1959 Gilbern GT

Gilbern GT (Coupe), 1959-1967

The Gilbern GT was in production from 1959-67. Styled in house, it is a front-engine, rear wheel drive sports car seating two people.

The Gilbern GT was the work of two men - butcher Giles Smith and engineer Bernard Friese, who had experience with GRP mouldings. Friese had built himself a car, and it was with this concept that the two men formed the Gilbern Sports Car company - using the first few letters of each of their Christian names. The GT was the first production model - using a range of BMC and Coventry Climax engines from the 948cc A-series to the 1798cc B-series from the MGB in the final GT1800 models. The chassis was square steel tubing, while the front suspension was derived from the Austin A35. To avoid Purchase Tax Gilbern sold the GT in kit form - a fully painted and trimmed shell, with the mechanical components left to fit.

Motor tested a 1600cc GT and found it to be quick and entertaining by the standards of the day, with 0-60 in under 14 seconds and a top speed of over 90mph. 280 Gilbern GTs were produced over an eight year life, though it's not known how many of these if any were sold as compete cars. Gilbern's later models, the Genie and the Invader, were larger and more powerful affairs that lacked the delicacy of the early GT shape.

The market for kit car coupes was strong in the 1950s and 1960s - and the Gilbern GT wasn't short of competition. Even if we leave aside factory fettled alternatives such as the Triumph Herald Coupe and MG Midget, alternatives might include the Bond Equipe GT, the Tornado Talisman, or the Rochdale Olympic. All shared the same concept of a GRP shell with proven mechanicals underneath, offering inexpensive means of driving a distinctive car then and now. Even the Lotus Elite might be considered an alternative of sorts if your budget could stretch to it. Later models might have been perceived as an alternative to a Marcos 1800GT, though that car was far more outlandish in its styling.