Dutton, Bantam and Blakely LSIS

[solder_guy]

Here's some pics of the Dutton (UK) that was on eBay recently .. Left Hand driver ... it went for $10,400. Take notice of the last pic which features a hard top!

 

1974 Dutton Phaeton Series 2

 

Rob

 

 

http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1862280030_dutton1.jpg

 

http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1340676172_dutton2.jpg

 

http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1469990765_dutton1.jpg

 

http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1440014866_dutton2.jpg

 

http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/393781116_dutton3.jpg

 

http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/2111121007_dutton4.jpg

 

http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/430263847_dutton5.jpg

 

http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/63097923_dutton6.jpg

 

http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1993165804_dutton7.jpg

 

http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/94438114_dutton8.jpg

 

http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/214380486_dutton9.jpg

 

http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/57994159_dutton10.jpg

 

http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/2086613075_dutton12.jpg

 

http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/328309566_dutton11.jpg

 

Note the Fiberglass Hardtop:

 

http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1788425266_dutton13.jpg

 

 

[solder_guy]

What about this Bantam on eBay recently? It is not mentioned in Dennis Ortenburger's book.

 

Rob

 

 

http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1897540313_Bantam1.jpg

 

http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1786846617_bantam2.jpg

 

http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1396790186_bantam.jpg

 

http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/903045721_bantam4.jpg

 

http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/61746389_bantam5.jpg

 

http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/2121211956_bantam6.jpg

 

http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1491562973_bantam2.jpg

 

http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1403128905_bantam3.jpg

[solder_guy]

And this advertisement is pictured in the same Bantam eBay auction .. NOTE: It has doors :crazy:

 

Rob

 

http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/439496802_blakeley_bearcat_red_1975.jpg

 

http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1973702383_blakeley.jpg

 

http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1602192126_blakeley2.jpg

 

http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/600402792_blakeley3.jpg

 

 

[stevet]

Dutton were a UK manufacturer of kit car - closed down in the late 80's I think. I do remember them getting into a legal fight with Ford in the UK over the Sierra name (I was working with Ford on the launch of the Ford Sierra at the time) and the court ruled in Dutton's favor which got them major pulicity. The Ford folks were very unhappy bunnies :boxing:

 

Never seen one personally, but they were usually described as 'crude' and 'ugly' on Blatchat (along with other words not suitable for this forum)

[stevet]

Er, that should read publicity...

[solder_guy]

Dutton .. they were usually described as 'crude' and 'ugly' ..

 

Interesting about the Sierra name.

 

The front end of the Dutton sure is different ... and the rear tail looks retro '60s muscle car.

 

Maybe the buyers of the Dutton and Bantam will show up here.

 

Rob

 

[Mutt]

I know that Blakely kits were sold for Spridgets. They were different, if you didn't mind ugly.

 

Mike

 

[slngsht]

for some reason, I just saw this post for the first time while I was searching for something else.

 

http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1491562973_bantam2.jpg

 

This frame does not look very stiff to me at all. The whole center section is not well triangulated, and is not boxed in very well. My unedumacated guess is that it will flex alot. But that's just me.

[drew...]

The frame looks to have been designed around the old flexible flyer sled I used to have as a kid. Pull hard on the left "handle" and the flat wooden frame twisted under you

http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1272902653_flexiflyer.JPG

[solder_guy]

Pull hard on the left "handle" and the flat wooden frame twisted under you

 

The Wright Brothers rolled by "wing warping" The same thing ..

 

Rob

 

[solder_guy]

Here's another Blakely Bantam from eBay .. to quote the seller:

 

"Built in 1974 by Blakely Motor Works in Rockford, IL and named the Blakley MK IV Bantam. (Factory ownership was sold several times subsequently but this was built by the the original designer... Richard Blakely). It is powered by a turbocharged 2 liter Ford engine @265hp. This is 1 of 56 built. Fiberglass gel coat body, with steel tube frame, 4 speed gearbox, has a older soft top and fiberglass top .."

 

 

http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1742523732_Blakely Bantam1.jpg

 

http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/42846505_Blakely Bantam2.jpg

 

http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1799656385_Blakely Bantam3.jpg

 

http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/331527215_Blakely Bantam4.jpg

 

http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1849529992_Blakely Bantam5.jpg

[924s]

On 4/30/2007 at 8:54 AM, stevet said:

Dutton were a UK manufacturer of kit car - closed down in the late 80's I think. I do remember them getting into a legal fight with Ford in the UK over the Sierra name (I was working with Ford on the launch of the Ford Sierra at the time) and the court ruled in Dutton's favor which got them major pulicity. The Ford folks were very unhappy bunnies :boxing:

 

Never seen one personally, but they were usually described as 'crude' and 'ugly' on Blatchat (along with other words not suitable for this forum)

Dutton at one point was the largest kit car company in the world, they sold 6000 super 7 clone  cars, more then anyone except Caterham, (there has been 150 companies that have built super 7 clones/reproductions),  partly because of good pricing and they financed, 25% down, balance over 2 tears. Lotus only sold 2500 super 7's, Caterham has sold 13,000. The Cobra is the most copied design in history, the super 7 is number 2. Dutton is the oldest car company in the world with the same original owner, they are still in business, they only manufacture amphibious vehicles now, they are the only profitable amphibious vehicle manufacturer in the world. The Dutton super 7 clone has a steel tube frame, Triumph Spitfire front suspension, Ford Escort rear suspension, used mainly Ford drive trains, the lotus super 7 was built almost the same, the Duttons were over-engineered, they were strong, cheap and fast, good qualities, they are still used in Britain for racing and trialing, sometimes instead of breaking a real Lotus 7, (used lotus 7 $60,000). Someone said Duttons are becoming cult cars. The quickest kit car in the world is a Dutton Phaeton, it has a 434 c.i. Chev small block V8, it ran an 8.90 1/4 mile.

 

[924s]

On 5/3/2007 at 3:46 AM, solder_guy said:

 

Interesting about the Sierra name.

 

The front end of the Dutton sure is different ... and the rear tail looks retro '60s muscle car.

 

Maybe the buyers of the Dutton and Bantam will show up here.

 

Rob

 

looks fine.....

 

[924s]

Colin Chapman was a pilot and a structual engineer.  Tim Dutton was also an engineer, he  worked as a consultant to car manufacturers as well as building his own cars.

 

 

Dutton's cars were over engineered, they were strong.

When you look at an early Dutton  Phaeton chassis, you do have to be a little impressed at the economy of manufacture to make it quick, easy, and surprisingly strong.  when you look at how  the steel is cut so the next bit on the length can be used somewhere else with no more work, all open ends are properly capped off with welded plates, so water tight, and there is not a massive amount of welding, so quick and easy to produce.

And then you look at one competitor.............Not mentioning the make, there are  square chassis tubes that are plugged with the sort of black plastic caps that are usually found in school table legs, and they were visible with the nose cone on!

A Dutton was fast, easily repaired and cheap, what more do you want.

 

Edited June 13, 2021 by 924s
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