Kit Cars and Homebuilt Vehicles of the Past0 Comment

History, Mystery Cars, One-offs | Thu, 12 Jun 2008 Posted by : Shannon Larratt

The photos in this entry are from one of my favorite massive copyright lawsuits waiting to happen websites, Modern Mechanix, a huge and fascinating archive of scans from old Popular Mechanics and other classic tech culture magazines. There are many automotive entries, with a great number dedicated to homebuilt, kit, and other DIY cars… I thought I’d take a moment to show you some of these vehicles from the past, since most of what I post is current (or at least from the seventies).

Nicely streamlined, this vehicle built in the late 40s is incredibly sleek, standing only 39″ high (about the same as a Manta Mirage, and lower than a Lamborghini Countach) and built on a pre-war 20hp Jaguar chassis. The builder and designer, L. Leston, was a used aircraft parts dealer, and apparently the entire design of this car came from a moment of inspiration he had after finding the side/door windows on an old reconnaissance plane! I’d love to see this one in person — given how incredibly low it is, I’m sure the pictures don’t do it justice.

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