The Eagle SS - A Game of Telephone

Posted by John Mellberg July 17, 2021

The Eagle SS - A Game of Telephone

Beginning in 1981, Eagle Cars Ltd. produced the Eagle SS. It was a low slung, curvaceous, sportscar with gull-wing doors that had an unusual pedigree. It was a British kit car, based on an American kit, which itself was a reimagining of another classic UK Kit, the Nova.

The American kit in question was produced by Amore Cars, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin USA. It was a fairly successful car among a wave of VW based kits that really took off in the 70's and early 80's. Its design basically retained the silhouette of the original Nova but softened the shape, reworked the wheel wells, added concealed headlights, and replaced the single-piece canopy for a set of gullwing doors.

The Eagle SS (MK1)

Eagle Cars Ltd. was originally founded by Allen Breeze in Lancing West Sussex, UK and produced a line of Jeep replicas called the "RV". Apparently they acquired the tooling for the Cimbria from Tim Dutton (of Dutton Cars), who intended to produce the car under license but abandoned the project. Instead Eagle took it on, producing 3 major versions of the "SS" from 1981 until 1998.

The company changed locations and ownership a couple of times during this period. Subsequent owners included Trials Motorcyclist, Robb Budd, in 1989 as well as Tim Naylor of TEAC Sports Cars. Naylor sold the Eagle SS tooling to an undisclosed buyer in the UK in 2012 and their whereabouts are unknown as of 2020.

The Eagle SS (MK1)

Like its American counterpart, the original version (MK1) of the Eagle SS used the VW Beetle as its donor car. The swoopy fiberglass bodywork mounted directly to the Bug's standard full length floor-pan. The only required modification to the VW donor pan was lowering the steering box. It was estimated that the car could be built in around 130 hours with basic tools and moderate skills.

Visually, the original Eagle SS was nearly identical to the Cimbria with one exception. The SS had round, partially retractable headlights in the style of a Porsche 928, rather than the pop-ups found on the US car. Later iterations of the car would diverge further from the original.

The Eagle SS MK2 with Ford engine mounted in front

The second version (MK2) of the SS had a number of internal and external changes worthy of note. The most significant may have been the introduction of a front-engine version, based on Ford Cortina running gear. Both the VW and Ford based MK2 iterations also received a built in roll-cage, a shorter removable nose section, and longer side windows (hinged from the A-Pillar) for added ventilation. The Ford based version had a conspicuous, bulging hood up front to cover its motor.

The MK3 version of the SS would add a targa-roofed 2+2-seater version called the "2 Plus" to the lineup. Other modifications setting it apart from the MK2 included built-in steel bars to provide side-impact protection to passengers, a raised roof for increased headroom, and still larger side glass.

The Eagle SS 2-Plus

Other drivetrains were also entertained, such as Rover's 3.5 liter V8 and the Ford Sierra's 4wd running gear. When TEAC Sports Cars purchased the tooling, their plan was to create a new version of the SS that would use the Toyota MR2 as a donor. Unfortunately, that project would never see production despite its well received debut at the 2006 Stoneleigh exhibition.

Approximately 340 of each version (VW and Ford based), covering all three iterations, were made for a total of 680+ cars. Roughly 180 are accounted for in the Eagle Owner's Club registry.

Sources:
Wikipedia
The Eagle Owner's Club