Page 41 - July 2022

The St raight Dope on t he Dut t on
Although there's some doubt as to how old this
Dutton actually is, due to some title irregulatities,
we do know how long the rebuilding duo of
Hanback and Springer have owned the car. They
picked it up via truck and trailer two years ago
from a British gentleman near Tampa, Florida,
who had once lived in the town where it was built
in England.
"He sold it because he was afraid of it," Ken
Springer said wryly. The Dutton originally entered
the US, imported from Germany, by an
enthusiast in California. The detour in Germany
probably explained how the Dutton ended up with
a VW gas tank and an enthusiast's wife hating the
car explains why it was sold.
This Dutton's first engine was from a 1960 Ford
Cortina. It was replaced with a Buick V-6, so it
now features dual exhausts. Then, the V-6 was
replaced by a Ford T-Bird 2.3L, fuel injected, turbo
engine. The running gear is All -American Ford
and it features a 5 speed manual transmission.
The right hand drive vehicle has a removable
square steering wheel, no emergency brake, a fire
bottle, and all new wiring courtesy of Hanback
and Springer. It can be buttoned up with a vinyl
top and snap -on side curtains for bad weather.
- From 1970-1989 Tim Dutton Woolley made a range
of kit cars in Worthing, Sussex, England, and became
the largest manufacturer of kit cars in the world.
- Dutton cars depended on a steel ladder tubular
chassis used to hold parts from donor cars.
- His first kit car was the P-1, assembled from MG
Midget parts. It had an aluminum shell.
- Next came the B-1, a Lotus -like car based on the
Triumph Herald. The B-1 eventually morphed into
using Ford Escort Mk1 and Mk2 components.
- The B-1 became the Phaeton, also based on the Ford
Escort, and produced until 1989. Original kits were
fitted with a 1.6 litre Ford Crossbow engine, making
84 hp ( and lacked most modern safety features).
- Ford Motor Company sued Dutton in 1982 when
they decided to use the name Sierra on a
Cortina/Taurus replacement car. Dutton had been
building an off-road estate car since 1979 called the
Sierra, based on Ford components . He won the case
and got free publicity. His Sierra eventually became
his best selling model, reaching production of 22 kits
per week.
- By using fiberglass bodies, Dutton was able to
continue to reduce the weight of his cars.
- In 1984, Dutton employed 84 people in four factories,
producing 1,000 kit cars a week. Then, Tim got
bored and left the business, selling all his designs.
- In 1995 Dutton returned to automobile manufactuer,
this time launcihng a 'fleet' of amphicars, a bybrid
road and water car that had previously been the
purview of the Germans and was used in WWII.
Using the Ford Fiesta and the Suzuki Samurai, he
produced the Dutton Mariner, the Dutton
Commander, and in 2005 introduced the Dutton Surf.
- Marching to his own drummer, Tim Dutton holds the
world record for being the only person to cross the
English Channel, twice, in an amphicar.
- Today finding an original Dutton kit is a stretch as
most were fully assembled. Today, the Dutton is
available on the second hand market, with most
examples requiring restoration.
- The Dutton is both Eccentric and Cool, as well as a
worthy edition to the annals of the British fascination
with experiments in motoring.
41 Cars & Coffee Coverage concludes on p. 42