MORE THAN A KIT CAR
IF YOU’RE SUCCESSFUL, PEOPLE WILL WANT TO COPY; IF YOU’RE GOOD-LOOKING AS WELL, SO MUCH MORE
The Unique Vehicle and Accessory Company (UVA) was started by Alan Arnold and Terry Lee during the early ’80s, in Berkshire, England. They began by importing an American VW Beetle–based kit car called the ‘Manta Montage’. The fact that it bore a strong resemblance to the McLaren M6GT was no accident.
The McLaren M6GT — featured in Motorman, New Zealand Issue No. 339 — was a closed-cockpit sports car designed by Bruce McLaren and his team as a GT car and also to be raced at Le Mans. It was based on the M6A Can-Am race car, in which McLaren and Denny Hulme had dominated racing in the US in 1967. It was a year that finished with Bruce winning the 1967 Can-Am Challenge Cup. He was seriously considering mass producing it when he was killed in a testing accident in 1970 at the Goodwood race track.
