A little bit of history…

People have been building small versions of race cars since the dawn of motorsport. Right back in 1915 Art Smith and Albert Menasco toured the world with their diminutive versions of Mercedes and Peugeot, Fiat and Stutz racing machines.

The 1920’s saw the phenomenon of the Cyclecar explode onto the automotive scene. The Cyclecar was a return to the visceral basics of the fun of driving a motorcar, just when mainstream production cars were becoming fat and luxurious. Cyclecaristes, as their drivers (or victims) were known, had to have a special kind of appetite for the spartan to enjoy Cyclecar motoring. According to motoring journalists of the day, they had to be on good terms with "their brother, the wind, and their sister, the rain".

Nevertheless, the Cyclecar (with its powerful and light motorcycle engine bolted into the flimsiest excuse for a chassis and even scantier bodywork) won its way into the hearts of thousands due largely to a very aggressive power-to-weight ratio that could leave far more expensive cars eating their dust.

Drawing on this rich heritage, the concept of the CycleKart was created by Peter and Michael Stevenson in California in the 1980’s. They take up the story:

“At our version of Captain Archie's Garage it was felt that a light-hearted machine that could deliver a lot of tactile-fun at a low speed was just the ticket for our age of racing that has been taking speeds too high (and taking itself too seriously) to be a lot of fun for many of us. Cyclekarts are even smaller than their ancestors, with featherweight monococque frames, disc brakes, lightning-quick precise steering and a 200cc. ohv, smog-approved engines coupled up to vari-drive automatic transmissions. The result? More power than you really need. By the time you've hit the second turn, you've learned how to use your hips and body-English to do most of the steering, -and the rest is pure four-wheeled mayhem. You quickly get to feel like you could drive the little monster any which way you like (except, perhaps, in a straight line).”

Various people have built Cyclekarts in Great Britain over the years, but like telephones, they only really make sense if there’s more than one. September 2018 saw the first small gathering of Cyclekarts and would-be Cyclekarters at Stretton in Leicestershire and from that small acorn, CKGB was born.

Everyone is welcome

We are committed to our club being a welcoming and supportive environment to develop an interest and involvement in Cyclekarts in Britain. The hobby originated to have low-cost constructive fun for all and we aim to ensure that this is maintained. It is an opportunity for people, whoever they are and whatever their background, to share ideas, make new friendships, to learn new skills and re-kindle old ones.
The era of pre-war Britain from which our hobby takes its inspiration is a very different Britain from that of today. Whilst those old photographs of the daring days of motor racing install feelings of nostalgia, we wish to ensure that all aspects of an inclusive modern Britain are reflected in our membership.

We warmly extend an invitation to all, irrespective of age, gender, sexuality, race, religion, or disability.