-running race car constructors, Crossl? has been building its pretty competition machines since 1957. Unlike so many others in this arena, the firm has never suffered the fluctuating fortunes the so many others have experienced. It helps that its cars are built for customers rather than running its own racing activities, though company founder John Crossl? was a gifted driver who used his own cars to great effect in club racing.
The Northern Ireland-based firm currently offers three models from its Hollywood base. The Trials car uses a Honda engine, while the 9S comes with a 220bhp Ford Zetec. The HTP is a 9S built to meet historic race regulations and uses either a BMW or Ford Twin Cam motor.
Dare
Dare came about when two of the four brothers who founded Ginetta decided to reintroduce the original G4 sports car. Ivor and Trevers Walklett quickly added the G12 and broadened the offer from exporting only to Japan to offering cars to UK customers.
Around 150 Dare G4s have been built to date, mostly with a 130bhp 1.8-litre Ford Zetec engine. Opt for the G12 with a mid-mounted motor and you can have power up to 300bhp from a Ford Duratec motor. With either car, superb handling is the cornerstone of the package and they also have very pretty bodies that hark back to club racers of the 1960s.
Darrian
Adrian Evans founded Davrian in 1967, selling Hillman Imp-based cars from Clapham, London. Before you think we’ve misspelt the name, Davrian produced a long line of models through to 1983, many with a leaning towards motorsport. In 1984, Tim Duffee’s Darrian Cars took over Davrian production and the firm ended up in Nantglas in the west of Wales.
It may be a remote location for a car maker, but it works for Darrian as its vehicles are predominantly used for tarmac rallying and regularly feature at the sharp end of the results. And, coming full circle, the company can also supply a complete kit to build a classic 1960s Davrian.
David Brown Automotive
The name may lead you to thoughts of Aston Martin DB models, but this is a different David Brown and the company is based at the Silverstone race circuit rather than Newport Pagnell. However, the Jaguar-based Speed back model bears more than a passing resemblance to the Aston DB5 and 6 models. Even so, these are handbuilt cars.
The firm also makes the Mini Remastered, which is an apt description of a wholly reworked classic Mini that has a thoroughly modern and luxurious cabin. However, some might baulk at the ?75,000 price tag for a car, even if you are unlikely to see another on the road.
Dennis Eagle
A prime example of a British manufacturer that leads the world is Dennis Eagle. Its refuse collection vehicles are at the forefront of the waste and recycling industry yet few know about this firm based in Warwick. It builds more than 1000 vehicles per year and exports all around the world thanks to its innovative chassis that can be adapted for bin lorries and skip carriers.
Dennis Eagle also provides an electric option with the Ecollect model. It offers zero emissions and near silent running, making it ideal for the urban environments where most of these vehicles are used.
Dutton
Tim Dutton will be a familiar name to anyone with even a passing knowledge of the kit car industry. He built a huge empire based on his simple, affordable range of home-build cars and sold more than 8000 cars between 1969 and 1989. He then turned his attention to the amphibious vehicle sector and has concentrated in this area ever since.
The Dutton Reef is based on a seventh generation Ford Fiesta, while the four-wheel drive Surf uses the Suzuki Jimny as its base. Both are road legal and can be driven from land into water and back out. As with his previous cars, both the Reed and Surf can be ordered as kits or you can have one built by Dutton as a driveaway vehicle from its base in Littlehampton, West Sussex.
Eagle E-types
Henry Pearman founded Eagle E-types in 1984 to restore his favourite Jaguar model to perfection at the company’s base in Sussex. That led to the firm offering upgrades and in 1991 it launched its remanufactured E-types made to the best modern standards, establishing Eagle as one of the originators of the idea of classic cars built better than they were when new.
The company continues to offer its immaculate restoration services alongside the Speedster, GT, Low Drag and Lightweight models. Only a tiny number of each is ever made and the time it takes to produce any of these cars means a waiting of list that can stretch up to seven years. It takes 8000 hours to build a Lightweight and the price is around ?750,000, which is still a lot less than the cost of finding and buying one of the 12 original lightweight E-types.
Elemental Cars
Like so many small British sports car producers, Elemental is tucked away in a quiet corner of the countryside. From its Hambledon, Hampshire base, John Begley and his team create the lightweight, track-focused RP1 that uses a mid-mounted Ford engine with up to 320bhp. That’s enough to hit a 165mph maximum speed and 0-60mph in 2.6 seconds.
What makes the Elemental different from most cars using a Ford engine is the RP1’s is mounted longitudinally and drives through a Hewland gearbox. That helps explain the ?75,000 price tag that means the RP1 will also be a rare sight on the road or track.
Gardner Douglas
One of several firms building kit replicas of the AC Cobra, what makes Gardner Douglas stand out is its use of a backbone chassis rather than a simpler ladder frame. This endows the GD models with superb rigidity and handling, as well as making it easier to remove the body should you need to work on the underpinnings.
Run by Andy Burrows and his team since 1990, Gardner Douglas also produces the 350 that’s a different take on the Cobra theme. There are the GD T70 models as well that are superb replicas of the Lola T70 and, like the Cobra, use big V8s to deliver sensational performance. Based in Grantham, Nottinghamshire, Gardner Douglas has rightly earned a reputation for the quality of its cars.
GBS
It would be easy to sit back and think you’re done when you’ve designed a lightweight two-seat sports car in the same vein as the Caterham Seven, but Great British Sportscars (GBS) doesn’t operate that way. Instead, the Ollerton, Nottingham team has developed the Gen 2 version of its Zero kit and also offers a single donor model based around the Mazda MX-5.
As well as this, GBS has developed a complete package that comes with every last component to build a Zero at home or you can have a factory-built car. There are also race versions and huge scope for personalisation. Little wonder GBS has sold more than 500 of its Zero model since it was launched in 2007.
Gibbs
Gibbs bills its Aquada as the world’s first high speed Amphibian as it can hit more than 100mph on land and top 30mph on water. It’s been building these dual-purpose vehicles since 1994 at its factory in Nuneaton, but it has a much broader range than just the Aquada.
As well as amphibious quads, Gibbs also produces the Humdinga and Phibian models that have practical applications for marine rescue and maintenance work. The Humdinga comes with a Mercury V8, while the Phibian uses twin turbodiesel V8s so it can carry up to 15 passengers.
Ginetta
The Ginetta name has been around since 1958 and is responsible for some of the best clubman racing cars of the 1960s and ’70 such as the G4 and G15. Today, its owned by Lawrence Tomlinson and produces race cars from its base in Garforth, Leeds for use in its own series and others.
The bread and butter model is the G40 that uses Ford four-cylinder engines and rear-wheel drive. The G55 is similar in looks but has a 3.7-litre Ford V6 with 355bhp under the bonnet. Ginetta also offers its G58 and LMP3 models for endurance racing at the highest level, while its Akula is the only road car in the line-up and uses the company’s own 6.0-litre V8 motor with 600bhp.
Gladstone Motorcycles
There can’t be many motorcycle makers named after British prime ministers, but Gladstone Motorcycles is. It’s the dream of television two-wheeled fanatic Henry Cole, whose great uncle was William Gladstone, and the firm builds bespoke ‘bobber’ bikes with no rear suspension and classic Triumph engines.
Each bike is handmade to the customer’s specification and individually numbered when it rolls out of the Cotswolds factory. The bikes use the best outside suppliers, so the frame is from Metisse and the engines come from The Baron’s Speed Shop in London. Each bike costs from around ?28,000 depending on specification.
Gordon Murray Design
It may not have the sexiest name for a car of this type, but the T.50 has pedigree like few others. It’s the latest work from Gordon Murray, the man behind the McLaren F1 and numerous championship-winning Formula 1 race cars. The T.50 is the culmination of all that experience and comes with a jet-fighter central driving position and 3.9-litre V12 engine that revs to 12,100rpm.
All of this is put together at Gordon Murray Automotive’s factory in Guildford, Surrey, not too far away from Woking where the McLaren F1 was constructed. Like the F1, the T.50 will be produced in limited numbers and only 100 will be sold.
Grinnall Cars
Mark Grinnall’s eponymous company started in the 1980s by converting Triumph TR7s with Rover V8 engines. The standard of engineering was excellent and around 350 conversions were carried out, but Grinnall wanted to try something new and indulge his passion for motorcycles. So, in 1991, the three-wheeled Scorpion was born with a BMW engine.
The latest Scorpion S-III model has been much refined but sticks to the same formula with two wheels at the front, a single rear wheel and now a 185bhp 1.30-litre BMW motorcycle engine. There’s also the Scorpion IV that is a four-wheeled take on the theme. Around 300 Scorpions have been built so far and Grinnall also produces motorcycle-based trikes based on Triumph or BMW machines.
Hawk Cars
Hawk Cars straddles the kit and classic car spheres with ease from its base in Frant, East Sussex. The reason for this happy mix is the quality of work from Gerry Hawkridge and his team, which produces superbly faithful AC Cobra replicas and parts that are used on many genuine Cobras. Customers can choose from a range of Cobra variations and many choose the more subtle 289 body shape from Hawk in preference to the bulging 427 version.
As well as its Cobra work, which has resulted in around 400 cars being built, Hawk also produces an AC Ace replica and one of the Lancia Stratos. Again, both are highly praised for their accuracy and the HF Lancia replica has generated parts used by owners of original Stratos cars.
Honda
Honda’s Swindon plant started building cars in 1992 and had a planned maximum capacity of 150,000 vehicles per year. Sited to the north east of Swindon, the plant has been a production hub for the current Civic model, including the Type R, and a car rolls off its line every 69 seconds. The plant employs more than 3000 people and covers and area of 370 acres. The land was acquired in 1985 and was in use a year later for pre-delivery checks of engines. By 1989, the Swindon plant was making its own engines and car production followed. It will close down in 2021.
Ibex Vehicles
Developed out of the Foers company set up by John Foers in 1990, Ibex Vehicles continues to offer its unique take on the ultimate off-roader. This no-nonsense approach is entirely in keeping with the company being based in equally plain-talking Yorkshire.
The F8 is the latest model and the existing Ibex can be ordered in a huge number of body styles to suit a variety of needs. It’s also available in four- and six-wheel configurations, all with huge axle articulation for superb off-road ability. You can also order the car ready-built or as a kit with a Ford 2.4-litre turbodiesel engine, and the unique Foers centrally-mounted Vector Winching System.
Ineos
We’ve yet to drive a Grenadier from Ineos, but the company was originally planned to build this off-roader at Bridgend in South Wales. The factory will assemble the car using BMW engines, while Carraro supplies the axles thanks to its expertise with all-wheel drive systems.
The brainchild of Jim Ratcliffe, boss of the chemicals giant Ineos, the Grenadier is named after the pub it was conceived in and owes much of its design inspiration to the original Land Rover Defender. Prices are expected to begin at ?40,000 and Ineos claims it will build 25,000 Grenadiers per year when production is in full swing. We're not sure where the Bridgend plan is now as Ineos is now in the market to buy an old Smart factory in France from Daimler.
Jaguar
Jaguar’s legendary Browns Lane factory may be long gone, but the company still has plants in the UK. One is in Solihull where the F-Pace is built, while another is Castle Bromwich for XE, XF, XJ and F-type manufacture. Over in Ryton-on-Dunsmore, Jaguar has its Special Vehicle Operations where it builds its SVR models. There is also an engine plant at Halesowen.
In 2019, Jaguar sold a total of 161,601 cars globally and around a third of that came from the F-Pace, which is popular in the UK and USA.
Jankel
Robert Jankel started his Panther Westwind business in 1972 with the J72 that was a loose pastiche of the Jaguar SS100. It was followed by several other models until the company found success with the Lima and Panther models that were rivals to Morgan. However, the company really found its footing when it began to convert Range Rovers and Rolls-Royces with extra luxury kit and then armour plating.
Now known simply as Jankel, the Surrey-based firm specialises in armoured vehicles for use in troubled parts of the world. Some are based on existing models, such as the Toyota Land Cruiser, with bullet- and bomb-proofing fitted, while others are bespoke models such as its Fox family of light tactical vehicles for military use.
JCB
One of the most easily recognisable brands in the automotive world thanks to its distinctive yellow and black branding, the JCB range of vehicles has a global reach from its Uttoxeter site. It’s been there since the company started in 1945 with just Cyril Bamford running the show. Now, JCB employs more than 11,000 people across four continents and 22 production facilities.
In the UK, the company produces its most recognisable machine, the back hoe loader, with its innovative front and rear buckets. More than 750,000 of these have been built since the first was made in 1952. The company also makes vehicles for military use with its armour-plated tractors and diggers.
Kougar Cars
Around 800 Kougars have been produced across the car’s life with seven different owners. It started in 1976 with a design by Rick Stevens inspired by the Frazer Nash Le Mans Replica. With its sweeping wings and low stance, the Kougar enjoys a solid following and it delivers on performance too thanks to power from Jaguar six cylinder and V12 motors.
Now under the wing of Classic Jaguar Racing in Tenterden, Kent, Kougar Cars can supply a ready to drive car from ?34,995. You could also choose the firm’s Monza, which is styled along the lines of the Ferrari 500 Monza race car.
Land Rover
Land Rover’s spiritual home is Solihull in the West Midlands of England. The place name has even featured on the badge of some of its models, so it’s no surprise to find it still builds cars here. Models produced in Solihull include the Range Rover, Range Rover Sport and Velar ranges, while the Discovery Sport and Evoque are assembled at its Halewood plant near Liverpool.
The Land Rover brand is indelibly linked to its British roots, even though the company now has facilities in Brazil, China, India and Slovakia. Overall in 2019, Land Rover sold 396,105 cars around the world.
LEVC
The London Electric Vehicle Company has a very specific buyer in mind for its hybrid machine: taxi drivers. The latest TX is a complete update of the classic black cab, meeting all of the requirements demanded by cabbies yet with low running costs thanks to its range extender powertrain.
Built in Coventry, LEVC is owned by Chinese giant Geely, which also owns Volvo. This has helped the British-based firm develop the TX and its new VN5 van derivative with a ?500 million investment in the plant. It’s paying off, too, as 2019 saw record sales of 2507 TX models and the VN5 is due on sale in 2021.
Leyland Trucks
Leyland Trucks takes its name from the town where its based in the north of England close to Preston. It now builds the range of DAF trucks as the company is part of the PACCAR Group, but the firm has a history stretching back to the Lancashire Steam Motor Company from 1896 when it built a 1.5-tonne capacity van.
Employing 1000 workers, the Leyland plant covers an area of 86 acres. In 2019, the business had a very good year to take 16.2 per cent of the European heavy truck sector with 19,757 leaving the UK factory.
Lister
Brian Lister came from the same mould as Colin Chapman, developing racing cars in the post-war era and gong on to enjoy huge success. Unlike Lotus, Lister did not build road cars, instead concentrating on its racing efforts. The firm was reinvigorated in 2013 by Andrew and Lawrence Whittaker, a father and son team who have re-established production in Cambridge of these fast cars.
For the modern age, Lister builds its own versions of the Jaguar F-type with modified engines, suspension, brakes and interiors. They also produce continuation versions of the famous Lister Knobbly race car from the 1950s and the Lister Costin.
Lotus
Still domiciled in Hethel, where it’s been since Colin Chapman moved the firm there in 1965 from its previous base at Cheshunt in Hertfordshire. The 55-acre site was a former US Air Force base and ideal for Lotus as it could have its own 2.5-mile test track on the doorstep to try out new models and racing cars.
Today, Chinese giant Geely has a 51 per cent share of Lotus and has invested heavily in a new model line-up that has already witnessed the unveiling of the Evija electric supercar. It joins the existing Elise, Exige and Evora models and the firm hopes it will help boost sales from the low base of recent years.
McLaren
Woking in Surrey may not be the most obvious place to build some of the fastest and most able supercars ever devised, but then the McLaren Technology Centre is not your normal car factory. Designed by Sir Norman Foster, it sits on a half million square metre site with its own lakes that help to cool the heat generated by the plant’s wind tunnels used to develop the cars. Around 1000 people work at the Technology Centre producing the company’s various models and running the Formula 1 team. In 2018, McLaren sold 4806 cars worldwide.
Metisse Motorcycles
The Metisse name was revived in 2005 under new ownership. Rather than simply reintroduce versions of old models, though, new owner Gary Lisi came up with the ambitious plan to create a new motorcycle complete with its own engine. So, the Adelaide eight-valve motor was designed and put into production.
Among Metisse’s offering is the Steve McQueen Desert Racer, which is styled along the lines of the Metisse that this Hollywood icon and keen racer owned in the 1960s. There are also several other models that can be ordered from the Faringdon, Oxfordshire factory that produces every bike by hand and to order.
Metrocab
The Metrocab is another take on the classic London black taxi in its styling, but underneath it has a range-extender electric power set-up. Built in Coventry, the Metrocab comes with two 50kW electric motors that are supplied by a 12.2kWh lithium-ion battery. This can be charged by plugging it into an external power supply or with the 1.0-litre range-extender petrol engine.
The 1750kg Metrocab has a top speed restricted to 80mph and emits less than 50g/km of carbon dioxide emissions. It can carry six passengers in the rear compartment and has the option of an extra seat in the front.
MeV Automobiles
Being based in a city, it’s no surprise the Manchester-domiciled MeV Automobile firm has a focus on zero emissions vehicles. Its BeeAnywhere is a two-seat urban car that has been designed from the ground up to be more affordable than most EVs. Designed with input from the National Centre for Motorsport Engineering at the University of Bolton, the BeeAnywhere is lightweight and can be controlled from the driver’s smartphone.
It’s set for launch in 2022 and will have a swappable battery pack to reduce charging times, while the estimated price will be around ?8000.
MEV Cars
Stuart Mills is one of the most prolific car designers you’ve never heard of. The force behind MEV (Mills Extreme Vehicles), he’s come up with a stream of affordable kit cars and has found huge success with the Mazda MXC-5-based Exocet. Produced from the company’s Gloucester factory, the Exocet was launched in 2010 as a low-cost way into an exo-skeletal framed car similar to the Ariel Atom.
Hundreds of owners have now built an Exocet and the company estimates it should take about four weeks of full-time work to complete a car or around a year of weekend and evenings in the garage.
MINI
The 1959 Mini is one of the most iconic cars every produced in the UK, so BMW made the right decision when it set up production of its re-imagined MINI. The first generation went on sale in 2001 and was an instant success. Since then, MINI has not looked back, though there have been a couple of duds along the way and the less said about the Paceman the better.
MINI has two main factory sites, with the bodies produced at its Swindon site and then between 80 to 90 trucks transfer parts each day to the Oxford facility to build the finished cars. In 2019, MINI built 346,639 cars of all models.
MK Cars
The MK Indy has grown to become one of the UK kit car industry’s biggest players thanks to its quality and success on the race track. It’s a pared down two-seat sports car that developed from the company originally supplying parts in 2000 to those building other kit cars. The company is now run by Danny Keenan from its base in Rayne, Essex and has turned out more than 1000 kits and turnkey cars.
There are a variety of different engine and chassis packages available for the Indy, ranging from the single donor Mazda MX-5-based model to a dedicated race and track day version.
Morgan Motor Company
Morgan may not be owned by the British family that founded the firm back in 1909, but it still builds its cars largely by hand at its factory in Malvern, Worcestershire. For a firm that many have claimed could not survive on low production numbers and labour-intensive build methods, Morgan has gone from strength to strength, which was underlined by the launch of the new 3-Wheeler in 2016.
The current range comprises the trike and the Plus Four and Plus Six models. Together, those cars account for around 800 new vehicles leaving the factory every year and, yes, there’s still a waiting list.
Morris Commercial
The Morris J-Type van was a staple of British firms from the 1940s through to the 1960s, so it was a prime candidate for the retro treatment for this new battery-powered light commercial vehicle. Designed by Morris Commercial and set to be built at its factory in Hinton-On-The-Green near Evesham in Worcestershire, the plan is to make 1000 of the JE EV vans per year.
The proposed price of ?60,000 means not all businesses will be able to afford the JE when it’s launched in 2021. Those who can will find it offers a 200-mile range and payload of up to 1000kg.
Mulholland
The Legend 480 from Mulholland is being designed and built very much in the mould of TVR’s most successful models from the 1990s. This means a big V8 engine up front, manual gearbox and rear-wheel drive. The engine is a 6.2-litre Chevrolet V8 with 480bhp, while the transmission is a six-speeder.
Mulholland reckons this should be enough for 0-60mph in around four seconds thanks to the Legend’s proposed kerb weight of 1200kg. The styling is the work of former-TVR man Damian McTaggart, while the car will be built at Mulholland’s Derby factory with a price starting at ?90,000.
Nissan
It may be a Japanese firm, but Nissan has a long history in Sunderland of building cars. It goes back to 1984 when the company and UK government agreed a deal to turn a 799-acre site into a car plant, and the first Bluebird drove off the line in 1986. The Sunderland factory currently produces the Juke, Qashqai and Leaf, with production amounting to around 500,000 cars per year. That means that one in every three cars made in the UK comes from the Nissan factory.
Noble
Noble may no longer be run by its eponymous founder Lee Noble, but it’s still based in Leicestershire and turning out very fast sports cars. The M600 is the mainstay of the range, with the lighter Carbon Sport and open-top Speedster models also available. Every model uses a Yamaha Judd 4.4-litre V8 engine developing 662bhp. That’s sufficient to see the M600 to a claimed top speed of 225mph and 0-120mph in 8.9 seconds. An M500 model is slated to join the range using a twin-turbo 3.5-litre V6 engine from Ford.
Optare
Optare produces a range of single and double decker buses that will be familiar to anyone who travels through the UK’s towns and cities. The Leeds-based company makes its buses with a choice of diesel or electric power, and the company is also developing a hydrogen fuel cell bus. In 2012, Optare built its 10,000th vehicle and the company continues to supply many operators in
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