Arsenal

Arsenal was a small Hungarian car project developed by Frigyes Bank, a skilled car repairman based in Soltvadkert. In 1980, Bank built a two-seat sports car using the mechanical components of a Lada Shiguli combined with a fiberglass-reinforced plastic body of his own design. The styling drew inspiration from Mercedes-Benz racing cars of the 1920s, giving the vehicle a distinctly vintage appearance despite its modern underpinnings.

Producing an independently designed car in Hungary at the time was a difficult undertaking, as private automotive creations were generally discouraged by the authorities. Despite this challenging political climate, and facing skepticism from those around him, Bank succeeded in getting his creation through the required technical examination. He went on to build about a dozen examples of the car.

In 1994, Bank relocated to northern Hungary, settling near a General Motors assembly plant in the hope of attracting interest from Opel in his design, though this collaboration never came to fruition. The Arsenal project resurfaced publicly in 1998, when it was displayed at the Budapest Auto Show, marking a rare recognition for one of Hungary's few independent automotive ventures of the era.