There's a stereotype that British sports cars are strange, shed-built creations made from spare parts taken from other cars. Generally, that stereotype is nonsense, as the Brits have given the auto world machines such as the legendary McLaren F1 and Aston Martin Valkyrie. But, there are a few lesser-known UK manufacturers that might fit that home-built image more than most British fans would like to admit.
The truth is, there are lots of small British companies offering weird and wonderful cars that few people know about and even fewer ever buy. Everything from amphibious sports cars to 80-year-old 'brand new' cars can be bought from these manufacturers. So, let's celebrate the weirdness and take a look at some of the strangest British sports cars most car fans have never heard of.
8 Brooke 260 Double R
This insect-like creation is from the second incarnation of the Brooke marque, after the first one went bust in the late '90s. Debuted in 2006, the car is a take on the open-top British roadster, in the vein of Caterham and BAC.
Most reviews say that it's great to drive, but it's the styling that makes this car strange. The tub-like body and exposed wheels make the car look like a cross between a Caterham and a bobsleigh. Luckily it's frighteningly quick so most onlookers won't have chance to stare for too long.
7 Gibbs Aquada
Gibbs refer to their car as a "high-speed amphibious vehicle" rather than a sports car, but whatever they like to call it, it's weird. The car actually set a world record, with billionaire Richard Branson using it to cross the English Channel in just 1 hour 40 minutes.
On land, it's capable of up to 100 mph, which is even slower than a mid-'10s Toyota Prius. Then again, trying to drive a Prius into the sea would have much more disastrous consequences than using the Gibbs. The Aquada is available to buy via commission on the company's website, along with a range of other amphibious vehicles including trucks and a motorbike.
6 Atalanta Roadster
England-based Morgan has been making new cars that look old for decades now, and carmaker Atalanta clearly decided they wanted a piece of that pie. The difference is that this isn't a modern car with old-world styling. Instead, this is an actual clone of a 1937 car, just available to buy new today.
Give or take a couple of safety features, the car is identical to what would have rolled out of the factory in the '30s. The brand revival is the effort of one man, who has spent years planning and funding the existence of Atalanta version two. Will anybody want to buy one? Atalanta think so, as they aim to make one new-old car every month.
5 Zenos E10 R
The Zenos E10 R is very much an underrated car, and it's mainly odd because no-one's really heard of it despite it being very good. Priced at just £39,995 ($56,052), it uses the 2.3L engine out of a Ford Focus RS to produce 350hp. In a car that weighs just 700kg (1543lb), that makes for a seriously fast package.
Evo reports that the car is incredibly grippy and is even fairly comfortable to drive on the road too. Zenos has struggled with cash flow issues, going into administration in 2017. But, as of writing the company's website is live, so it appears that track day lovers can still get one of these obscure but cool cars.
4 MEV Exocet G-Type
This weird creation is actually a Mazda MX-5 Miata that's had all it's Mazda-ness stripped out of it and replaced with a bright orange tubular chassis. MEV boast that the G-Type is 50% lighter than an MX-5, but given the lack of body panels it's pretty clear to see where that weight's been lost.
All the Mazda's internals are kept, including the engine and front and rear sub frames. What this really is then, is a kit that buyers pay MEV for to end up with a lot less of a Mazda MX-5 than they started with. Why? Who knows. At least it's light.
3 Keating Berus
The Keating Berus was unveiled in 2017, supposedly the follow-up to the brand's previous effort, the Bolt. Keating claimed the Bolt had a top speed of 340 mph, which even today is an absurd claim. For context, that would have been a full 72 mph faster than the then-record holding Bugatti Veyron SS. All from a company that's never produced a car before. Unsurprisingly, the Bolt never made it to production, and so far, neither has the Berus.
The Berus seems to have got further though, as a working prototype was spotted testing on a track a couple of years ago. The Berus also seems to have more achievable claimed specs, with a top speed of 230 mph and 0-60 in 2.4 seconds. That's realistic for a top-end supercar. But so far, it looks to be that the lack of development on the car is the result of Keating biting off more than it can chew.
2 Midas Excelsior
The Midas Excelsior is a truly bizarre model, as it's a kit conversion that uses a Rover 100 as a donor car. The Rover 100 is a generally terrible car, receiving one of the worst crash test ratings in British history subsequently being pulled from production. The last 100 was made in 1998, but Midas still use it as their base even for cars commissioned today.
The company also wins the prize for the least professional website of any current carmaker. It's a mess that looks like it was designed by a high school student in 2007, but it's still live and serves as the official advert for the company's products. With that and the fact that this is a remodeled 25-year-old city car, it's a wonder that the company is still in business.
1 FBS Census
It's very rare that a car so obscure is so universally panned by every review outlet that drives it, but that seems to be the case with the FBS Census. Apart from its ugly and bulbous looks, it reportedly ticks every box of the 'bad British sports car' stereotype.
Reviewers report the car has terrible build quality, a rough engine and bad handling. Only eight examples of the car were ever built before the company went bankrupt. Those eight examples aren't even desirable among collectors, with one example going up for auction at a third of its retail price just two years after it was bought new. That makes it one of the biggest British sports car flops of the 21st Century, and just plain weird to boot.