by David Cass NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR October 1996
Many people in the special interest cars world are now aware of the continuing success of Kit Kars Ltd, producer, for twelve years now, of the T-Car. We've looked over the T-car a couple of times in NZCC, and welcomed the chance this time to talk to Russell Hooper and Warwick Tweedy about the latest Kit Kars product, the Swallow 100.A quick look at the pictures will make it clear to readers who know their older classic cars that the Swallow 100 takes the pre-war Jaguar SS100 sports car as the inspiration for its styling. As with Kit Kars' other product the T-car, the day-to-day realities of modern- day motoring, such as available componentry (particularly in wheel and tyre sizes), Australian Design Rules, larger-size people etc, require subtle changes to be made to the styles and dimensions of the original vehicle. The Swallow accordingly can only resemble and pick up the style of the older vehicle, and is in no way a replica of it.
Kit Kars Ltd has done the sensible thing and used the well-proven and developed chassis of the T-car as the basis for the Swallow. As the Swallow is a considerably larger and weightier car, the ladder-frame chassis has been enlarged and strengthened, with all calculations and stresses worked out to generous safety margins by a qualified professional automotive engineer.
The 100x50mm box section steel main members offer ample strength and rigidity to mount the fibreglass body panels, offer occupants complete safety protection to ADR standards, and the stiffness to allow the GM-H Torana steering and suspension componentry to work properly and allow contemporary standards of ride and roadholding.
The weight of the Swallow is around 1000kgs, dependent on specification, and to move this solidly constructed car along at a suitable pace, Warwick and Russell offer a choice of two engines, the Nissan L28 series six as used in the 280Z coupe, or the Buick/GM-H 3.8 litre V6 as used in late series Commodores, coupled to a five-speed gearbox. Interestingly, it seems buyers plump clearly for the straight-six engine - Russell comments "It looks the part under the long bonnet, echoing the older style that the Swallow clearly evokes." The demonstration car is fitted with the Nissan six engine, which is both flexible enough to provide easy and relaxed motoring, and muscular enough to accelerate the Swallow very vigorously when required.
We were able to take the demonstration car out for a decent drive, finding some clear open roads to extend the car a bit and explore its performance and handling capability. Taking a seat in the car is less of a contortionist exercise than for some sports cars, and here one can see how how juggling the dimensions to suit the larger bodies of today's population has helped the habitability of the car. Once in, we were impressed by the standard of finish and the general air of quality achieved in the Swallow. It echoes the T-car in this, with a careful choice of widely available componentry to both achieve the right look and suitable quality/durability standards.
The car has enough power to accelerate quite strongly when required. Careful back axle location allows the power to reach the ground safely, and acceleration is push-you-in-the-back stuff through the gears, until the aerodynamics of the older style body start holding things back at higher speeds. In the gears, pick-up is pretty urgent in the lower gears, but even left in the high fifth gear, there is flexibility enough for the car to gather speed even surmounting quite steep grades. You can tailor your driving style to mood or occasion, with the capability of the engine and chassis such that relaxed or press-on motoring can be indulged in with enjoyment.
Once on the move, the Swallow has a solid feel on the road. It steers and tracks well, with its well-located back axle not stepping out of line as power goes on out of corners. The ride is firm, not up to limousine standards of course, but very acceptable for a sporting car.
Use of the tried-and-true GM running gear is of course a bonus, ensuring good geometry, standard disc braking, ease of rebuilding, and good parts supply, and the coil-sprung solid rear axle is well located with radius arms to offer predictable handing. Safety requirements, such as split-circuit braking and collapsible steering column are of course designed in to the Torana running gear.
The glass-fibre panel work as with the T-car shows very high standards of solidity and surface finish. Russell and Warwick achieve these high standards consistently, and with this car selling in a higher-price bracket, such things become all the more important to some demanding buyers.
Overall, the Swallow turns out to be a very pleasant package. It's a well-developed design, a lively and relaxed performer, handles well, runs reliably with its strong Nissan L28 engine (or the alternative GM V6), and is sturdily built. It also echoes the style of the SS100 Jaguar quite well, and is a head-turner on the road. T-cars are now quite a frequent sight on the roads of New Zealand, but the Swallow has not yet sold in such quantities. It may not do so, as it is higher-priced as befits a bigger car. Sometimes getting a second larger model off the ground in sales terms is a difficult hurdle for a small company. The step up into a higher price range brings with it different sorts of buyers, expecting different things from their new purchases.
The Swallow has a lot going for it already. It looks and feels the part, drives well, and Warwick and Russell, both enthusiastic drivers, and their various helpers are working continuously to fine tune the various performance and handling parameters of the car. They painstakingly developed and supported the T-car over a twelve-year period, and will no doubt do the same for the Swallow.
NZ Classic Car wishes them well with the new project. The Swallow does not have the magic of an instantly-recognisable established name to help its sales, so it'll be a battle, but it has many of the attributes of a modern classic wrapped up in nicely-done, older, trad-type styling. In fact, the Swallow could probably satisfy the needs of many buyers who purchase after a spell of rational thought as to what they really want from a car. I hope for Kit Kars' sake there are enough of those rational-type purchasers, who still like a bit of old-fashioned style, out there!
David Cass NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC CAR October 1996