Tifosi Car Company from the Halls Group  

The TIFOSI RANA Frogeye inspired replica offers both an exciting introduction to the kit car industry for the new builder, and an extremely satisfying project for the classic car enthusiast wishing to own an icon of the golden age of British motoring. The TIFOSI RANA has real heritage whilst allowing the builder to express an element of their own engineering craftsmanship in the finished article.

Most, if not all kit cars, allow the builder to build into their car an element of their own personality and expression, but in the case of classic styled replicas very few have any real feeling of heritage. This is due to all the character of the original being lost through the extensive use of modern parts taken from the bland and anonymous family saloons and ‘rep mobiles’ used as donor cars.

The TIFOSI RANA successfully retains a significant amount of the original character and appeal by using the MG Midget as its basis. The MG Midget can trace its roots directly back to the original Austin Healey ‘Frogeye’ Sprite and apart from a rear spring upgrade and front brakes changing over to discs had no major structural changes made to its monocoque construction throughout its production run. This means that by building the TIFOSI RANA your finished car automatically inherits the pedigree and history associated with the original inspiration.

Whilst the MG Midget is considered a ‘classic’ in its own right, there are many suitable donors available on the used car market. A perfectly good example, having 12 months MOT, plus the cost of the TIFOSI RANA kit, with paint and maybe a few sundries for the donor (e.g. new carpets), means it is perfectly feasible to put a well finished example on the road for around £3500. If the builder is prepared to carry out some restoration work on the donor then this figure can be reduced greatly. The 1500cc ‘rubber bumper’ models of the Midget are the least popular in the eyes of the classic car movement and as a result they command lower values. This has the unusually unique advantage to the TIFOSI RANA builder that the donor cars become cheaper the newer they are.

This simple build, which retains the donor cars identity (saving both time and money) entails unbolting all of the outer panels forward of the windscreen scuttle (i.e. the front wings, bonnet and front panel, all of which are very saleable). Then cutting away the outer skin of the bodywork to the rear of the door shuts. The new front body moulding can now be securely located using the TIFOSI RANA’s specially manufactured front mounted hinge mechanism, which utilises existing mounting holes in the donor cars chassis rails. The rear section is then riveted / bonded in place using special adapter plates for the boot floor. Because of the quality of the panels preparation for painting is made simpler as there are few if any flash/moulding lines to remove. Apart from the fitting of any of the TIFOSI RANA option packs the completed car now simply requires painting in order to complete the project. ENJOY!

Standard Kit Package

The Standard Kit Package is the perfect option for builders who want a car that to the casual observer appears to be the same as the original but offers the more modern luxury of wind up windows. This would have surely been the natural evolution of the original ‘frogeye’, had the body style not been superceded with the ‘midget’ shape.

The build of this version is further simplified with the retention of the standard donor car dashboard (keeping shell modification and wiring alteration to a minimum).