The History of Blakely Kit Cars
While kit cars have been around almost as long as the automobile, the industry itself has remained small and specialized. Blakely Auto Works was founded by mechanical engineer and former oval race track enthusiast Dick Blakely in the early 1970s. The company produced three popular kit cars during the 1970s and 1980s -- the Bantam, the Bearcat and the Bernardi. Although the company changed hands and locations in 1979, ultimately closing its doors in 1989, the original kit cars are now considered collector's items among kit car enthusiasts.
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Kit Cars
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First designed in England in the late 1800s, kit cars gained popularity in the United States during the "hot rod" days of the 1950s. Affordable and easy to personalize, kit cars are sold either from the frames up or containing only the parts needed by the builder. The upper bodies were often designed to resemble sports cars from the 1930s on, complete with running boards and flared quarter-panels. While kit cars are still manufactured, classics such as those built and sold by Blakely Auto Works have become highly collectible.
Blakely Bantam
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Built on the frame of a Ford Pinto, the Bantam kit car was the first model offered by Blakely. This 1972 two-seater compact featured a fiberglass body styled in the manner of sports cars that were popular during the 1930s. Purposely simple and lightweight, the car was designed primarily for use on race tracks. It featured rear-wheel drive and the option of a 1.6-liter, 2-liter or 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine. The car remained in production through the 1980s, although the name was eventually changed to the Blakely Hawk.
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Blakely Bearcat
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The Bearcat, which debuted in 1973, was also built on a Pinto frame, but the body was larger and more sleek in design. Unlike the tiny Bantam, the Bearcat was equipped for street use. The interior was more spacious, as was the engine bay, which made it capable of holding a larger variety of engines. This model was reworked and renamed the Bearcat S in 1976. Equipped with a 2.3-liter Ford Pinto engine, the Bearcat S was capable of reaching 100 mph.
Blakely Bernardi
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Squat and heavy, the Blakely Bernardi, produced in the 1980s, was more reminiscent of British sports cars of the 1950s. The adjustable seats and removable hardtop or convertible top featured on the Bearcat were included in the design, although the engine options were much broader; owners could choose to install the small four-cylinder Bantam engine, the V-6 used in the Bearcat or a 5.0-liter V-8 used in the Ford Mustang II.
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