User:Richardk29/sandbox

The Southways Sports Cars (or SSC as it is sometimes abbreviated) SuperCat is 2-seater Seven-style sports car. It is manufactured by Southways Automotive Ltd It features a steel spaceframe chassis available in standard or XL sizes (XL being 3in wider for increased interior space) clad with GRP body panels. The car was originally concieved as a 'single-donor kit' using the Ford Sierra as the base donor.

The intention was create a car which was extremely simple to build, tought and durable yet cost-effective to maintain. Many Sierra parts are designed to directly carry over to the SuperCat and in many instances this extends to the Ford Pinto engine too. Owners and builders of more modern versions have started to upgrade many of the Sierra components with bespoke or brand-new items, such as Ford's Zetec engine. Southways Automotive have also confirmed a super-light version is currently being constructed, doing away with the Sierra rear axle setup and instead featuring fully independant double-wishbone rear suspension. It will also be powered by a Peugeot 1.9 16v "Mi16" engine and rumoured to tip the scales at under 550kg wet. Whether this new chassis design makes it into full-time production or not remains to be seen.

Background
The SuperCat is one of the more prolific Seven-esque kit cars to be produced in the UK. Originally a Tiger Racing model, the SuperCat succeeded the Cat E1 model (launched in 1997) during Tiger Racing's tenure before all manufacturing and sales rights were taken-over by Southways Automotive Ltd. The SuperCat is still in production today under the company's "Southways Sports Cars" brand. With more than 800 cars sold during the Tiger era, the SuperCat and Cat E1 remains one of the most successful models in not only Tiger Racing's history, but in the Seven-themed kit car world entirely.