Back in 1985 I decided that I would replace the body of my 1972 Lotus Europa with a Dino Ferrari shell.
I loaned a Ferrari 206GT to a company called “Automotive Design & Development” in Southend, Essex for the moulds to be made and a bodyshell to be supplied and bonded to my Lotus floorpan.
I was not interested in producing further bodyshells or a kit car so the fibreglass company kept the moulds for their own use.
They began marketing a Dino replica called the “Daytona Classics 204GT” – unfortunately using stock Dino photographs for their ads and producing a poor quality kit.
A purchaser of one of the kits (John Hurst) rang me and asked if he could take a mould off one of the poor kits that he had purchased and go in to production himself - I said OK as long as they were of good standards and not VW based etc. This car from “J. H. Classics” was first the DGT and then became the Deon.
John Hurst was very keen on the cars and his kits were extremely well finished but, as with many small businesses in such a niche market, it disappeared and resurfaced a couple of times under different names. The last known manufacturer was a company in Ilton, Somerset (who actually replaced my original doors and hinge system with their units) but they too have since disappeared.
The moulds are still around and I am led to believe may soon be back in use in a new kit.
My car: The Europa was ideally suited to the 246GT so at first the rear wheel arches were incorrectly positioned (as the 206GT is appx 4” shorter on the wheelbase) but the manufacturers of the Marcos in Westbury made an excellent job of repositioning the arches so that the car now looks as it should.
Pictures of my Lotus are here:
http://www.david.mirylees.btinternet.co.uk/the_dino.htm
An article on the car is here:
http://www.david.mirylees.btinternet...e_articles.htm