The Dutton Legerra was the last new sports car from Dutton Cars, the Worthing maker of kit cars, and was built in 1988 and 1989. It was the first Dutton sports car with opening doors, a small step that made the car easier to live with than the open roadsters that had come before.
Dutton Legerra at a glance
| Maker | Dutton Cars, Worthing, Sussex, England |
|---|---|
| Production | 1988–1989 |
| Type | glass-fibre sports car, sold as a kit |
| Doors | opening doors, a first for a Dutton sports car |
| Chassis | steel ladder frame, as on most Duttons |
| Donor car | Ford Escort Mk 1 or Mk 2 for most Dutton kits |
| Engine and gearbox | taken from the donor car |
| Position in the range | the last new Dutton sports model |
| Company founded | 1970, by Tim Dutton-Woolley |
| Company output | over 1,000 kits a year by 1984 |
| End of production | 1989, when all the designs were sold |
Based on one source: the English Wikipedia article on Dutton Cars, where the Legerra is covered in the list of models.
History of the Dutton Legerra
Dutton Cars was founded by Tim Dutton-Woolley and built kit cars between 1970 and 1989. By the number of kits produced it was the largest kit-car manufacturer in the world. Its first cars were a series named P1, and in October 1971 the B-Type appeared with a more or less standard specification based on Triumph Herald components; a move to a larger factory in Tangmere, Chichester, followed.
A Dutton with doors
The Legerra arrived in 1988 and was listed by Dutton as the first of its sports cars with opening doors. That detail set it apart from the earlier roadster-style models in a range that had been built around simple open bodies. Like most Duttons it depended on a ladder-frame chassis built from steel profiles, which held the parts taken from the donor car, and most kits of the period used Ford Escort Mk 1 or Mk 2 components. The builder still had to supply a donor car for the engine, gearbox and many other essential parts, and Fords were the most common choice.
The company behind it
By the time the Legerra appeared, Dutton was a substantial small manufacturer. A move to larger premises back in Worthing had been made in 1982, with glass-fibre body making at a separate works in Lancing. By 1984, 80 people were employed across four factories and a large showroom in Worthing, and production topped 1,000 cars a year. The company had also won a legal case against Ford over the Sierra name, which gave it welcome publicity.
The end of the range
The Legerra was short-lived. By 1989 Tim Dutton had become bored with the kit-car scene and all the designs were sold, ending the original Dutton Cars story. Early Dutton kits are now hard to obtain: most cars have been assembled and are only available second-hand, usually in need of restoration. Tim Dutton later returned with the amphibious Mariner and Commander in 1995.
Design and features
- Opening doors: the first Dutton sports car to offer them, a practical improvement over the earlier open roadsters.
- Glass-fibre body: made in Dutton’s own works at Lancing.
- Ladder-frame chassis: steel profiles carrying the donor car’s mechanical parts.
- Escort mechanicals: Ford Escort Mk 1 or Mk 2 components, as on most Dutton kits.
- Kit assembly: the owner supplied and fitted the engine and gearbox from a donor car.
Dutton Legerra versions
- Legerra (1988–1989): the only version listed by Dutton.
- Kit-built cars: supplied for the owner to assemble with parts from a donor car.
- Escort-based Duttons: the Legerra belonged to the generation of kits built on Ford Escort running gear.
The Legerra followed the Phaeton and the rounded Melos into the range. Dutton returned in 1995 with the amphibious Mariner. More cars are in the Dutton collection.
Video: Dutton Leggera 2.0
Video on YouTube.
Sources
- Dutton Cars, English Wikipedia: company history and the Legerra entry in the list of models
