Dax Kamala, a concept car for the road

Causing quite a stir in the motoring press when it was introduced at the Stoneleigh show in 1995, the Dax Kamala was among the most exciting UK kit cars of the 1990's. Made by DJ Sportscars, a manufacturer of Cobra and Lotus 7 replicas, the Kamala was a radical departure from their usual fare. It was the brainchild of DJ Sportscars' employee and technical authority, Peter Walker. His goal for the Kamala was to be a modern sportscar, with the handling, ride quality, and interior comfort associated with such things.

The backbone of the Kamala was a fully triangulated spaceframe chassis, with a bonded and riveted aluminum floor pan and bulkheads. Bodywork consisted of a one piece GRP tub bonded and riveted to the frame for added torsional rigidity. The front suspension utilized a Ford Sierra front stub axle, minus its tall strut, mated to DJ's own unequal length wishbones and Spax coil-over dampers. The rear used Ford Escort hub carriers, bespoke wishbones and a Leda developed micro strut. Ford vented disc brakes were found at all four corners.

The Dax Kamala engine bay

Engine options were to be sourced from Ford and included the Zetec 1.8 and 2-litre options, as well as the Sierra Cosworth. With a plethora of performance upgrades available, a builder could make a potent machine of the Kamala for a reasonable investment. DJ Sportscar's demo model used the Sierra Cosworth motor, with a turbo, that was good for 340bhp and estimated that a customer build a similar car for around £15,000.

The Kamala's mid-engine configuration, when combined with hi-performance tires, provided prodigious grip and razor sharp steering with minimal body roll. It was noted for its confidence inspiring handling, by reviewers at the time, though it could be unruly on slick roads like most similarly configured cars.

The Dax Kamala interior

Despite presenting a challenge on entry and egress, the interior of the Kamala was well thought out and comfortable, using a lot of Ford sourced switch-gear and controls. Seats were mounted in the center of the passenger cell, eliminating the off-set pedals common in mid-engine cars, with the gear shift on the right-hand side of the driver. The only sniggle observed by reviewers seemed to be the brake, clutch, and washer fluid containers locations which are only accessible from the interior footwells. Storage capacity was, of course, minimal.

The genuine weather-proof nature of the car when the windows are in place went a long way to offsetting the limited storage capacity of the Kamala and there is no doubt that it would carry considerably more than you'd get in a typical seven-esque roadster but it was nonetheless not the most practical of motors. Then again, one doubts that would be the foremost concern for the customer of such kit as this. 

The Kamala Cars roadster (image courtesy of TKC Magazine)

DJ Sportscars produced the Kamala from 1995 until the year 2000, selling roughly 35 kits. Then a company called Kamala Cars took over the project in 2001, making another 15 kits before folding at some point between 2008 and 2010. The later cars included a handful of the open roadster variant and ungainly Futuro models.

Despite accolades from the likes of Richard Hammond and Jeremy Clarkson, who said it was among the best cars he'd ever driven, the Kamala never found sales success. Perhaps its challenging, futuristic style was too much for a market dominated by replicas and customers whose tastes were more pedestrian. A shame really... 

Sources:
Kitcar Net (via archive.org)

Images:
Steve Hole/TKC Magazine
Which Kit? (via archive.org)

Dax Kamala in front 3/4 view

Dax Kamala

Dax Kamala, rear 3/4 view

Dax Kamala, with hood open

Dax Kamala on the road

Dax Kamala in a quarry

Dax Kamala dashboard

Dax Kamala in profile

Dax Kamala front 3/4 view

Dax Kamala rear 3/4 view

Dax Kamala, with custom headlight treatment

Dax Kamala, with hood and doors open

Dax Kamala, head on

Dax Kamala, at rear

Kamala Cars Roadster (image courtesy of TKC Magazine)

Kamala Cars Futuro