Rapport

[Station]

Never heard of this (typically) short lived car maker

 

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Rapport International was founded by Ian Leaf, a graduate of Ealing Business School. Ian ran a very successful trading business and eventually purchased the goodwill of Chris Humberstone design, employed Chris and successfully sold specialist cars for several years to many high profile clients.

 

The company's move to Park Lane Mayfair was ill-advised, resulting in failure. The swish Mayfair showroom and workshop in Woking, Surrey, provided bespoke conversions of Jaguars and Range Rovers to well-heeled clients, along with a curious-looking BMW 7-series estate. They also did a nice trade in applying their Armalite amour-plating to cars capable of taking it – mainly Mercedes-Benz S-class saloons.

 

For those with less deep pockets, Rapport produced the Honda Accord-based Ritz range – comprising saloon, sporting estate and convertible – and a convertible Metro, known as the Metrosport.

 

Rapport Ritz:

 

 

 

 

 

What a beaut:

 

[Station]

Rapport Forte - based on the Jaguar XJS:

 

 

 

 

Estate version:

 

 

The stunning Forté may have been launched with masses of optimism, and appeared to have all the ingredients for success, it did not come anywhere near to achieving it. Back in July 1980, it was first shown at the British Grand Prix in Brands Hatch with Mark Thatcher at the wheel for a demonstration lap... fourteen pre-paid orders followed in the following fortnight, and Rapport seemed set fair to make a real go of the venture.

 

Chris Humberstone recalls that, "management problems within Rapport" destroyed the project - and despite everything, within weeks, the company had fallen into receivership. Only a handful of Fortés were ever built, but the car never died: it simply went into abeyance.

 

The cars that had been completed, along with three partially completed prototypes were purchased by the Patrick Motors Group of Birmingham. PMG's owner, Alexander Patrick was a dyed-in-the-wool enthusiast – and as grandson of the company's founder, continued PMG's association with the more exotic end of the car market. PMG started life in the 1930s as coachbuilders, but within a few years were selling other people's products. By the 1970s, these included the products of Lynx and Panther. The group had also sold several Rapport Range Rovers when Rapport International went bust – and realising that they would never receive these cars, they moved in...

 

Initially, what PMG purchased looked little more than a complex heap of bits, but ever positive, Alexander Patrick sought to make something out of what he had amassed. At that time Patrick was having an Avon-Stevens XJ estate car specially built by Ladbroke Avon, and casually remarked to Graham Hudson that he had acquired the remains of the Forté project, but no facilities to complete it. Soon, an agreement was reached between Hudson and Patrick that Ladbroke Avon's special projects department would build up one vehicle... as an estate car. By the spring of 1983, the car was complete.

 

 

 

 

Swiped from here:

 

http://www.aronline.co.uk/rappritzf.htm

[trigger]

I came across this whilst scanning some old autocar magazines, I'm not surprised it never took of at the price it cost, It reminds me of the Panther Rio.

 

Rapport Ritz Review 1980 (1) by Trigger's Retro Road Tests!, on Flickr

[Station]

I honestly thought that headline read 'Luxury Shite' at first glance!

[trigger]

So did i!, and it would have been true!

[RedSparrow]

That Ritz thing is cool. I like the stupid headlight cover thing. Bet it never worked.

[HillmanImp]

Good god they look awful. I would happily drive one but I would need to come to terms with the fact I would never get laid again.

[Station]

I think they look pretty good for a single person trying to make a new car out of another. That green one looks better than production model standard - a bit 'Marmite I suppose!

[HillmanImp]

The fold away hardtop was ahead of its time. I assume there were other cars with that kind of stuff before then but nothing i can remember that was popular.

[flat4alfa]

Bah! It's all lifted straight off ARONLINE, links and all

 

 

http://www.aronline.co.uk/rappritzf.htm

[bigstraight6]

I wonder if any of those Rapport things still exist? I can't imagine that that back in the day there would have been many takers for an over priced Honda Accord with MFI add-ons

[Station]

I thought I put the link? Sorry!

[Alexg]

I hope there are one or two Rapport Ritz left. I'd love to see one.