This is a Formosa 236 CM Roadster, and despite looking like a 1950s-era sports racing car, it’s actually a relatively new vehicle with a lightweight fiberglass body, carrying La Carrera Panamericana livery.
These cars from the UK company Formosa typically use period-correct chassis and engines for an authentic driving experience, coupled with a body designed by Glan Richards to evoke the style of 1950s-era sports cars without being a replica of any specific model.
Fast Facts – The Formosa 236 CM Roadster
- The Formosa 236 CM Roadster, designed by Glan Richards, evokes the style of 1950s sports cars without replicating any one model. Built by UK-based Mid-Century Evocations, it combines lightweight fiberglass bodywork with period-correct chassis and engines for a vintage-style driving experience.
- Created by Gary Jane, founder of Sammio Motor Company, the Formosa was developed to make 1950s-style sports car ownership more affordable. It uses donor chassis like the Triumph Herald or Reliant Scimitar, simplifying registration and assembly for enthusiasts.
- This example, based on a Triumph chassis, is powered by a 3.0 liter Ford Essex V6 engine producing 148 bhp and 187 lb ft of torque. It features a Ford Escort rear axle, front disc brakes, and independent front suspension, delivering excellent performance due to its power-to-weight ratio.
- Currently offered for sale in Dorset, UK, this Formosa is finished in blue with La Carrera Panamericana livery and has a minimalist interior with aluminum paneling, bucket seats, and all the essential gauges. It is registered as a 1991 Dutton Formosa 236 and comes with a British V5C certificate.
Building An Affordable 1950s Roadster Race Car
The Formosa was developed by Gary Jane, a British automotive enthusiast who wanted to make the dream of 1950s sports car ownership available to a wider audience – those without seven, eight, or nine-plus figure bank accounts. He’s a well-known British hot rodder and the founder of the Sammio Motor Company who made a name for himself building vintage-style kit cars.
The car has a number of clever period-correct details, like this switch panel with Italian notations.
The company that builds the Formosa kits is called Mid-Century Evocations, and they’re based in England – a nation that has long been famous for its low-volume sports car industry. Once Gary had the fundamental concept down, he hired stylist Glan Richards (as mentioned above) who penned an all-new design.
It was crucial that this car not be a replica, but a new design that could have rolled into the pits at the Circuit de la Sarthe in 1955 and not raised a single eyebrow. It’s clear that Glan nailed the design, there are hints at the design cues of the time but it remains very much its own character.
In order to make the car easy to build, Gary developed two very similar versions, and simply matched them to common British sports car chassis of the time. The short-nose Formosa fits neatly over a Triumph Herald chassis, and the long-nose fits over the Reliant Scimitar chassis.
The bodies can be fitted with the engine and the rest of the drivetrain in place, and the car uses the suspension, brakes, and steering from the donor car. This makes road registration far simpler in most countries, as it’s a modified vintage car rather than an all new vehicle that would need to pass current emissions and crash safety tests.
If you’d like to build your own Formosa you can contact Mid-Century Evocations here, they’re taking orders at the moment and will help you through the ordering process.
The interior is finished in bare aluminum alloy sheet with two simple bucket seats, a wood-rimmed steering wheel, a shifter with a rubber booted base, three pedals, and just the essential gauges mounted in front of the driver.
The Formosa 236 CM Roadster Shown Here
The car you see here is a Formosa 236 CM Roadster that was built years ago, and then modified once again after 2022 with a new engine and some other upgrades.
This Formosa is based on a Triumph chassis but it was originally fitted with a Dutton kit car body, which has now been replaced with a Formosa body. Given the somewhat controversial styling of many Dutton cars, the switch to a Formosa body was a good move.
The car is fitted with a Ford Escort axle in the rear and it’s powered by a 3.0 liter Ford Essex V6 which sends power back through a 4-speed manual transmission. It’s clear that the car is going to need some recommissioning before any serious driving is attempted, the engine looks like it will need some attention and there are age-related cracks appearing in the tires.
Given the very low curb weight of the car, the 3.0 liter V6 producing approximately 148 bhp at 5,000 rpm and 187 lb ft of torque at 3,000 rpm is enough to move it along at a significant rate of speed.
Front disc brakes are fitted along with rear drums, and the vehicle rides on independent double wishbone front suspension with coil springs, and coilovers on that live axle in the rear. The bodywork is finished in Blue with some patina, and it has tastefully-aged La Carrera Panamericana livery.
The car looks like it just rolled over the finish line of the Carrera Panamericana in 1954.
The interior is finished in bare aluminum alloy sheet with two simple bucket seats, a wood-rimmed steering wheel, a shifter with a rubber booted base, three pedals, and just the essential gauges mounted in front of the driver.
The car is now being offered for sale on Bring a Trailer out of Dorset in the United Kingdom. It comes with a British V5C registration certificate listing the car as a 1991 Dutton Formosa 236. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can visit the listing here.
Images courtesy of Bring a Trailer
Articles that Ben has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
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