Webster Motor Company

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Webster Motor Company Limited
legal form Limited
founding 1990
resolution 1998
Seat Braishfield , Hampshire
management Michael Webster, Gary Webster
Branch Automobiles

Webster Motor Company Limited (also: WMC ) was a short-lived British automobile manufacturer whose models were inspired by the three-wheeled fun car Bond Bug .

Company history

WMC was based in Braishfield ( Hampshire ) in the south of England . The company was founded in 1990 by Gary and Michael Webster, who had been Bond bug enthusiasts for a number of years.

The bow presented in 1970 was designed by Tom Karen . The car, which was manufactured by Reliant until 1974 and whose special features included the fold-out roof cover, is now considered one of the legendary British small cars. Due to the fact that the bow only had one wheel at the front, its handling was problematic, especially in left-hand bends; the right-hand drive car tended to tip over here with uneven weight distribution.

The first car developed by WMC was a four-wheel sports car, the design of which resembled that of the Bond Bug as closely as possible. Several other versions were added later. In total, WMC produced around 10 vehicles before the Webster brothers ceased automobile production in 1991. On February 3, 1998, the company was dissolved.

Models

WMC bug

The WMC Bug was in a sense a four-wheeled version of the Bond Bug. The aim was to revive the design of the Bug, but on the other hand to increase driving safety through the four-wheeled design. Most of the car's components were similar to those of the original vehicle. The retractable roof covering that replaced the doors was completely identical to that of the bow; WMC used original Reliant tools for their production. Compared to the three-wheeled Bond Bug, the wheelbase of the WMC Bug was around 20 centimeters longer. The front wheels were 10 inches (25.4 cm) in diameter and the rear wheels were 12 inches (30 cm). The ladder frame was a new design; In the area of ​​the front of the car, WMC used a subframe that was adopted from the Mini . Apart from that, most of the technical components came from the Reliant Robin or Rialto . That also applied to the motorization. WMC produced a total of five copies of the four-wheeled Bug.

Normal bug

In addition, WMC temporarily offered a replica of the three-wheeled Bug, which was delivered as a kit . This car, referred to as normal , almost completely corresponded to the original presented in 1970 in terms of design, dimensions and technology. Four copies were made of him.

Convertible

Finally, WMC introduced a convertible version of the Bug. It remained a one-off.

literature

  • Steve Hole: AZ of Kit Cars. The definitive encyclopaedia of the UK's kit-car industry since 1949 . Haynes Publishing, Sparkford 2012, ISBN 978-1-84425-677-8 , pp. 277 (English).

Web links