NCF

[VWPowered]

one i've never heard of

 

NCF Motors Limited was founded in 1984 and is still owned by the original founder of the company Nick Findeisen. Since then we have been manufacturing a diverse range of self-assembly vehicles. Originally the aluminium bodied Diamond based on the Cortina, Granada and Toyota Hi-Lux 4x4. Later came the Road-Rat and Torino based on the Fiat Panda, followed by the Blitz off-road buggy range.

 

http://www.ncfblitz.co.uk/page2.html - Their new stuff

 

http://www.blitznortheast.com/4x42.htm

 

The Mk1 is a more rounded shape, and as one kit car magazine described it. "An Austin Allegro crossed with a fridge"

 

The MK2 is a longer much squarer design, but with it looks more modern, and is probably those pictured above.

 

The Mk3, as I am led to believe, is very similar in design but approximately the same length as the Mk1. I am told this is due to the cost of a single sheet of aluminium, that was used to produce the roof.

 

Some Vids

 

 

 

more pics

 

 

would stil like to see more of the Granada version

[Vin]

There is chap on the Fiatforum who is rebuilding a Road Rat.

 

Here is his build website.

 

http://www.area99.co.uk/Road_Rat/

[VWPowered]

looks likes a local sans permit

[Mr Lobster]

MY EYES!

 

Can you actually imagine looking at a brochure, thinking 'yeh that'll look good', handing over the money, spending hundreds of hours of your life building it and then ending up with something looking like that?

 

That the company has survived since 1984 is surely nothing short of astonishing.

[wuvvum]

I've actually seen a few NCF Diamonds about (all with the Mk2 Granada front end). A well-executed one isn't actually a bad looking vehicle.

[VWPowered]

i couldnt find any pics of one

[pompei]

There used to be a big (well, small really) following of Blitz Fiat 126 based kit cars, much of which was in Australia/New Zealand where the donor was called a Niki.

[Tayne]

.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Those diamond things are hideous, well actually the Mk1 doesnt look too bad I suppose, but the Mk2 is dire, like a cross between a Metrocab and a Hyundai Galloper. They are presumably meant to look like an off roader, but you just have to take one look at the low-hanging and invariably clearly visible Granada front suspension to see that they would make a thoroughly appalling off-road weapon.

[eddyramrod]

I used to know a farmer who had one of these as his work vehicle. Granted, we were in the flat lands of the South-west Lancashire Plain, but still, it seemed to do what he wanted it to. I think he built it himself too.

[scaryoldcortina]

They used to make the shells and chassis up at tow law (quite near me) so I've seen a few of these.. Bought a couple over the years to bust up for cortina bits and weigh-in, I saw an unfinished granada based MK2 in a garden at the weekend (no camera tho)

 

 

And yeah, horrid. Driving position is awful thanks to the flat floor on a ladder chassis design.

[xkjagnz]

Well here goes for a mega late reply,

we had one of these (I think it was the one in your very first picture) it was the ex factory demonstartor and had a 2.8 L Granada Scorpio 4x4 running gear.

It was ginagerous (I had to stand on a step ladder to change the plugs, the bonnet line was approx level with a mini roof.

It was good for towing a horsebox but not so flash when you got on the grass!

Got it dirt cheap though, sold on after the wife got frightened when she had to take avoiding action from a bin man stepping out from a bin lorry without looking and she hit a new Honda civic.

Civic total write off as she pushed the front all the way back to the seat backs (steering wheel touching) then she continued on up onto the roof (fortunately it was unoccupied)

Damage to NCF- 2 of the bull bar bolts were bent!!

[MiniMinorMk3]

[wheel nut]

This is one my Dad built:

 

Still got it in the garage. Difficult to know what to do with it as I prefer my land rover so realistically I don't ever see myself finding a use for it, however I'm unlikely to get much for it if I tried to sell.

[wheel nut]

And here's a selection of pictures of NCF Diamonds that I've collected off the internet over the years.

[scooobydont]

Good to see it's a popular thread

 

[Mally]

This was mine. 2.0 Pinto .

It had a Granada servo.

One day the battery was flat and I pushed it to the top of a steep hill.

It didn't start and the brakes were useless. At the last minute it fired and stopped just short of a major road.

Early ones used bolt threads as door hinges, Later ones a steel bush.

If you didn't oil them the door opened leaving the aluminium hinge panel detached from the frame.

I'd have another

[sierraman]

The thinking mans Rayton Fissore Magnum. 

[Talbot]

I had one.  I bought it from Nick in Tow Law as a kit.  A mk3 version which used the Granada windscreen and so looked a lot better than the overgrown MK1 Fiat Panda shape that the MK2 NCF was with its flat windscreen.

Never did finish it.  I put a pair of subframes under it, thought it was going to be utter shit off-road, briefly considered modifying it to use Range-Rover running gear, realised it wasn't worth the effort and just sold it off for a fairly hefty loss.

Complete waste of time/money/effort

But if anyone finds an NCF diamond MK3, which has the longer MK2 back body, without the nose-hung bonnet (using a pair of vauxhaul bonnet hinges cut into the bulkhead), then it was mine.

I don't want it back.

[jonathan_dyane]

The one with Merc lights and Volvo grille looks fantastic 

[goosey]

Sorry guys, I really can’t think of anything to like about these