Lot Ended
Description
Suzuki Vitara clad in a lightweight galvanized steel body; only
2,000 miles from build; immensely solid and very nippy; Cybertruck
looks without the stigma; loads of fun for little outlay
Don’t worry, when this wee
beastie drove through the gates into Brightwells, we didn’t know what
it was either! A mini Cybertruck perhaps? A prop from a Mad Max movie? It is in
fact a road legal Suzuki Vitara which has been optimized for off-road
performance using a kit supplied by NCF Motor Body Conversions of
Warrington.
A qualified engineer who has
restored many classic cars and bikes over the years, our vendor bought the kit
in March 2015, the invoice showing that it cost £1,850. Ably assisted by his two
teenage sons, he spent over two years carefully transforming it into the fine
beast you see today.
Unlike most kits and
replicas, the Arctic’s body is made from MIG welded galvanized steel and
includes a substantial roll cage. It is nothing like your average fibreglass kit
and feels extremely robust.
The donor vehicle was a 1991
Suzuki Vitara SWB three-door 4x4 with the carb-fed 1,590cc G16A four-cylinder
8-valve SOHC petrol engine, producing around 75bhp and 100lb/ft. Driving through
a 5-speed manual box with hi/lo transfer case for selectable two- or
four-wheel drive, it would have been good for a top speed of 90mph with 30mpg
economy – although this Arctic kit is considerably lighter so it should
go rather better.
A large file of invoices show
that many new components were used in the build, including: brake
discs/pads/calipers/hoses; KYB gas shock absorbers; wheel bearings; fuel tank;
wheels; tyres; windscreen; lights; vee belt; engine core plugs; full service –
the list goes on and on.
Thousands of pounds and untold
man hours must have gone into this project and you can’t fail to be impressed by
the results – the build quality is excellent and it doesn’t feel like your
typical kit car, more like a factory-built machine.
The Vitara had 84k
miles on the clock when the body was removed and it has been lightly but
regularly used since the build was completed in 2017, the odometer now showing
85,934 miles. MOT tested every year (nearly always passing with no advisories),
the current ticket runs until May 2026 and was another clean pass. It is
properly recorded on the V5C as a Suzuki NCF Arctic (all that is required for a
conversion like this which has no chassis modifications and is thus exempt from
the IVA test).
Mostly used on the road (it is very clean
underneath) it has done a bit of green-laning and is said to be very competent
off-road with a chunky steel sump guard to protect the engine from rocks. The
vendor was toying with the idea of jacking up the suspension and fitting a
diesel engine for some serious mud-plugging and mountain-climbing but eventually
decided against this.
This Arctic is a
hoot to drive, feeling very lively due to its flyweight construction with light
and direct steering, despite the chunky off-road tyres (we initially thought it
had power steering but apparently not). The doors are easily detachable for that
open-air look but it is worth noting that they only open at the top – hence the
side steps which help you clamber across the roll cage and into the cabin.
You do need to be quite limber and, if you value
your dignity, we wouldn't recommend getting in or out in your mini skirt.
Although given the back-of-beyond places this thing can get to, no one
would see you anyway…
On offer here at a very
enticing guide price, this super-cool Arctic looks like a lot of fun and will be
a great way to pose around in the long hot summer that lies ahead of us. We like
it a lot and we are sure that you will too, so make sure you come and see
it!
To read a review of the NCF kit, copy and paste this
link into your browser:
https://www.rcnmag.com/garage/arctic-blast#google_vignette
Consigned
by James Dennison – 07970 309907 – [email protected]