I hate to be pessimistic, but I suspect that this is a kit that will never be finished, although someone is going to pick up this Avenger GT shell pretty cheap — it’s up for sale on eBay (#130289303793) in Richfield, UT with no reserve right now. The body is described as covered in cracks and the seller admits it’s going to take a lot of fiberglass work to get it looking good — it’s definitely seen better days. Given how many Avengers and other GT40 kit cars are out there selling for under $2,000 in decent shape, I think there are a lot of better options than this one unfortunately. Perhaps this one would be better off turned into an advertising prop or blown up in a movie than putting in the effort to make it a running car?
Bennett is selling — for just $1,500 — one of my favorite iterations of the Invader GT, an early model with the raked back windshield. It’s way sportier and less “buggy” looking than most Invaders, but as I understand it, it does sacrifice a little in the headroom department. This car sits on a 1960 VW pan with a clear Ohio title (the car is in the Columbus area). Tail lights are out of a ’73 Chevy Vega and the wheels are Mickey Thompson Torq-Thruster IIs. It’s also got a GM tilt steering wheel to make getting in and out easier, as well as Stewart Warner gauges, and a rare aftermarket A/C unit mounted behind the seats — something you definitely don’t see very often in a kit car.
The body is in very good condition and the pan is solid. He has one complete door for the passenger side, and a partial door (missing the plexiglass) for the driver side — that is, this car has the doors that I so regularly pine for! He’s missing the passenger side headlight cover. The engine turns over but does not currently run — it was last registered in 2001 and has sat covered since then.
Drop Bennett a line at greenwenterprises@yahoo.com. This is a nice model of Invader that you rarely see up for sale, and his price is more than fair… If I was in the Ohio area, I’d buy this one!
Matching the colour of the ’74 below, this Invader project was stretched by about 8″ to accepted a turbo Subaru driveline (and 17″ wheels as you can see). The owner is currently working on finishing the interior, and as you can see, he’s also fabricated half doors using hand-bent tinted lexan.
This photo from way back in 1974 shows what great lines the Invader had from some angles. I think that’s a reality of a lot of kit cars and other vehicles designed by “amateurs” — great from one side, awkward from another.
Sorry for my absence this past week. I will return, don’t worry. But in the meantime, Tim found this mystery kit and sends it in hoping someone can help identify it… Sort of a Porsche 904 meets Lotus Europa. I think I saw one of these ages ago here in Ontario as well with a mid-engine V8, but I have no idea what it is. Anyone know?
KAZ, who’s been building kit cars since the seventies, scanned a few photos from his archives for us. From start to finish below are a Bradley GT, a Kelmark GT, a Laser 917, a Marauder GT, a 40s-style Willy VW conversion, and a Talon.
He built lots of Bradleys, including three Bradley GT cars for a Bradley dealership that opened in Houston in ’76, who unfortunately went under months later. He also built four Kelmarks — this one below with the great paint job was done by Richard Hildebrandt of Houston. He also bought a Kelmark from the insurance company that had been built by Kelmark themselves and was stolen, then recovered it at the Mexican border where the thieves were apprehended. It was fast, with a 2100 cc dual carb VW engine, and an awesome Blaupunkt stereo.
KAZ, who’s built more than his fair share of awesome kit cars, sends along some classic shots of the Manta Mirage. The blue one is his Manta Mirage, showing at the Houston Auto Rama in 1976, and the orange one was photographed at Tim La Vette’s facility in California when KAZ went to pick up his Manta. I especially like the last photo.
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