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Davrian

Over the years from 1965 to 1983, Davrian Developments produced a series of small sports cars called Davrians in the UK. The cars used mechanical components from the Hillman Imp but went through several Marks as improvements were made. In the 1980s the rights were sold and production moved to Northern Ireland as the Corry Cultra, then back to the original factory as the Darrian. Darrians continue to be handbuilt and raced today.

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25 views3 pages

Davrian

Over the years from 1965 to 1983, Davrian Developments produced a series of small sports cars called Davrians in the UK. The cars used mechanical components from the Hillman Imp but went through several Marks as improvements were made. In the 1980s the rights were sold and production moved to Northern Ireland as the Corry Cultra, then back to the original factory as the Darrian. Darrians continue to be handbuilt and raced today.

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Munawir Abna Nasution
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
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Davrian

Davrian cars were built by Davrian Developments[1] at 65 North


Davrian Developments Ltd
Street, Clapham in London, England, from 1965[1] to 1976, in
Tregaron, Dyfed, Wales from 1976 to 1980 and Lampeter, Dyfed, Company British Sportscar
type Manufacturer
from 1980 to 1983.
Industry Automobiles
Adrian Evans (d. 1992), a structural engineer and the car's
Founded 1967
designer, built a series of cars called Davrian from 1965, based on
Founder David Clarke and
components from the Hillman Imp, including the front and rear
Adrian Evans
suspension, the 875 or 998 cc (53.4 or 60.9 cu in)[1] aluminium (Dav-rian)
alloy Hillman Imp engine which was Coventry Climax-based[2]
Fate Receivership
and the Imp transaxle.
Headquarters Lampeter, Wales,
United Kingdom
Davrian 1965–83
In 1967, the design had settled to a 2-seat glass fibre
Davrian
monocoque coupé, officially called the Davrian Imp and
series production started with a company being formed
called Davrian Developments. The cars were sold in kit
form. Over time, a variety of power units were offered
including the Mini-engined Davrian Demon (mid-
mounted),[1] Volkswagen Beetle Type 1 (rear-mounted),[1]
Renault (rear-mounted), and Ford Fiesta (mid-mounted).
The car weighed in at 8 long cwt (900 lb; 410 kg).

Overview
Manufacturer Davrian Developments
Powertrain
Engine 875 or 998 cc Hillman Imp

Over the years, a series of improvements led the cars to go through


Rear view of a 1970 Davrian Mk. V Marks 1 to 8. They proved very popular in amateur hands as rally
and circuit racing cars.

In 1980, the Mk8 was offered as a complete car called the Davrian Dragon. This was mid-engined and used
Ford Fiesta components and engine. The company was insufficiently capitalised for this operation, and
went into receivership in 1983.[2] This car was subsequently relaunched as the Corry and the earlier more
basic versions continued being made in the same premises but under new ownership as the Darrian.
Corry 1983–85
The rights to the Dragon were bought by Will Corry and production transferred to Lisburn, Northern
Ireland, to be built by the newly founded Corry Car Company.[2] The body was restyled by Tony
Stevens[2] and the name changed to the Corry Cultra.[3] Ford engines and were used and the suspension
was based on that of the Mk III Cortina. The cars were mostly sold for competition use, but a few road-
going versions were made.

Darrian 1986 onwards


The Darrian was a revival of the original Davrian in the old factory.[2] The body was considerably modified
and the car became mid-engined. Like the Davrian, the Darrian is built using a glass-fibre composite
monocoque body construction. The engine was usually from a Ford, but the Rover V8 or Vauxhall 16-
valve units were options.

In 1996, Swansea Institute Team Darrian (SITD) took outright honours in the Privilege Insurance British
GT Championship.[4]

The company also built a limited number of replicas of the Renault Alpine A110 rally car, known as the
Monte Carlo MC220 Berlinette.

Now based in Llangybi, near Lampeter and owned by Tim Duffee, Darrians continue to be built and raced
with great success, performing many giant-killing acts. The current model is the Darrian T90GTR, usually
fitted with the Millington 2.5 16v 4-cylinder racing engine producing 300BHP, mated to a Hewland
transaxle.

References
Citations

1. Northey (1974), p. 500.


2. Georgano, G.N. (2000). Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile. London: HMSO. ISBN 1-
57958-293-1.
3. Robson, G. (2006). A–Z of British Cars 1945–1980 (https://archive.org/details/azbritishcars1
940000robs). Devon, UK: Herridge Books. ISBN 0-9541063-9-3.
4. "Darrian History" (https://web.archive.org/web/20080705170950/http://www.darrian.co.uk/Da
rrian%20History.html). Darrian. Archived from the original (http://www.darrian.co.uk/Darrian%
20History.html) on 5 July 2008.
Bibliography

Northey, Tom, ed. (1974). "Davrian: Something Special for the Enthusiast". World of
Automobiles. Vol. 5. Orbis.
Jones, Martyn Morgan (2001). Davrian to Darrian : the illustrated history. Witney:
Bookmarque. ISBN 1870519655.

External links
The Davrian Register website (http://www.john.rawlins.com/ndr1/)
Darrian Cars (http://www.darrian.co.uk/)
The Corry Cultra (http://www.classic-kitcars.com/classic-kitcar-details.php?37)

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Davrian&oldid=999491279"

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