Evante
Encyclopedia
The Evante is an English
automobile
which began production in 1987 in Spalding
, Lincolnshire. Engine tuning company Vegantune had been restoring Lotus Elan
cars and making some improvements to them. They decided to build a complete new car and set up a separate company, Evante Cars Ltd, to make them.
The car's looks were heavily inspired by the Lotus Elan and it was powered by the Ford Kent based Vegantune VTA 1.6 and later 1.7 litre twin overhead cam engine driving the rear wheels through a gearbox originally from a Ford Sierra
. The fibreglass body and carbon-fibre was mounted onto a space frame
chassis with independent suspension
all round. Disc brakes were fitted front and rear.
The cars were intended to be available as either complete or in kit
form but all cars were supplied fully built and were produced at a rate of about one a week. The bodies were well fitted out with leather seats, walnut dashboard and electric windows.
Production stopped in 1991 when the original company failed but the design was bought by Fleur de Lys who specialised in making retro styled vans. They redeveloped the car to take a Ford Zetec 1.8 Litre engine but only nine more cars were made.
An attempt was made to revive the car in 2001, but this was unsuccessful.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
which began production in 1987 in Spalding
Spalding, Lincolnshire
Spalding is a market town with a population of 30,000 on the River Welland in the South Holland district of Lincolnshire, England. Little London is a hamlet directly south of Spalding on the B1172 road....
, Lincolnshire. Engine tuning company Vegantune had been restoring Lotus Elan
Lotus Elan
Lotus Elan is the name of two convertible cars and one fixed head coupé produced by Lotus Cars. The original Type 26, 26R Racing version , 36R Racing version , 36 Fixed Head Coupe, 45 Drop Head Coupe, and the "Type 50" +2 Coupe, circa 1962 to 1975, are commonly known as the '60s Elans...
cars and making some improvements to them. They decided to build a complete new car and set up a separate company, Evante Cars Ltd, to make them.
The car's looks were heavily inspired by the Lotus Elan and it was powered by the Ford Kent based Vegantune VTA 1.6 and later 1.7 litre twin overhead cam engine driving the rear wheels through a gearbox originally from a Ford Sierra
Ford Sierra
The Ford Sierra is a large family car that was built by Ford Europe from 1982 until 1993. It was designed by Uwe Bahnsen, Robert Lutz and Patrick le Quément. The code used during development was "Project Toni"....
. The fibreglass body and carbon-fibre was mounted onto a space frame
Space frame
A space frame or space structure is a truss-like, lightweight rigid structure constructed from interlocking struts in a geometric pattern. Space frames can be used to span large areas with few interior supports...
chassis with independent suspension
Independent suspension
Independent suspension is a broad term for any automobile suspension system that allows each wheel on the same axle to move vertically independently of each other. This is contrasted with a beam axle, live axle or deDion axle system in which the wheels are linked – movement on one side affects...
all round. Disc brakes were fitted front and rear.
The cars were intended to be available as either complete or 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 but all cars were supplied fully built and were produced at a rate of about one a week. The bodies were well fitted out with leather seats, walnut dashboard and electric windows.
Production stopped in 1991 when the original company failed but the design was bought by Fleur de Lys who specialised in making retro styled vans. They redeveloped the car to take a Ford Zetec 1.8 Litre engine but only nine more cars were made.
An attempt was made to revive the car in 2001, but this was unsuccessful.