Dutton Cars

The company was founded by Tim Dutton-Woolley and run from a small workshop in which a series of cars named P1 was built.

Most Duttons depended on a ladder-frame chassis built from steel profiles, which held the various parts taken from the donor car.

These were also available as fully built-up cars, in which case they received a 1.6-litre Ford Crossflow engine with 84 hp (63 kW).

[4] A further move to larger premises back in Worthing was made in 1982 with glass-fibre body making at a separate works in Lancing.

It used the mechanical parts and doors from a two-door Escort but had a Dutton-developed glass-fibre body over a steel tubular frame.

[6] The Rico was a new concept for kit cars, a sporting saloon of modern appearance rather than the typical, traditional two-seat roadster or replica.

When a Dutton is purchased in kit form, the person building needs a donor car to provide the engine, gearbox, and many other essential components.