Dutton Returns.

[DavieW]

The classic 70s and 80s Dutton Pheaton returns as a mk3 MX5 based kit. 

 https://share.google/rWKSYze5D7S8OkLxD

[Sigmund Fraud]

Fascinating... I hope they've improved the chassis design, the original barely coped with the power* of a standard Crossflow !

[Marina door handles]

Cannot help but think that they could have smoothed off the styling a bit, also rear lights from a trailer supplies company, nice!

It still looks like the love child of a Morgan that was shagged by a wheelie bin. I can sort of forgive the 70s/80s version but in this day and age with cheap cad/cam etc not so much.

[Missy Charm]

[Mally]

2 hours ago, Sigmund Fraud said:

Fascinating... I hope they've improved the chassis design, the original barely coped with the power* of a standard Crossflow !

I've had 2 or 3 with 1600 xflow. Seemed fine* to me.  

Also had one with a Moggy 1000 engine when my son first passed his test.

[Mally]

@gm You have form for this sort of thing.

[DavieW]

This was mine. 

[Mally]

 

I may be sat in the 2Cv.  My eldest is in the Dutton.

[Sham]

My brother still has one in the garage, hasn't been out of there in a long time.

[gm]

dear me, who looked a that and thought it a good design ?

fortunately, I was distracted by a convenient advert for women's bras  

 

[Mr Laurence]

Near enough twice the price of an Exocet too - can’t see them selling many of these tbh

[DavieW]

3 hours ago, gm said:

fortunately, I was distracted by a convenient advert for women's bras  

They're always a distraction 😋

[sierraman]

Jesus wept. Why in the name of god would you spend £10,000 on some bits to turn your rotten MX5 into that. That said I admire his stoicism and the fact he won’t accept it’s fundamentally an obsolete business model. 

[Mally]

28 minutes ago, sierraman said:

Jesus wept. Why in the name of god would you spend £10,000 on some bits to turn your rotten MX5 into that. That said I admire his stoicism and the fact he won’t accept it’s fundamentally an obsolete business model. 

I thought he was on a loser with the Amphibian, but he sold well over 200.

He's not daft, he will sell a few, maybe he has a reason? 

He beat  Ford over using the Sierra name.

[EyesWeldedShut]

5 hours ago, Mally said:

Also had one with a Moggy 1000 engine when my son first passed his test.

Phwoar*

He'll sell enough of these to folks aged between mine & Mally's who have the spare dosh and enough memories of the older model to want a new one.
I have neither the dosh and I'm trying to hang onto as much memory as I can these days.

[sierraman]

25 minutes ago, Mally said:

I thought he was on a loser with the Amphibian, but he sold well over 200.

He's not daft, he will sell a few, maybe he has a reason? 

He beat  Ford over using the Sierra name.

I just can’t see in this day and age it weathering. 30-40 years ago perhaps. I’m not against kit cars at all, there’s some excellent ones but what cut the mustard in 1983 wouldn’t now. 

[Dobloseven]

Tim Dutton is 78 next month!What a story though, biggest kit car maker in the world, amphibious cars,taking on Ford.....Can only wish him well.He's certainly getting some publicity.Folk do spend their money on some strange things and if you could get one up and running for £10k,well I'd guess it's not impossible to spend that much on a push bike, certainly a motorbike.

[Missy Charm]

On 12/04/2026 at 17:45, sierraman said:

Jesus wept. Why in the name of god would you spend £10,000 on some bits to turn your rotten MX5 into that. That said I admire his stoicism and the fact he won’t accept it’s fundamentally an obsolete business model. 

To answer, and echo what @Mally said, I don't think it's such a bad idea.  Rotten Mazda MX5s will have to be turned into something if they are to survive, unless one is prepared either to spend countless thousands on new panels or do one's best with welding patches to other patches.  I dare say that someone will remanufacture complete bodies at some point, a la MG, but we aren't there yet.

In the interim, a GRP thingy like the Dutton isn't a bad half-way house -- it'll allow an enthusiast to keep his or her MX5 going in spirit without the headache and heartbreak associated with an elderly metal car slowly falling to pieces (we've all been there).  There's probably also a market for hill-climb racing.  

£10,000 seems a bit on the pricey side, granted.  The new Phaeton is also a bit ugly, to my eyes.  It's a shame; they should have gone for either a fun buggy style or something a bit more rounded like a Ginetta.  

[Mally]

2 hours ago, Missy Charm said:

  

£10,000 seems a bit on the pricey side, granted.  The new Phaeton is also a bit ugly, to my eyes.  It's a shame; they should have gone for either a fun buggy style or something a bit more rounded like a Ginetta.  

The Legerra wasn't bad. I'm not clever enough to put a photo up. 

[Marina door handles]

30 minutes ago, Mally said:

The Legerra wasn't bad. I'm not clever enough to put a photo up. 

Cough!!

Behold, a stolen picture of a Legerra.....

An interesting bit of design, I like it but I think if it was tidied up a little bit would look a lot better for little effort.

 

 

[mk2_craig]

On 13/04/2026 at 21:57, Marina door handles said:

 

 

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