Berkeley Bandit: Biggleswade car production to resume

The Berkeley Bandit will begin production in April 2021

A company that built sports cars in the 1950s has announced it will produce vehicles again at the same site which closed its doors 60 years ago.

Production of the Berkeley Bandit will begin in 2021 at the Old Warden aerodrome in Biggleswade, Bedfordshire.

Sixty of the vehicles will be produced, costing between £40,000-£60,000 each.

Berkeley Coachworks said the vehicle will be "underpinned by sustainable technology", with a fully electric option available.

Engineers have designed a composite chassis which will use plant-based materials such as flax to replace carbon fibre and sticky resins from trees to replace chemicals.

Buyers will be able to choose between liquid-fuelled engines, a hydrogen cell or full electric.

Managing director of Berkeley Coachworks Simon Scleater said: "At this time, when norms are challenged by both pandemic and climate change, we need to create vehicle solutions that are in tune with the concerns of the public and address these with quality design and engineering solutions."

In the 1950s the Berkeley SA322 was the first composite production car to use fibreglass. The vehicle was driven by Sir Stirling Moss at Goodwood in September 1956.