Kitcar Australia magazine 1986/87

Kitcar Australia magazine 1986/87

I have just purchased this "rare" mag from ebay seller jimsbooksnbits, lucky me. He has a lot of nice classic sports car and similar mags which would be good to get sometime. Of note the Madison is on the front cover, initally licensed by Mischa Kain and David Transom then sometime later by Bufori (Khouri brothers) with the La Joya. I recall sometime in the 80s or early 90s commuting by train between Central and Strathfield and seeing a shed and yard right next to the rail line near Ashfield maybe which was full of assembled Madisons or Burforis, a very rare sight, many must of been headed for overseas??

Another rare car is the Explorer by Bob Pullen, to me it looks like a Fiat X-19. Further historical research awaits. !!

Is that the Summer 1986 issue we have in the index (https://www.magazinecollector.net/magazines/cars/1027-kit-car-australia/1635-1986-summer/), or is it an issue we haven't seen before? Not sure how many separate issues they did of this magazine. I thought it was a one-off before it became a part of Sports Car World.

I kind of miss all the variety of kit cars on offer during the 1980s. I remember even seeing cars like the Bufori at the motor shows.

A lot of Australian Kit cars were originally designed and built in the UK before they were licenced out

Hi
I have indexed most of early British Kit Cars magazines from 1979-1986. Peter Filby started up Alternative Car magazine in 1979 which later became part of Which Kit and Kit Cars International which I think is still running? Another player in the 1980s was Component Car
As for Sports Car Quarterly they ran a serious of articles Winter 1989 and Summer 1990 onKit Cars
Many Kit cars sold in Australia and NZ originated from the UK and many of these and various changes in management
The Most famous car in so called Purvis Eukea sold in Australia and NZ as that but sold as first as Nova in the UK and a Sterling in the US
Madison was one of Neville Tricketts designs (He designed many kit cars!) started in 1980 and I lot of references in my database from 1983-1986

Explorer Cars - There was a company in Australia
KIT CARS PREVIEWED and this was featured July -September 1982 Sports Car World Quarterly Pages 4-5 part of preview of Kit Car scene in Australia in 1982

However there was an Attempt (what were they thinking to market a kit based on Gerry Anderson UFO cars under The Explorer name called the Quest) - Which in their original form as featured in TV series was appalling design although attractive- The Gull wings did not open up electronically but the prop man out of the vision of the camera would lift the heavy aluminum doors! - The driving position was cramped it uses a 4 speed gearbox from a Capri and engine was 1.6 Escort engine on Zephyr Mk4 chassis - See Aug 1983 Alternative Cars Page 68-69 on the story but no actual photos of replicas are shown the Company was called EXPLORER CARS LTD (GB)

Hi John yes it is the one you have and that i have been seeking for a while now. I never went to motor shows in those days but when i saw a "rare" kit car i would normally take a good look. BTW i noticed on page 45 there is a reference to a John A. at Gardiner's Ford, I suspect that was your good self. the article is the diary of richard jones building the canstel clubman. I was surprised to read about many oz cars I would never have heard of, whether pure locals or the UK or US imports with some local content. I suspect without this mag and the later local Custom Kitcar many of these local cars would not be very well known.

Hi thanks for your great history lesson. Much of car history is either clouded in mystery or completely missing. cheers rod