Davrian
Encyclopedia
Davrian cars were built at 65 North Street, Clapham in London, England from 1967 to 1976, in Tregaron
, Dyfed, Wales from 1976 to 1980 and Lampeter
, Dyfed, from 1980 to 1983.
Adrian Evans (d. 1992), a structural engineer and the car's designer, built a series of cars called Davrian from 1965 using the aluminium alloy Hillman Imp
engine based on the Coventry Climax
.
coupé, officially called the Davrian Demon or Davrian Imp and series production started with a company being formed called Davrian Developments. The cars were sold in kit
form. A variety of power units were offered including Mini
, Volkswagen Beetle
and Ford Fiesta
. Over the years a series of improvements led the cars to go through 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 not sufficiently capitalised for this operation and unfortunately went into receivership in 1983. 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.
, Northern Ireland, to be built by the newly founded Corry Car Company. The body was restyled by Tony Stevens and the name changed to the Corry Cultra. 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.
, 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
.
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 tranaxle.
Tregaron
Tregaron is a market town in the county of Ceredigion, Wales, lying on the River Brenig , a tributary of the River Teifi. The town is twinned with Plouvien, in Finistere, France. According to the 2001 Census, Tregaron's population was 1,183, of whom 68.8% spoke Welsh fluently.-History:Tregaron...
, Dyfed, Wales from 1976 to 1980 and Lampeter
Lampeter
Lampeter is a town in Ceredigion, South West Wales, lying at the confluence of the River Teifi and the Afon Dulas.-Demographics:At the 2001 National Census, the population was 2894. Lampeter is therefore the smallest university town in both Wales and the United Kingdom...
, Dyfed, from 1980 to 1983.
Adrian Evans (d. 1992), a structural engineer and the car's designer, built a series of cars called Davrian from 1965 using the aluminium alloy Hillman Imp
Hillman Imp
The Hillman Imp is a compact, rear-engined saloon car that was manufactured under the Hillman marque by the Rootes Group from 1963 to 1976...
engine based on the Coventry Climax
Coventry Climax
Coventry Climax was a British forklift truck, fire pump, and speciality engine manufacturer.-History:The company was started in 1903 as Lee Stroyer, but two years later, following the departure of Stroyer, it was relocated to Paynes Lane, Coventry, and renamed to Coventry-Simplex by H...
.
Davrian 1967-1983
In 1967, the design had settled to a 2-seat glass fibre monocoqueMonocoque
Monocoque is a construction technique that supports structural load by using an object's external skin, as opposed to using an internal frame or truss that is then covered with a non-load-bearing skin or coachwork...
coupé, officially called the Davrian Demon or Davrian Imp and series production started with a company being formed called Davrian Developments. The cars were sold in kit
Kit car
A kit car, also known as a "component car", is an automobile that is available as a set of parts that a manufacturer sells and the buyer then either assembles into a car themselves, or retains a third party to do part or all of the work on their behalf...
form. A variety of power units were offered including Mini
Mini
The Mini is a small car that was made by the British Motor Corporation and its successors from 1959 until 2000. The original is considered a British icon of the 1960s, and its space-saving front-wheel-drive layout influenced a generation of car-makers...
, Volkswagen Beetle
Volkswagen Beetle
The Volkswagen Type 1, widely known as the Volkswagen Beetle or Volkswagen Bug, is an economy car produced by the German auto maker Volkswagen from 1938 until 2003...
and Ford Fiesta
Ford Fiesta
The Ford Fiesta is a front wheel drive supermini/subcompact manufactured and marketed by Ford Motor Company and built in Europe, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Venezuela, China, India, Thailand and South Africa...
. Over the years a series of improvements led the cars to go through 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 not sufficiently capitalised for this operation and unfortunately went into receivership in 1983. 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 1983-1985
The rights to the Dragon were bought by Will Corry and production transferred to LisburnLisburn
DemographicsLisburn Urban Area is within Belfast Metropolitan Urban Area and is classified as a Large Town by the . On census day there were 71,465 people living in Lisburn...
, Northern Ireland, to be built by the newly founded Corry Car Company. The body was restyled by Tony Stevens and the name changed to the Corry Cultra. 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. 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 FordFord Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
, but the Rover
Rover (car)
The Rover Company is a former British car manufacturing company founded as Starley & Sutton Co. of Coventry in 1878. After developing the template for the modern bicycle with its Rover Safety Bicycle of 1885, the company moved into the automotive industry...
V8 or Vauxhall
Vauxhall Motors
Vauxhall Motors is a British automotive company owned by General Motors and headquartered in Luton. It was founded in 1857 as a pump and marine engine manufacturer, began manufacturing cars in 1903 and was acquired by GM in 1925. It has been the second-largest selling car brand in the UK for...
16 valve units were options.
In 1996, Swansea Institute Team Darrian (SITD) took outright honours in the Privilege Insurance British GT Championship
British GT Championship
The Avon Tyres British GT Championship is a sports car racing series currently based in the United Kingdom, although they have had select races outside of Britain in the past few years. The series was created by the British Racing Drivers' Club in 1993 and for its first two seasons was called the...
.
The company also built a limited number of replicas of the Renault Alpine A110
Alpine A110
The Alpine A110, also known as the "Berlinette", was a sports car produced by the French manufacturer Alpine from 1961 to 1977. The A110 was powered by various Renault engines....
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 tranaxle.