Africar. Info request.

[warren t claim]

Back in the mid 1980s I remember watching a TV program about a man who was determined to make his fortune by designing a car for the African market. Here's some info from difflock.com

 

The Africar was the idea of Tony Howarth, an English journalist and photographer who spent much of the 1970s in Africa taking pictures.

 

He disliked the developed world's policy of selling vehicles which were unsuitable for the conditions and the fact that the cars disintegrated long before the bills were paid.

 

The Africar was designed to handle unmetalled roads, to be constructed from local materials with low-skill labour and a minimum of imported content.

 

Howarth constructed 3 cars: a break, a pickup and a 6-wheeler. They were built in England and driven to the Arctic Circle from where they headed south and reached the equator 4 months later. A British Channel 4 TV programme, produced by Howarth was broadcast in May 1987, which helped raise awareness in the project..

 

Howarth formed Africar International Limited (AIL) in April 1986. In the early '80's Howarth had built three Africars which were used on an expedition from the Arctic to the Equator.

 

The chassis and bodywork of the Africars were made of wood but Howarth used Citroën 2CV engines and gearboxes and components from other manufacturers.

 

From September 1986, AIL operated from a factory in Lancaster.

 

Deposits were taken for vehicles. The customers, many of whom had seen the Channel 4 programmes, were led to believe that the cars would be delivered to them.

 

At a Christmas party at the factory premises in 1987, to which some investors were invited, an Africar was unveiled. This was in fact a dummy vehicle sans engine or gearbox. Its doors were glued shut and the paint on it was still wet. The car was roped off so that customers could see but not touch.

 

The delivery dates for customers' Africars were put back and back. By the time AIL ceased operations in the summer of 1988 the only customer who had an Africar was one who had visited the premises and had driven a car away without asking.

 

In February 1988 Howarth intended to raise about £5 million by converting Africar UK Limited into a public limited company and offering shares to the public. The flotation did not proceed because the company's accountants refused to certify in the prospectus that the licence to manufacture Africars, which was the only asset the plc owned, was worth GBP8 million.

 

Despite the failure of the flotation and the company's consequent financial difficulties, it continued to trade by making use of goods and funds received from trade creditors, customers and investors.

 

By July 1988 new investments had all but dried up. AIL could not pay its staff their wages. On 18 July officers from the Lancashire Constabulary Commerce Branch seized the company's documents and the landlord recovered possession of the factory. Howarth at the time was in the USA trying to raise further investment. He remained outside the UK’s jurisdiction until he was arrested and charged on his return in October 1994.

 

There were promises made about global sales, 3rd world manufacturing rights, and so on but the company foundered after spending their funds on an engine and gearbox. The bankruptcy court sold off all the assets and put Tony Howarth in jail for a short time.

 

The Africars themselves have disappeared.

 

After the collapse of Africar International Ltd., the Africar briefly resurfaced. Another UK company, Special Vehicle Conversion, produced a small run of Africar-based vehicles called Bedouin.

 

Sadly, some time later, production of these vehicles also ceased. A few of these cars are still known to exist.

 

It is surprising that plans based on this innovative design are not available.

 

The Idea behind the development

 

The name AFRICAR and the AFRICAR SYSTEM concept were first defined, in outline, while travelling during the ‘rains’ on a destroyed muddy main road in Northern Zambia in 1964. Between 1964 and 1979 the idea grew gradually and the basic specification of the vehicle was influenced by experiences in some 112 countries on six continents.

 

In 1979/80 intensive research was undertaken into the develop-ment history of the light motor vehicle.’ And a study was under-taken of the relevance of the motor vehicle to the World rather than just a few paved over industrialised countries. Further a possible future for the motor vehicle as a genuine World form of transport was investigated.

 

From all this research conclusions were drawn as to the type of vehicle and the production methods required to make motor vehicles available at competitive prices, regardless of currency restrictions, on a World-wide basis. Detailed specifications were drawn up that could be relevant, in the future, to the three-threeâ€â€quarters of the World that currently does not use, or is badly served by, the motor vehicle.

 

A first prototype was built in 1982 followed, quickly by a second ‘road going’ version. In 1983 four third generation prototypes were built. One to run in India’s Himalayan Rally before going on to Australia and three to undertake an Arctic to Equator 30,000 kilometre test run. This dramatic journey was filmed for a 4 hour Channel 4 television series which was aired in Spring1987.

 

The Himalayan car lasted a thousand kilometres in its first rally before falling out with fuel pump and fuel supply problems. But it proved capable of running in 7th place ahead of a turbo Range Rover, 3 litre Volvo, Subarus, Escorts and others. With only 65hp it managed 5th fastest time on some competitive sections. The Arctic to Equator run was successfully completed with all three vehicles, including a 6-wheeler, despite no independent back-up.

 

Does anyone here have anymore info about this interesting 2cv based vehicle?

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Theres a good book all about the Africar, its widely available in charity shops for about £3, thats where I got mine!

[warren t claim]

Theres a good book all about the Africar, its widely available in charity shops for about £3, thats where I got mine!

 

I've been trying to track down a copy for years!

[Alexg]

How about this one for a quid on ebay

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Africar-Developme ... 45f74c7d69

[warren t claim]

Thanks!

[dollywobbler]

The Bedouin was 2CV based, and frankly horrific looking rather like a plywood coffin on a 2CV chassis. There are still a few about though.

[Doctormop]

Vaguely remember the TV show on CH4, think Suzanne Dando and some Danny Baker type cheeky chirpy cockney co starred offering sound advice for anyone buying a second hand car, often wonder if a young Mike Brewer was watching avidly thinking one day, one day

[mattblack]

In about 1985 I bought some Citroen Dyane bits from a bloke near Coalville, I belive he was the 'Bedouin' chap. He had all sorts of tat in his yard, I recall a Panhard PL17 and a Peugeot 203 pick up.

[autofive]

Theres a good book all about the Africar, its widely available in charity shops for about £3, thats where I got mine!

 

I've been trying to track down a copy for years!

 

ive got a copy of the book, if you want it you can have it for the postage price

 

it is a large hardback, and quite heavy though

[M'coli]

Have you seen the stuff on Citrëonët about it?

http://www.citroenet.org.uk/foreign/afr ... ricar.html

[KruJoe]

We also have a copy somewhere, I dig it out every few years and read it through. It's one of the few books that I can do that with, interesting and inspirational. That guy really wasn't a fan of series Land Rovers, was he?

[RedSparrow]

Sounds interesting. I have a lot of respect for these chaps who attempt to start car manufacturing businesses. I would love to have a crack at it.

Seems that 99% of them end in tears though.

[504GL]

Very interesting.

 

The biased 504 lover in me can't help but think "Why?" though. I understand the premise of it. But there are plenty of really good cars for the conditions in Africa. 504's and 70's Merc's to name a few. Having spent some time in South Africa I can safely say that black people aren't thick and are very resourceful in keeping cars going and they don't need cars to be made out of wood to maintain and repair them

[garethj]

The biased 504 lover in me can't help but think "Why?" though.

Because to manufacture a 504 body panel takes about 200 grands worth of tooling, plus a machine to run it on. And that's one little panel; even a simple car is made up of tens of them.

 

To make a car out of wood, the local manufacturer needs:

 

a) A 2CV engine and gearbox, delivered in a crate by donkey

A load of wood and nails

c) A saw, possibly a hammer if he's high-tech or a rock if production tooling costs need to be kept down

d) About 4 wires

 

Forget reliance on major manufacturers, build a car the Africar way. I vaguely remember the Ch4 show, shame it didn't work out for the bloke.

[504GL]

The biased 504 lover in me can't help but think "Why?" though.

Because to manufacture a 504 body panel takes about 200 grands worth of tooling, plus a machine to run it on. And that's one little panel; even a simple car is made up of tens of them.

 

To make a car out of wood, the local manufacturer needs:

 

a) A 2CV engine and gearbox, delivered in a crate by donkey

A load of wood and nails

c) A saw, possibly a hammer if he's high-tech or a rock if production tooling costs need to be kept down

d) About 4 wires

 

Forget reliance on major manufacturers, build a car the Africar way. I vaguely remember the Ch4 show, shame it didn't work out for the bloke.

 

Your point is taken. But I think there's a good reason that it didn't take off, Africa has done quite well with the vehicles which it's had. Plus they've been able to manufacture 504's in Nigeria and Kenya for ages and only stopped around 4-5 years ago. In South Africa they manufacture BMW's for export, so they can build cars to a good standard As silly as it sounds I think this is a bit of a white mans solution to a problem which black Africa didn't ask for a solution to. So if people can get cheap cars how are they meant to pay for the petrol and other running costs which come with owning a car?

 

Interesting nonetheless

[dieselnutjob]

I don't understand why Peugeot stopped making 504s and 505s in Africa.

I'm told that Nigerians etc love them because

a: They are cheaper due to being locally produced.

b: Due to lack of electronics back street mechanics can fix. They can't fix the 406 etc that Peugeot are currently pedling which locks the owner into the expensive official dealer network....

 

oh, did I just answer my own question

[dieselnutjob]

just asked a Nigerian in my office.

 

a: only older people were buying 504/505s.

b: They prefered used ones from Europe rather than locally build ones due to cost and build quality.

c: Anyone that can afford a new car in Nigeria prefers either a Honda or a BMW.

 

shame

[Formula Autos]

The Lakeland Motor Museum in South Cumbria has an Africar, and always seems to have copies of the Africar book (mentioned previously) in the gift shop.

 

http://www.lakelandmotormuseum.co.uk/motorcars.php

 

Scroll through the picture gallery - it's just in shot, to the right of the DeLorean.

[AnthonyG]

Interesting to read about the end of the saga, which isn't mentioned in the book. I think Howarth was a bit patronising to Africans - his first trip there was in the late 50s or early 60s and he seemed to have kept to the white man's attitudes of the time.

 

As that Peugeot 206 ad with the Hindustan (sort of) showed, people who live in Africa/Asia don't necessarily want things with 'made for the third world' stamped all over them.

[scooters]

If I recall Sam g did a bit in pc a few years back about the africar.

 

I also recall seeing an motd one on the bay about 3 year ago.

[AeroNautiCal]

WTC's link sparked my interest, and (thanks to t'interweb) I just got a copy of the book for £2:72 inc postage.

 

Also managed to get several books from the 1950's onwards, about expeditions undertaken by (extra)ordinary people using amphibious vehicles.

[scruff]

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C837067

 

Price: £249000 See Text

 

[richardmorris]

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C837067

 

 

Price:

 

£249000 See Text

Quite how they are able to sell a car for that much when he was imprisoned for the company debt is a mystery to me.

 

I also remember a blue peter program about the African in the 80s

[loserone]

Or they'll do it up for another 200k. !

[scruff]

You couldn't make it up. It does seem to have survived the years very well though.

[somewhatfoolish]

This featured on the tat thread back in April, the delusion is strong as is the price asked.

[strangeangel]

A quarter of a million quid? FRO.

[Guest Hooli]

The Lakeland Motor Museum in South Cumbria has an Africar, and always seems to have copies of the Africar book (mentioned previously) in the gift shop.

 

http://www.lakelandmotormuseum.co.uk/motorcars.php

 

Scroll through the picture gallery - it's just in shot, to the right of the DeLorean.

 

I was going to mention that, it was next to the SD1 when we last went.

 

[somewhatfoolish]

Your point is taken. But I think there's a good reason that it didn't take off, Africa has done quite well with the vehicles which it's had. Plus they've been able to manufacture 504's in Nigeria and Kenya for ages and only stopped around 4-5 years ago. In South Africa they manufacture BMW's for export, so they can build cars to a good standard As silly as it sounds I think this is a bit of a white mans solution to a problem which black Africa didn't ask for a solution to. So if people can get cheap cars how are they meant to pay for the petrol and other running costs which come with owning a car?

 

Interesting nonetheless

Aside from the patronisation aspect there's the perceptual blindness involved with this and other 'cars for africa' which pop up, attract column inches and gullible investors then vanish from whence they came; the economic prosperity which creates the affluence and demand for more vehicles brings with it developments like urbanisation, road planers and eventually tarmac.

 

A similar issue arose with the design of british and US airliners in the early days; the Comet and the VC10 were designed to be able to operate out of substandard, short, high altitude airfields in the hot bits of the empire, so were equipped with high performance wings and relatively high power to weight ratios to cope with this. The spams designed their flammable cigar tubes to use lend-lease WW2 bomber airfields with huge runways, so they were cheaper to buy and run having skinny low drag wings and lower performance engines. The by-now-former outposts of empire promptly spooged cash on shiny runways so the airlines with 707s, DC8s and Coronados could visit and deliver World Bank executives bearing gifts. Add on BOAC's penchant for fucking plane manufacturers about and it's a wonder the UK made any planes at all.

[matty879]

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