Heron Plastics
Encyclopedia
In 1960 Heron Plastics of Greenwich
, London was well established as a manufacturer of GRP
bodyshells for Austin 7
specials. One of these was used as the basis for the original Diva
GT in 1961. By this time, Heron also built their own coupe, the Europa, although they did not debut it until the 1962 Racing Car Show.
The car had a steel backbone chassis
with outriggers fore and aft to support the running gear. Wishbones and coil spring independent suspension provided good handling, it was claimed. The front brakes were discs while drums served at the rear. The GRP body was bonded to this chassis and plywood floorpan. The engine was a Ford straight-four OHV unit with a choice of 997 cc or 1500 cc capacity. With the larger engine, a 0 to 60 mi/h time of 8.5 seconds was boasted with a top speed of 115 mi/h.
The Europa was sold in fully trimmed component
form at £580 or in partly constructed form at £730.
Only 12 examples were produced before the Europa was shelved for financial reasons in 1964.
Peter Monteverdi
's MBM Tourismo was based on the Europa.
Greenwich
Greenwich is a district of south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich.Greenwich is best known for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich Meridian and Greenwich Mean Time...
, London was well established as a manufacturer of GRP
Glass-reinforced plastic
Fiberglass , is a fiber reinforced polymer made of a plastic matrix reinforced by fine fibers of glass. It is also known as GFK ....
bodyshells for Austin 7
Austin 7
The Austin 7 was a car produced from 1922 through to 1939 in the United Kingdom by the Austin Motor Company. Nicknamed the "Baby Austin", it was one of the most popular cars ever produced for the British market, and sold well abroad...
specials. One of these was used as the basis for the original Diva
Diva (car manufacturer)
Diva was a British manufacturer of sports cars from 1961 to 1966. It was a subsidiary of the Tunex Conversions Co set up by Don Sim in Camberwell, London but in 1966 Diva Cars Limited became its registered name...
GT in 1961. By this time, Heron also built their own coupe, the Europa, although they did not debut it until the 1962 Racing Car Show.
The car had a steel backbone chassis
Chassis
A chassis consists of an internal framework that supports a man-made object. It is analogous to an animal's skeleton. An example of a chassis is the underpart of a motor vehicle, consisting of the frame with the wheels and machinery.- Vehicles :In the case of vehicles, the term chassis means the...
with outriggers fore and aft to support the running gear. Wishbones and coil spring independent suspension provided good handling, it was claimed. The front brakes were discs while drums served at the rear. The GRP body was bonded to this chassis and plywood floorpan. The engine was a Ford straight-four OHV unit with a choice of 997 cc or 1500 cc capacity. With the larger engine, a 0 to 60 mi/h time of 8.5 seconds was boasted with a top speed of 115 mi/h.
The Europa was sold in fully trimmed component
Kit car
A kit car, also known as a "component car", is an automobile that is available as a set of parts that a manufacturer sells and the buyer then either assembles into a car themselves, or retains a third party to do part or all of the work on their behalf...
form at £580 or in partly constructed form at £730.
Only 12 examples were produced before the Europa was shelved for financial reasons in 1964.
Peter Monteverdi
Peter Monteverdi
Peter Monteverdi was a Swiss automaker and creator of the automobile brand Monteverdi....
's MBM Tourismo was based on the Europa.