My Nova Kit Car

A Nova Kit Car - Designed by Richard Oakes in 1972

A Brief History of the Nova

This was the car in 1989 when I first purchased it. Since then I have rebuilt it twice, which has included cutting the chassis in half and shortening the whole thing by one and a half inches!

In 1971 the GT40 and Miura were the dream cars of the day, and so the combination of the lines of these and other considerations were to bring about the birth of the Nova. Financed by John Willment, Richard Oakes managed to talk a friend of his into joining him, a guy by the name of Phil Sayers who had taken Richards old job at Davrian. After almost a year of designing and mock-ups, and many modifications they finally found a ship builder that would give then financial support and provide the necessary workshop facilities.

Finally, the Nova based on a Volkswagen Beetle chassis went into production from the Southampton works known as Automotive Design and Developments Ltd. This was to become the home of the company for the next few years and because Richard and Phil had got it more or less right first time, (kits were priced at £750) success came quickly.

My Nova kit car is still in the UK and whilst drivable, it's still unfinished and remains a work in progress (the reality is Nova's are never finished, just awaiting the next modification!). The main jobs left to finish it are detailed below. I am working through these each time I visit the UK.

Major Jobs Left To Do :

•  Fit the new alarm system and wire to remote canopy

•  Trim the interior (seats, dash, carpets etc..)

• Fit all the glass back on the body