Automotive Design and Development
Encyclopedia
Automotive Design and Development Ltd (ADD) was an English
company that was responsible for the creation of the futuristic-looking Nova kit car
. The company was based in Southampton
from 1971 to 1973 after which it moved to Accrington
, Lancashire
until 1975. ADD as a company failed and the rights to the Nova were bought by Vic Elam who founded a new company, Nova Cars in Mirfield
, West Yorkshire in 1978 which continued until 1990. A low volume production run was made by Nova Developments in Cornwall in the 90's and the company was sold to Shashi Vyas whose company Aerotec Nova was still based in circa 1996. No examples were produced after this time, the body moulds remaining in Cornwall.
The car was styled by Richard Oakes with engineering by Phil Sayers. The two seater Nova with its dramatically opening roof/door canopy
combines basic ideas of the Ford GT40
and Lamborghini Miura
in a fiberglass shell on a VW Beetle chassis
and mechanicals.
Licensed version of the Nova have been built in Austria
as the Ledl, in Australia
as the Purvis Eureka
, in France
as the Défi, in Italy
as the Totem and Puma
, in New Zealand
as the Scorpion, in South Africa
as the Eagle, in Switzerland
as the Gryff, in the United States
as the Sterling
and Sovran and in Zimbabwe
as the Tarantula. There have also been numerous un-licensed copies. Some versions featured pop-up head lamps and gull-wing door
s, but the basic silhouette remained the same.
Versions of the Nova have appeared in number of films, including Cannonball Run II
, Death Race 2000
, Winners and Sinners
, Condorman
and "Mani Di Velluto" http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mani_di_velluto.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
company that was responsible for the creation of the futuristic-looking Nova kit car
Kit car
A kit car, also known as a "component car", is an automobile that is available as a set of parts that a manufacturer sells and the buyer then either assembles into a car themselves, or retains a third party to do part or all of the work on their behalf...
. The company was based in Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
from 1971 to 1973 after which it moved to Accrington
Accrington
Accrington is a town in Lancashire, within the borough of Hyndburn. It lies about east of Blackburn, west of Burnley, north of Manchester city centre and is situated on the mostly culverted River Hyndburn...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
until 1975. ADD as a company failed and the rights to the Nova were bought by Vic Elam who founded a new company, Nova Cars in Mirfield
Mirfield
Mirfield is a small town and civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. It is located on the A644 road between Brighouse and Dewsbury...
, West Yorkshire in 1978 which continued until 1990. A low volume production run was made by Nova Developments in Cornwall in the 90's and the company was sold to Shashi Vyas whose company Aerotec Nova was still based in circa 1996. No examples were produced after this time, the body moulds remaining in Cornwall.
The Nova
Vehicle canopy
A vehicle canopy is a rarely used type of door for cars. It has no official name so it is also known as an articulated canopy, bubble canopy, cockpit canopy, canopy door, or simply a canopy. A canopy is a type of door which sits on top of a car and lifts up in some way, to provide access for...
combines basic ideas of the Ford GT40
Ford GT40
The Ford GT40 was a high performance sports car and winner of the 24 hours of Le Mans four times in a row, from 1966 to 1969...
and Lamborghini Miura
Lamborghini Miura
The Lamborghini Miura was a sports car produced by Italian automaker Lamborghini between 1966 and 1972. The car is widely considered to have begun the trend of high performance, two-seater, mid-engined sports cars...
in a fiberglass shell on a VW Beetle chassis
Chassis
A chassis consists of an internal framework that supports a man-made object. It is analogous to an animal's skeleton. An example of a chassis is the underpart of a motor vehicle, consisting of the frame with the wheels and machinery.- Vehicles :In the case of vehicles, the term chassis means the...
and mechanicals.
Licensed version of the Nova have been built in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
as the Ledl, in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
as the Purvis Eureka
Purvis Eureka
The Purvis Eureka is a sports car which was produced by Purvis Cars at Dandenong in Victoria, Australia from 1974 to 1991.First exhibited at the 1974 Melbourne International Motor Show, the Eureka was based on the British Nova kit car design of 1971...
, in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
as the Défi, in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
as the Totem and Puma
Puma (kit-car)
Puma was a car company founded by Roman businessman Adriano Gatto active from seventies to nineties that specialized in kit-cars. The first model was the Gatto Spider Spiaggia, born from experience modifying "deserter" American Dune Buggy...
, in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
as the Scorpion, in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
as the Eagle, in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
as the Gryff, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
as the Sterling
Sterling Sports Cars
Sterling Sports Cars is an American automobile company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, that designs and manufactures assembly kits for replicars and supercars.-Current models:...
and Sovran and in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
as the Tarantula. There have also been numerous un-licensed copies. Some versions featured pop-up head lamps and gull-wing door
Gull-wing door
Gull-wing door is an automotive industry term describing car doors that are hinged at the roof rather than the side, as pioneered by the 1952 Mercedes-Benz 300SL race car and its road-legal version introduced in 1954....
s, but the basic silhouette remained the same.
Versions of the Nova have appeared in number of films, including Cannonball Run II
Cannonball Run II
See also Cannonball Baker Sea-To-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy DashCannonball Run II comedy film featuring Burt Reynolds and an all-star cast, released by Warner Bros. and Golden Harvest...
, Death Race 2000
Death Race 2000
Death Race 2000 is a 1975 cult action film directed by Paul Bartel, and starring David Carradine, Simone Griffeth and Sylvester Stallone. The film takes place in a dystopian American society in the year 2000, where the murderous Transcontinental Road Race has become a form of national entertainment...
, Winners and Sinners
Winners and Sinners
Winners and Sinners is a 1983 Hong Kong action comedy film directed, co-written by and starring Sammo Hung. It was the first in the Lucky Stars series of films - a highly successful series in Hong Kong....
, Condorman
Condorman
Condorman is a 1981 comedy/adventure film from Walt Disney Productions starring Michael Crawford and Oliver Reed. Inspired by Robert Sheckley's The Game of X, Condorman follows comic book illustrator Woodrow Wilkins' attempts to assist in the defection of a female Soviet KGB agent.-Plot:Woodrow...
and "Mani Di Velluto" http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mani_di_velluto.
External links
- http://groups.msn.com/clubnovaavante Nova Owners Club website
- http://www.euro-nova.co.uk./ UK Nova website
- http://www.nationalsterling.org US Sterling owners website
- Nova appearances in movies from the Internet Movie Car Database
- http://www.sterlingsportscars.com Sterling Sports Cars LLC USA is a company with new information
- http://www.mounsey.co.uk/condorman.html?r=wiki Information about the film "Condorman" - which featured a yellow Nova car