Sylva Autokits

Sylva Autokits is a kit car manufacturer based in Lincolnshire, England. Sylva was founded in 1981 by Jeremy Phillips and has developed and produced a number of small and lightweight sports cars. Sylva cars have proven very successful in competition, winning a number of 750 Motor Club Kit Car championships.

Sylva has sold many of its older designs to other kit car manufacturers, such as selling the Fury to Fisher Sportscars, the Stylus to Specialist Sports Cars, and the Striker to Raw Engineering. By doing so, Jeremy Phillips and Sylva have been able to focus on newer designs and ideas, such as the current Sylva Mojo 2 and R1ot.

Models

Star

:main|Sylva StarThe first Sylva car launched in 1982. The Sylva Star kit was based on a purpose built two seater chassis using the front subframe and the rear axle from a donor Vauxhall Viva the car was most often powered by 1300 and 1600 four cylinder Ford Kent crossflow engines, though other engine options were available. The Sylva Star was the first in a long line of small, agile two seater open top cars designed by Jeremy Phillips and built for fun and economy.

= Leader =

:main|Sylva LeaderThe Sylva Leader was an evolution of the Sylva Star retaining the two seater, open top, layout but with improved design features. The two piece fiberglass body comprised of a front hinging bonnet ( hood ) and low sided passenger compartment. Engine options were Ford Kent Crossflow and Fiat Twin cam engines. Some Sylva Star owners replaced the front with the narrower and more curved Leader front body piece.

The manufacturing rights for the Leader were first sold to Nials Johannson who continued to make the kits under the name Swindon Sportscars.

= Striker =

:main|Sylva StrikerThe most enduring of the Sylva models the Striker was a radical evolution of the Star and Leader dropping the Viva donor car in favour of purpose built suspension and lighter bodywork. The car was aimed at two markets, the home car builder that required an economical kit that could be built using readily available mechanics tools and the more demanding race car builder who favoured good handling and simple design.

The Striker has proved popular and successful on UK race tracks, most notably in the Kitcar race series run by the 750 Motor club.

The Striker, available in kit form, can be built with a variety of engines, for example a Ford Crossflow, Ford Zetec or even a motorcycle engine. These cars have high power to weight ratios and are best enjoyed in the summer. All kit-cars are now put though an SVA - single Vehicle approval Scheme in the UK to attain a road vehicle licence. The Mk 4 version of this car was also manufactured in New Zealand from 1989.

Phoenix

:main|Sylva PhoenixThe Phoenix was a built for race version of the Striker. The core chassis was similar but the fiberglass bodywork was developed for race purposes with a curved and lowered front and wheel covering outer edges. Used extensively in the kitcar race series the Phoenix is still a popular choice for less expensive end of clubman motorsport.

Fury

:main|Sylva FuryLaunched in 1991 and sold to Fisher Sportscars in 1994. Currently owned by BGH Geartech Ltd. and is Based in Kent UK

Stylus

:main|Sylva Fury

Launched in 1994 and sold to Specialist Sports Cars in 1996.

The first Styluses used a modified Fury chassis, afterwards a purpose built chassis was made to accommodate the lowered doors. The front rocker arms were upgraded with needle bearings and the front lower arms got redesigned to prevent the lower ball joints being damaged. As with most Sylva models, various engines can be fitted.

In 2003 the Stylus RT was launched making it a modern looking sportscar.

The Stylus RT (Race Track) uses the SSC standard chassis, but with wider front suspension, & use wheel spacers at rear or if De-Dion this can also be made wider. The rear wing was developed at Swansea University in there motorsport dept. The RT also has a full front splitter and a rear diffuser. These 3 aerodynamic aids are optional extras. SSC fitted quad style lights. A standard Stylus can be modified to RT specification.

Specialist Sports Cars sold the rights to Stylus Sports Cars in 2004 and the Stylus is currently unavailable.

Jester

:main|Sylva JesterMk 1 Fiesta based fun car now produced by Harlequin Autokits.

The Jester Kit has recently been bought by Stingray Motorsport in Ripley, Derbyshire. Working with Jeremy Phillips, Stingray Motorsport has taken the Jester through a full re-development process, the Jester now uses a more modern and easily available donor, the Ford KA. The new Jester is now available, it's simple to build and with adjustable AVO shocks and Cobra seats it should be possible to build a complete car for under £5000.00.

Mojo

:main|Sylva MojoThe Mojo was a new model launched in 2000. It was originally designed around the front wheel drive engine and gearbox from a Mk2 Fiesta, but with the whole setup fitted at the rear to give a mid-mounted transverse setup. The Ford CVH engine was therefore the 'standard' fitment, but other engines such as Ford Zetec, Toyota 4AGE and Renault 5 GT Turbo.

The Mojo used a de dion rear suspension setup combined with another variation on the Sylva inboard front suspension design.

Mojo 2

:main|Sylva Mojo 2The Mojo 2 is a redesigned Mojo with independent double wishbone rear suspension. The body was redesigned at the rear, and 2 new nose designs introduced.

Mojo SE

:main|Sylva Mojo 2A further development of the Mojo 2, which took the rear chassis design of the Riot SE to give a slightly longer wheelbase to accommodate a wider variety of engines. The rear bodywork was redesigned to accommodate the extra length behind the rear bulkhead.

Riot

:main|Sylva Mojo 2The Riot is a motor cycle engined version of the Mojo 2. The original version used a Yamaha R1 engine and was called the R1ot. Later it was redesigned to take a Ford Zetec SE and was called Riot SE. It went on to become "Kit Car of the Year 2005". [http://www.sylva.co.uk/riotSE.html]

External reference

* [http://www.sylva.co.uk/ Sylva web site]
* [http://www.Stingraymotorsport.com/ Stingray Motorsport - Supplier of Sylva kits and parts]
* [http://www.jpsc.org.uk/ Jeremy Phillips Sportscars Club]
* [http://www.fishersportscars.co.uk/ Fisher Sports Cars UK]
* [http://groups.google.co.uk/group/Sylva-Chat?hl=en-GB Google Sylva chat group]
* [http://www.clubstylus.be/ Stylus Owners Club]