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I have a J H Classics DGT which is a replica of a Ferrari Dino 246GT and is based on a Lancia Beta. I bought the car a couple of years back needing restoration (it was orignally built around 1990), I have now rebuilt it and am looking for any information anyone has on these cars.
From what I can find on the limited information available it would seem that J H Classics were taken over (or the moulds were sold to) Deon Cars but I can't verify this as they have also disappeared.
I am after any information that any one may have on these cars, if anyone has a build manual that I could borrow and copy (a long shot I know!), then I would be eternally greatful!
Any help that anyone can give would be really appreciated as at present I don't even know where the master cylinder comes from (as it doesn't seem to be a lancia beta one).
I have attached a picture of the car in an almost finished state (prior to the retrim and wheel centres being fitted.
does anyone know what doner car is used for the karma kit car
hi hotrodgt40.
I think most karma kit cars were body swops,using a vw beetle as the chasis.
I do know of a few were built with a space frame.Best have a look underneath.
Orignally made in melton mowbrey,leicestershire by I think R W Mouldings?
ian
Has anyone got a complete build manual for a Deon. I've started scanning my own and discovered that I'm missing 4 pages, 11, 33, 34 & 45. If anyone could scan and e-mail them please send me a private message. Also if anyone is missing a few pages themselves get in touch.
hi crocus
funny thing. I have two build manuals and both are missing 11,33 and 34!! IAnd one is missing 45 too. I have page 45 in the other,but I have written notes on it and ticked of jobs done.Let me know if it's any use.
ian
Has anyone got a complete build manual for a Deon. I've started scanning my own and discovered that I'm missing 4 pages, 11, 33, 34 & 45. If anyone could scan and e-mail them please send me a private message. Also if anyone is missing a few pages themselves get in touch.
Kind Regards
Tom
I've just dug out my manual and have all the pages you seek - I will scan and email them over on Monday if you still need them.
I haven't read a whole lot lately about how the Crocus operation is progressing in south Yorkshire, although what we heard earlier sounded most encouraging.
I did notice a prototype up for sale last Autumn, looking very professional in every respect. Doubtless that could be released because a further prototype was coming into being...
Is there anything new you can share with us, Tom? Is no news good news in this case?
Everything's plodding along but its a plod rather than a sprint.
I'm currently on my 3rd road car. With each car, I make alterations and add additional tooling to make the next car easy to make or improved. The time it takes varies from car to car because of this, so I'm treating them as road going prototypes and offering them for sale once they're finished.
I am essentially a one man business with some part time help. The economic climate has been pretty tough and its not bouncing back quickly. Everything is financed through ongoing work and the D2 is only part of that; I also supply parts and provide design services. At this moment if I launched a website I'd probably generate orders that I couldn't meet because the company isn't sufficiently developed and the one thing that nobody wants is another company in this sector generating unhappy customers.
I haven't posted so frequently on here because time is in ever shorter supply but if anyone want to know anything I'm always happy to oblige.
Can understand the need to keep it low key, Tom, and conserve time and energy for the work that matters.
One point that interests me, though - are you developing rhd and lhd versions of the D2 in parallel, or just concentrating on rhd whilst trying not to block options for a lhd version later?
Also, if anyone else needs any pages from the Deon manual drop me a line and I'll do my best to send them over.
Cheers
Jon
Hi Jon,
I ahve only just come accross this web site and it makes very interesting reading. I purchased a completed JH Classic GTS just over 10 years ago and since then have made many changes to make it more like the real thing (split boot/engine cover, recessed lights, increased lower valance below front bumpers, aluminium bumpers and lots of other things). It has been off the road for the last few years due to the arrival of 2 children however the eldest is now 4 so i am hoping to get the Dino back on the road this summer so he can have a go in it. As i said it was complete when I purchased it but i didnt have any sort of manual and it would be really useful to have one in case i have any problems getting it back to the road so if there is any way you could pdf it for me it would be greatly appreciated - my email is [email]russell.bailey@caroe.co.uk[/email].
For uathenticity on my JH Classic I am keen to look into the possibility of putting on clap hand type windscreen wipers as per the real thing - I was wondering if anyone has managed to do this and if so what donor parts were used and are there any tips as to how to do it. - Thanks Russell
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.co.uk/the_articles.htm
Hi i found this thread and i found it very interesting, i just wonder if you can tell me if you have had any bodywork issues ie cracking or weak spots anywhere say around the front windscreen or any where else, where maybe the fibreglass is a little thin because of the shape/width of the original steel body shape that was copied. Is there any advice you could also give me say the best quality/true shape kit out there. Regards Pierino
The bodywork on my car is not representative of the shells produced by others.
The body was laid up in 1986 and as yet has very little cracking or weak spots. There is one almost invisible hairline mark appx 1" long alongside the rearmost bonnet 'hump' and a similar one close to the unused (NS) wiper spindle.
The car gets plenty of 'brisk' use so I would have expected any weaknesses to have appeared a long time ago.
I would admit that I made the body a little bit too thick but it has resulted in great longevity. The downside is that the car is 17% heavier that the original Lotus Europa so can be a little tardy on outright acceleration in today's traffic with it's 1558cc Lotus engine.
When the twink gets tired I'll replace with a 2.0 litre Zetec to keep my transaxle and bellhousing unchanged.
Remember this is less of a 'replica ferrari' but a Lotus with the Dino shell.
Unfortunately I have no great knowledge of the 'copies' of the car that are now being produced so couldn't honestly recommend the best.
BT in their wisdom have decided to cease offering the space for web hosting of my (and everybody else's) pages. The web space hosting was part of the original BT package that we took up but they are now reneging on that deal.
We are absolutely disgusted with BT and the pages may return - if and when we can find an alternative host.
hi guys my name is mike ive purchased a 69 246gt dino am looking to find out more about the car have a 5.0 with a 5 speed 9 inch ford metric chevy frame nova clip front engineid send pics but i dont know how to here yet
hi guys my name is mike ive purchased a 69 246gt dino am looking to find out more about the car have a 5.0 with a 5 speed 9 inch ford metric chevy frame nova clip front engineid send pics but i dont know how to here yet
I know im not a local for club and dont know anyone but to be able ro shaee my car with u would be nice ive posted a picture but no one had anything to say about it