The 'grandmaster of kit cars' is back after 37 years

Even if you're not clued up on the world of kit cars, the name Dutton may strike a chord of recognition. In the 1970s and 1980s, the firm was the world's largest manufacturer of kit cars by volume, leading founder Tim Dutton to be described as the 'grandmaster of kit cars'. Now Dutton has just unveiled his first new kit car in 37 years: the Phaeton 5. As the name suggests, there were four previous incarnations of the model until Tim became tired of the kit car scene at the end of the '80s after selling more than 8000 kits - an average of 363 per year from 1967 to 1989. Why go to the trouble of developing a new kit car all these years later? "Why not? I can't retire. What on earth would I do?" says Dutton. His wit, as well as his energy levels, are just as they were when he started out building kit cars in a shed behind his mum's pub in Sussex 59 years ago. Dutton took a short sabbatical after he packed up first time around, then decided that he would like to buy an amphibious car - as you do. Not satisfied with what was available, he decided to build his own, and to sell it in kit or turnkey form. Starting in 1995, there came a succession of Dutton amphibians: the Mariner, Commander, Amphijeep, Reef and Surf. In this second chapter of his remarkable career, he sold a grand total of 282 such vehicles. There was always something quite spectacular about driving out of the River Arun, up the jetty and parking outside Dutton's favourite waterside tea room in Littlehampton. He spent 28 years building these amphibians until selling the project to his agent in Poland in 2023. Dutton then spent a short period buying and restoring some of his old machines (both road and river-flavoured) until he and his right-hand man of 15 years, Jack Gorski, decided that was too boring and they should start building new cars again. The fruit of their labour is the Phaeton 5. Looking striking in vivid green (or, to give it the correct name, Lamborghini Verde Scandal; it's actually gel coat rather than paint), the Mk5 is larger than its Mk4 brother. Although with a 37-year age gap, it's more like a grandfather, because Dutton has recognised that people have grown larger over the years. What was snug back then is decidedly overly tight for many of us these days. The Phaeton 5 is based on the Mk3 Mazda MX-5. Hiroshima's roadsters have become very popular donors for the kit car industry in recent years, and this iteration, produced from 2005 until 2015, is now the most common pick. You can use any soft-top Mk3 variant: for Dutton's new demonstrator, he found a suitable facelifted 2.0-litre Tech Sport model at a salvage auction. In the case of the Phaeton 5, other than hardware (like the bodyshell, doors, bootlid, bonnet, windscreen etc) that Dutton supplies in his kit package, everything is from the donor car. This includes the seats (heated leather in this case), switchgear, wheels, tyres, you name it. A bonus is that you can sell the Mazda parts you don't need; Dutton is adamant that you can recoup around £1000 doing so. Out on the road, the 160bhp 2.0-litre atmo four feels lively, and the fact it comes with the six-speed manual gearbox is another bonus. The Phaeton 5 weighs almost half as much as the MX-5 donor so there's an instant performance boost. And thanks to the larger cockpit dimensions of the new model, it's easy to find a comfortable driving position, with plenty of adjustment, fore and aft. If you wish, you can use the basic 1.8-litre version of the Mk3 MX-5, but my advice is to go for the 2.0-litre: you get 35 extra horsepower, an extra gear ratio, a limited-slip differential plus all the other niceties that the Sport model came with as standard. When it comes to cost, the comprehensive kit comes in at £9990 (including VAT). Dutton reckons it's easy to find a suitable 2.0-litre Sport donor for around £800. Once you factor in the rebate from selling the unwanted bits and bobs, your Phaeton 5 can be on the road for less than ten grand, which is great value. There are only three possible extras: a soft top, side screens/doors and a non-standard RAL gel-coat colour. Even going for all three of those only adds about £1200. He will even build you one from around £14,300 (including VAT). Volumes may be much smaller than they once were, but building and driving your own Dutton kit car should be as enjoyable as it ever was. Written by Steve Hole

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The 'grandmaster of kit cars' is back after 37 years

Famed maker of kit cars, many of them amphibious, Dutton is going back to its roots after a hiatus

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The 'grandmaster of kit cars' is back after 37 years

Famed maker of kit cars, many of them amphibious, Dutton is going back to its roots after a hiatus

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Latest car reviews

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