Do all kit cars need a donor car which is the best way?

[matt]

Hi I’m looking to start building a kit car I’ve never been massively mechanical so the whole thing will be fresh, I see people talk about donor cars do you always need a donor car, where is the best place to look at buying the kits, apologise for what may seem a stupid question but I’d appreciate any advice cheers. Matt

[phaeton]

It's all about ease, strictly the answer is No, you don't need a donor car, but it can often make things much simpler, depending on the kit you are going to build, some kits such as the MEV Exocet only use parts from the MX5 so buying a donor gives you just about every mechanical & electrical part that you need to get on the kit built. It will also ease your way through IVA & ultimately Registration, if you do not use a donor you will almost certainly end up on a Q plate, which rightly or wrongly seems to carry a bit of a stigma, although it does have it's advantages.

As to the best place, what kind of a kit do you want to build, as above the Exocet is probably the easiest kit to build & get through the IVA if you can live with the ugly fecker, but that's only my opinion, others think it's beautiful. If this is your first toe in the water have you considered buying a built car to see if it is a fit for you?

[Sparepart]

The answer to your question is NO, you don't always need a donor car. IMHO it just depends on how much money you are prepared to spend. Do that first. At one end of the scale buy a complete kit from Caterham, with little mechanical knowledge and a few free weekends you can be on the road in no time. On the other end buy Ron Champion's book https://www.amazon.co.uk/Build-Your-Sports-Little-£250/dp/0854299769 and learn how to do the mechanicals/design and meet IVA requirements and get parts from many donor cars and in SEVERAL years you might be on the road if you have the tenacity to complete your mission. In between these two extremes, just Google "UK kit car manufacturers" and you will see many choices try https://www.totalkitcar.com/uk/uk-manufacturers/.  Try and look at the build manual of something you like, see if you feel it's within your skills, think about the cost, and make your choice. Good luck.

[matt]

Cheers for that really appreciate it. Matt