West Country car wizard works his magic

Since 2007 Oliver, a senior technical manager for a Mercedes-Benz dealership in Bristol, has been building a car from the ground up, forsaking a normal social life to fulfil his dream of creating a truly unique automotive masterpiece. It started with an approach to Swindon-based mobile entertainment specialists, Clarion, who Oliver suggested might like to showcase its award-winning audio, multimedia and satellite navigation equipment in his project.

Four years later, after 4,000 hours of spare time toil, patience, immense skill, and an almost obsessive drive for perfection - not to mention £70,000 of his hard-earned cash and savings - Oliver’s unique K1 Attack sportscar is wowing crowds at shows across the country.

Starting with a crudely-finished chassis, makeshift body panels and a variety of components, delivered in a box from a factory in the Czech Republic in 2006, Oliver set to in his garage, building his dream car in stages. “I have actually assembled the car four times since starting the project”, said Oliver. “I had an original concept firmly in mind, and the design and specification evolved as I went along by building the car, checking the fit of every new component, disassembling, making modifications and so on, until I was happy with every element.”

Oliver’s parts list, created as the build progressed, included a whole host of one-off items specially produced for the car - which he designed and had made, all echoing his fanatical desire for individuality and quality. These include linear actuators and mechanisms for opening the driver & passenger doors by remote control, carbon fibre bodywork and interior detailing, colour-coded cabling, polished hoses and pipe work, chromed suspension and a full bespoke leather/Alcantara cockpit, detailed with his exquisite design and styling touches.

But as Oliver explains, attention to detail doesn’t come cheap: “For example, I chose Asanti wheels from the USA, at £2,000 each, because they are just the greatest. I spent many thousands of pounds more on the composite bodywork styling, hand-crafted seats and interior, suspension, lighting, right-hand drive conversion, even chroming hundreds of nuts and bolts…the list is endless.”

Along with Clarion, who have supported Oliver from the outset with a feast of state-of-theart mobile entertainment and navigation systems, other major brands have assisted in the build, including MOMO, who dipped into their treasure chest of interior styling products to add Italian flair to Oliver’s creation, and Yokohama, whose legendary high-performance tyres now grace the car.

With a 250bhp Honda Civic Type R 2.0 litre 4-cylinder engine and six-speed manual gearbox installed amidships, ultra taut race-bred suspension and formidable Brembo braking, the car’s performance is more than a match for its stunning looks, which are capped with a sumptuous Lamborghini pearl white paint finish.

Amidst all the attention, Oliver is frequently asked what he’ll do now the car is finished. “I’ve actually been offered a lot of money to sell it but I plan to enjoy it for a year or so, and after that? Well, building a speedboat from scratch could be fun,” he mused, suggesting this isn’t the last we’ll hear of the West Country wizard.

More details on Clarion range of products and a full list of dealers, call Clarion (GB) Ltd., on 01793 870400, or visit www.clarion.co.uk.

For further information and copyright free images, and if you would like to test any product, please contact:

Chris Hodges, Clarion Press Office.

Tel: 01491 411777. E-mail: clarion[at]mph.co.uk

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