GTM Cars
 | |
| Company type | Manufacturing Company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Automobiles |
| Founded | 1967 by Bernard Cox and Jack Hosker |
| Headquarters | , |
Key people | Dr. Paul Faithfull - Managing Director |
| Products | Libra, Spyder, 40TR, Ballista |
| Website | gtmcars.com |
GTM Cars is a component kit car manufacturer located in Kingswinford, UK.
The company was founded in 1967 when Bernard Cox and his friend Jack Hosker created the Cox GTM (Grand Touring Mini) a mid engined Ferrari Dino inspired sports car based on Mini parts. It was an instant hit and they built kits as fast as they could in their garage in Hazel Grove, Stockport. In the autumn of 1968, Bernard Cox decided to stop production after 50 kits.
Production was taken over by Howard Heerey and his father who renamed the car to simply GTM. The design evolved over time and by 1971 about 170 kits had been made and they were up to GTM 1-3 (model 1, variation 3). But in 1972 the road outside their garage had to be widened and they were forced to close.
In 1972 a fibreglass company in Hartlepool bought the demonstrator car, moulds, jigs and spares, but they never produced any cars. Instead the GTM project was bought by KMB Autosports in 1976. They made spares for existing cars, but no new kits.
In 1980 GTM entered it's by far most successful era when it was bought by Peter Beck, Paddy Fitch and Dougal Cowper, the latter departing relatively soon after. The company moved to Sutton Bonington in 1982 and over the next 20 years they refined the GTM Coupe, as it became known and developed a succession of new models. The Rossa was another Mini based car with more modern styling and was followed by the Mk2. With the introduction of the Rover 'K'-series engine, GTM were quick to fit one in their third generation Rossa which was launched as simply the 'K3', the first vehicle to be made available with a mid-mounted 'K'-series (subsequently followed by Lotus' Elise, MG's own MGF and Ariel's Atom to name but three).
In 1998, following three years in development, Beck and Fitch launched a more up-market sports model, the Richard Oakes designed GTM Libra. The was followed up four years later with the GTM Spyder, a more softly styled convertible bearing some of the same styling cues as the Libra, but sharing few panels.
In 2003 GTM Cars was bought by RDM Group, and in 2004 the company was moved to Coventry.
Once under RDM's management, GTM developed two new cars. The Ballista, a light reworking of the Larini VW-based kit car and a 'skeletal' track car - the 40TR - based around the fibreglass monococque tub of the Spyder. Neither car progressed past the development stage, and GTM continued to focus on the Libra and Spyder selling them in either kit or complete factory built forms.
In December 2007 GTM Cars Ltd., came under the new ownership of the parent company Potenza Sports Cars, owners of Westfield Sportscars.
January 2008 saw GTM Cars appear at the Autosport Show with a newly redeveloped 40TR.