Arnott

Arnott was a British car manufacturer based in Harlesden, London, operating out of Arnott's Garages, a family business specializing in tuning equipment and superchargers. The company was closely associated with Daphne Arnott, heiress to the garage, who took an active role in designing and building the marque's small output of competition and road cars during the 1950s.

The first Arnott car appeared in 1951, when Daphne Arnott and her works manager designed a 500cc Formula Three car featuring a simple ladder frame and all-independent suspension. Six examples were built. Although the car achieved little racing success, it was notable for its fibreglass bodywork and for being among the first European single-seaters to feature seat belts as standard equipment.

In 1955, the Formula Three chassis served as the basis for a new fibreglass-bodied sports car, this time with a front-mounted engine. It was designed around the Austin A35 engine, though buyers of the seven cars produced were free to fit their own power units. That same year, Daphne Arnott became the first woman to serve as a constructor in a World Championship racing class when an Arnott fitted with a 1100cc Coventry Climax engine was entered at Le Mans. The car crashed during practice, drawing significant press attention to her achievement as a female car builder.

A single sports racing car with a spaceframe chassis and crossover suspension was produced in 1956, though it was later sold as a road car rather than raced. The company's final effort came in 1957 with a Climax-powered GT car, entered at Le Mans as its sole competitive outing, though it failed to finish the race. This marked the end of Arnott's brief history as a car manufacturer.