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{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2017}}
{{ infobox company▼
{{Use British English|date=July 2017}}
▲{{ infoboxInfobox company
| name = Kieft
| logo = [[file:Kieft racing logo.svg]] ‎
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[[File:Stirling Moss Zandvoort 1951.jpg|thumb|right|[[Stirling Moss]] won the Formula 3 support race at the [[1951 Dutch Grand Prix]] driving a Kieft]]
[[ImageFile:Kieft GP car Donington pits.jpg|thumb|leftright|200px230px|Although best known for their F3 designs, Kieft did design a [[Formula One]] car. It had to wait until 2002 to make its race debut.]]▼
 
[[Image:Kieft Emblem.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Kieft Emblem as photographed on the front of the Kieft F1 Car]]'''Kieft Cars''', founded by [[Cyril Kieft]], was a British car company that built [[Formula Three]] racing cars and some road going sports cars in a factory in Derry St, [[Wolverhampton]].<ref name="Georgano">''The Complete Encyclopedia of Motorcars, 1885 to the Present''. By [[G.N. Georgano]], Dutton Press, New York, 2nd ed. 1973, {{ISBN|0-525-08351-0}}</ref>
 
==History==
[[Cyril Kieft]] was born in [[Swansea]] and spent his early working life in the steel industry. After the secondSecond World war he started up his own company ''Cyril Kieft and Co Ltd'' in [[Bridgend]], Glamorgan, making forgings and pressings including components for the motor industry. He had an interest in motor racing and, when the [[MarwynFormula Three]] company, who hadcar builtmanufacturer [[Formula ThreeMarwyn]] carsfailed, failed he bought thetheir designs and used them as a base for his own 500cc car. Several of these were sold and some competition success resulted. Publicity was gained by successful attempts on a series of records at [[Autodrome de Montlhéry|Montlhéry]] in France. One of the drivers was [[Stirling Moss]], who explained the shortcomings of the cars. As a result of this, a new design was acquired andwhich copied the novel "free roll" rubber suspended swing axle independent rear suspension layout of the highly successful "Fraikaiserwagen" hillclimb race car, Moss joinedand his manager [[Ken Gregory]] became directors, and the company which moved to new premises at Reliance Works in Derry Street, Wolverhampton.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/stirling-mosss-manager-ken-gregory-dies-4469909/4469909/|title=Stirling Moss's manager Ken Gregory dies|work=autosport.com|access-date=31 July 2021|date=1 December 2013}}</ref><ref name="Georgano"/>
 
For the 1951 season aA new design by Gordon Bedson, who had joined the company from the aircraft industry, was produced in time for the 1951 Whit Monday Meeting at [[Goodwood Circuit|Goodwood]] where it won the Formula Three event driven by Moss. [[Don Parker (formularacing driver)|Don Parker]] was employed as works driver and won the [[British Formula 3 International Series|British Formula Three championshipsChampionship]] in 1952 and 1953.<ref name="Georgano"/>▼
▲[[Image:Kieft GP car Donington pits.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Although best known for their F3 designs, Kieft did design a [[Formula One]] car. It had to wait until 2002 to make its race debut.]]
▲For the 1951 season a new design by Gordon Bedson, who had joined the company from the aircraft industry, was produced in time for the Whit Monday Meeting at [[Goodwood Circuit|Goodwood]] where it won the Formula Three event driven by Moss. [[Don Parker (formula driver)|Don Parker]] was employed as works driver and won the British Formula Three championships in 1952 and 1953.
 
Between 1953 and 1954, Kieft designed a [[Formula One]] car. It was designed to accommodate a [[Coventry-Climax]] Godiva engine, but the engine was not released in time due to fears it would be uncompetitive, and the project was shelved. It would later be acquired by Bill Morris, a former ERA driver, and restored for historic racing. The car finally debuted in September 2002 at a [[Vintage Sports-Car Club|VSCC]] Silverstone meeting, with Cyril Kieft in attendance.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Kieft GP car makes debut|magazine=Motor Sport|page=7|date=November 2002|access-date=31 July 2021|url=https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/november-2002/7/kieft-gp-car-makes-debut}}</ref> It also raced in the [[2006 Historic Grand Prix of Monaco]].
In 1954 Kieft started to make a two seater sports car which could also be used as a road car. Using a [[Coventry Climax]] FWA engine, all independent suspension using transverse leaf springs at the rear and a lightweight glass fibre body the car was really a racing car and at £1560 it is doubtful if any were bought just as road cars. ▼
 
▲In 1954, Kieft started to make a two -seater sports car which could also be used as a road car. Using a [[Coventry Climax]] FWA engine, all independent suspension using transverse leaf springs at the rear and a lightweight glass fibre body the car was really a racing car and at £1560 it is doubtful if any were bought just as road cars.<ref name="Georgano"/>
The company was losing money and at the end of 1954 Kieft sold the company to racing driver Berwyn Baxter. ▼
 
▲The company was losing money and at the end of 1954 Kieft sold the company to racing driver Berwyn Baxter.
Kieft Cars left Wolverhampton in 1956 and moved to nearby Birmingham where they concentrated on preparing and tuning other makes of cars. There were plans for a return to making Kieft cars but these failed to materialise. The company was sold again in 1960 and changed its name to Burmans.▼
 
▲Kieft Cars left Wolverhampton in 1956 and moved to nearby Birmingham, where they concentrated on preparing and tuning other makes of cars. There were plans for a return to making Kieft cars but these failed to materialise. The company was sold again in 1960 and changed its name to Burmans.
Kieft Sports Car Co. Ltd. is now owned by Canadian Peter Schömer and based out of Chichester, West Sussex near Goodwood.
 
There is a new Sports Racer in the works using a Coventry Climax FPF 2.5 liter twin cam engine called the Kieft 'Corsa Veloce'.
== See also ==
Kieft logo TM# 2516876 property of the Kieft Sports Car Co.Ltd.
* [[List of car manufacturers of the United Kingdom]]
 
==References==
{{reflist}}
 
==Sources==
*[[G.N. Georgano]] "Adams-Farwell", ''The Complete Encyclopedia of Motorcars 1885-1968''. New York: E.P. Dutton and Co., 1974, p.&nbsp;27.
*[[G.N. Georgano]], editor: ''The Complete Encyclopedia of Motorcars, 1885 to the Present''. Dutton Press, New York, 2nd ed. 1973, {{ISBN|0-525-08351-0}}
 
==External links==
* {{CommonscatCommons category|Kieft vehicles}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090828061758/http://www.localhistory.scit.wlv.ac.uk/genealogy/Kieft/CyrilKieft.htm Detailed history of Kieft's motor racing involvement]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20051031071828/http://www.localhistory.scit.wlv.ac.uk/Museum/Transport/Cars/Kieft.htm#Kieft Brief history and photos of Kieft cars]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20051118231153/http://www.500race.org/Marques/Kieft.htm Kieft 500cc racing cars]
 
[[Category:CompaniesManufacturing companies based in Wolverhampton]]
[[Category:MotorDefunct motor vehicle manufacturers of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Sports car manufacturers]]
[[Category:British racecar constructors]]
 
[[de:Kieft Cars]]
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