The Kamala was one of the most weird British kit cars of the 1990s
RareONES The reaction that appears the first time you see this car can be ascertained is 'What the car is this?' As we all know that the Dax Kamala was one of the most exciting (tends to weird) British kit cars of the 1990s and had caused quite a stir in the motoring press when it was unveiled at the Stoneleigh Kitcar Show back in the 1995. It produced by DAX Cars or DJ Sportscars was founded in 1968 by a British gentleman named Derek Johns, with their main focus being fibreglass moulding, and production of various kit-cars such as AC 427 Cobra and Lotus 7 replicas.
The DAX Kamala built by DAX Cars (DJ Sportscars) back in the 1995 and generally the Kamala in designing shape was a radical departure of their production standards, with the open designed front fenders. (Picture from: TheGarageMedia)
And generally the Kamala in designing shape was a radical departure from their production standards, known was the brainchild of the company development engineer named Peter Walker. His ultimate goal was to create a modern sports car, with the handling, ride quality and interior comfort of a production car rather than a kit car. The main structure of the Kamala was the fully triangulated steel spaceframe, with a floor and side bulkheads made of glued and riveted aluminium. The bodywork consisted of a one-piece fiberglass shell, which was also glued and riveted to the chassis for greater torsional rigidity.
The DAX Kamala's interior was well thought out and comfortable, using many controls and instrumentation also sourced from Ford. (Picture from: TheGarageMedia)
The front suspension used Ford Sierra-derived front hubs, mated to DAX's specially designed triangular unequal-length wishbones and Spax adjustable shock absorbers offered just the right final set-up. The rear used the hub carriers from the Ford Escort, with wishbones also made to measure and a micro linkage developed by Leda Suspensions. Also Ford-derived vented disc brakes were available on all four wheels.
The DAX Cars offered several option of drivetrains ranging from 1.8 and 2-litre naturally aspirated Zetec 4-cylinder options with 115hp to 150hp, as well as the 2.0-litre turbo version of the Sierra Cosworth. (Picture from: UniqueCarsForSale)
So if you pay attention to the DAX Kamala, this is a compact sports car that is similar in size to the Lotus Elise. Meanwhile, the engine/gearbox options always came from the Ford's world and included the naturally aspirated 1.8 and 2-litre Zetec 4-cylinder options from 115hp to 150hp, as well as the 2.0-litre turbo version of the Sierra Cosworth. You understand that with only 750kg of weight the performances were still and always electrifying.
The DAX Kamala's mid-engined setup, when combined with high-performance tires, provided prodigious road holding. (Picture from: UniqueCarsForSale)
With a plethora of performance enhancements available through engine tuning, a customer could build an even more powerful custom version of the Kamala for an overall reasonable investment. The demo model presented by DAX Cars powered by the Sierra Cosworth engine coupled with a gigantic turbo, which offered an impressive 340hp with a power-to-weight ratio of 500hp/tonne and also at the time, the automaker said that the customer could be had similar cars with cost of around €20,000. WOW!!!
The Kamala roadster version also built besides the coupe based on the Dax Kamala, and produced by Kamala Cars right after the company changed its name from DAX Cars back in the 2001 up to 2008. (Picture from: AllCarIndex)
The Kamala's mid-engined setup, when combined with high-performance tires, provided prodigious road holding and razor-sharp Ford-derived steering allowed for consistently precise cornering without the slightest body roll. Its handling was confidence inspiring but you still had to be very careful at all times especially on slippery roads like most similarly configured lightweight cars.
The Kamala Futuro was the second series of kitcar introduced by Kamala Cars, and during its production periods ranging from 2004 to 2008 only one unit ever built. (Picture from: AllCarIndex)
Although it presented a challenge getting in and out of the cockpit due to the lack of doors, accessed by opening the windows and climbing over, the Kamala's interior was well thought out and comfortable, using many controls and instrumentation also sourced from Ford. The seats mounted in the center of the passenger compartment due to the design of the chassis offered sufficient comfort and allowed to eliminate the typical effect of the offset pedals common in mid-engined cars, while the gear lever was placed on the driver's side.
The Kamala Futuro's appearence is more like a normal sports car with the front wheel arches was made to one into body.(Picture from: CarBase)
DAX Cars produced its Kamala kit cars overall ranging from 1995 until 2000, selling only 35 kits, a truly very limited number which makes this car truly rare to find for sale but also to encounter on the road. Subsequently a new company named for the occasion Kamala Cars took over the project in 2001, it produced the Kamala Coupe based on the DAX Kamala, besides that they also designed an open variant as a Roadster. All of these models found about 15 buyers between 2001 and 2008.
The Kamala Futuro's interior looks so neat featured with not many controls and instrumentation on the dashboard. (Picture from: AllCarIndex)
Then the company also began to produce the second series of kit cars named Kamala Futuro which had a similar design to the previous kit cars production with a slightly different appearance on the front. Well, while in the previous Kamala production the front wheels were deliberately exposed with a separate cover, but in the Futuro the front wheel arches was made to one into body. Although this model was offered from 2004 to 2008, only about one example was made. And since 2017 the DAX autobrand has been acquired by JK Sports Cars Ltd.
Despite the accolades of the likes of Top Gear's hosts as one of the best cars they had ever driven at that point, this such Kamala's sports car has never been successful in sales. (Picture from: AllCarIndex)
Despite the accolades of the likes of Richard Hammond and Jeremy Clarkson, who claimed that the Kamala was one of the best cars they had ever driven at that point, the strange English sports car has never been successful in sales. Perhaps its futuristic style was too extreme for some conservative
kitcar-loving customers and so it was too eccentric for a market dominated mainly by the usual and well-known replicas.
The front suspension used Ford Sierra-derived front hubs, mated to DAX's specially designed triangular unequal-length wishbones and Spax adjustable shock absorbers offered just the right final set-up. The rear used the hub carriers from the Ford Escort, with wishbones also made to measure and a micro linkage developed by Leda Suspensions. Also Ford-derived vented disc brakes were available on all four wheels.
Despite the accolades of the likes of Richard Hammond and Jeremy Clarkson, who claimed that the Kamala was one of the best cars they had ever driven at that point, the strange English sports car has never been successful in sales. Perhaps its futuristic style was too extreme for some conservative
kitcar-loving customers and so it was too eccentric for a market dominated mainly by the usual and well-known replicas.
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