Eagle [3]

Eagle Cars was a British manufacturer of kit cars based successively in Lancing, Storrington, and Arundel, all in Sussex, active from 1981 to 1997.

Operating under the slogan "The Eagle has landed," the company began in 1981 with the Eagle SS, a kit-form car built under licence from the American Cimbria SS and initially based on a Volkswagen floorpan. In 1983 this was superseded by a new tubular steel ladder chassis designed to accept Ford Cortina components, including front-mounted engines up to V6 size. That same year, the company introduced the +2, a four-seater convertible variant that used only front-engine layouts.

Also in 1983, Eagle took over the Rhino, a jeep-style vehicle, renaming it the RV. Within months a purpose-built ladder chassis for Cortina mechanicals was developed for this model. Later versions of the RV were offered with four-wheel drive, based on Range Rover or Daihatsu Fourtrak chassis, with a Ford Sierra-based option following in 1994.

In 1989 Eagle acquired the Dutton Phaeton design from Dutton, which it reworked into the re-engineered and restyled P21 and P25 models. The company also pursued collaborations with European partners, developing the Milan, also known as the M2, together with a German firm. This was intended as a more upmarket, fully-built four-seater convertible with contemporary styling and Ford Sierra components, though it never reached production.

In 1994 Eagle developed the Stendetto, a Ferrari F40 replica based on the Pontiac Fiero, produced for a French company.