Project Kimber was the industry group which intended to restart production of the discontinued Smart Roadster car in the United Kingdom in 2006.
History
In 2006, it was reported that David James had entered talks with MG Rover's new owners the Nanjing Automobile Group to buy the MG brand in order to produce a number of sports cars based on the out of production Smart Roadster design.
On 17 February 2006, The Times newspaper reported that Mr James was in discussions with DaimlerChrysler to buy the Roadster's design, technology and equipment for approximately £13 million.[1] The equipment would then be transferred from the Smart factory to a former Dunlop tyre factory in Coventry where the Roadster would be built under the MG brand. It was understood that Project Kimber was being funded by Grant Gazdig's Access Capital firm, as well as a private equity firm called European American Securities.
On 20 July 2006 motoring website 4car reported rumours that David James was in talks with Alan Lubinsky, the owner of AC Cars, to use the famous British name on his sports cars.[citation needed] In a press release dated 31 August 2006 it was stated that agreement had been reached with Acedes Holdings, the current owners of the AC brand, to use the AC name on the new car.
The revised car was to use a 1.0 litre, three-cylinder Mitsubishi Motors engine in both normally-aspirated and turbocharged forms. Also the original Smart clutchless transmission was to be replaced by a Getrag-supplied manual gearbox.
Though remaining similar to the Smart original, the Roadster was planned to have minor makeover. Former Jaguar designer Keith Helfet was signed up to restyle its front and tail ends to freshen it up, and to distinguish it from the original Smart Roadster. Artists impressions of the new car, now referred to as the AC Ace, were released in December 2006.[2]
On 4 September 2006, AutoWired reported that engineer Gordon Murray, who created the McLaren F1, was to lead the Project Kimber engineering team.[3] Also joining was John Piper, formerly of the Williams Formula One team who recently worked on the JCB Dieselmax car which in August 2006 set a new diesel land speed record.
The tooling brought from the Smart factory at Hambach was due to be installed at Project Kimber's factory in South Wales and production was expected to start in the summer of 2007, but as of August 2007 there was no sign of production vehicles. Prices for the new AC were expected to start at £13,000 with 7,000 Roadsters planned to be built in the first year of production, going up to 11,000 a year once properly up and running.[citation needed]
As of December 2008 there have been no reports that production started. At the same date Project Kimber's official site appears to have been closed down.
External links
References
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