Topic: SOLVED: Djetset 757 - Conran Gibb Heron MJ1

[Djetset]

If you can see through the small, poor-quality photo, who made this, in which country, and what was it called please for a point?

[richard cuyler]

Is it a BERTONE design?

[Djetset]

Is it a BERTONE design?

  No.

[Ecnelis]

Has it anything to do with Lotus Esprit?

[Djetset]

Has it anything to do with Lotus Esprit?

Not that I know of.

[studhamsmudger]

Brazilian?

[Djetset]

Brazilian?

No.

[Carnut]

It's a Heron MJ1 from New Zealand!

[kwgibbs]

Dogo,argentina?

[Djetset]

It's a Heron MJ1 from New Zealand!

That's almost the car (Heron MJ1 was the model), but do you know the name of the make?  Now locked to you

[Carnut]

OK, but I'm not entirely sure you're right.
Heron was the name of the car and MJ1 was the model (Heron also made other models).
The Heron (Lotus-Esprit sort-of copy) was designed and built by Ross Baker of Rotorua.  22 or 24 cars were made, depending on where you read about it, and Baker needed help financing the project so Summit Engineering became involved.  They eventually folded I believe, which is when Baker bought back the two-thirds ownership of his company that he had sold them then continued to make his other models (MJ-1 2+2 and various others).
There is actually still a Heron Cars Ltd. website.

[Carnut]

Bump...

[Djetset]

OK, but I'm not entirely sure you're right.
Heron was the name of the car and MJ1 was the model (Heron also made other models).

Sorry, but it just goes to show that you can not always trust the internet for accuracy, as although this is indeed a Heron MJ1, it is a special luxury version, proposed by Conran Gibbs, as an upgrade to the car, in the same way that OB&D offered a plusher turn-key edition of the GP Madison kit car in the 1980s.  There was a small mention of the Gibb car recently in a UK classic car magazine, which I will scan in when I get chance (realistically not for a while).

Despite not being 100% accurate, I will award you a point anyway and move this to Solved.

[Carnut]

Thanks Djetset; very gentlemanly!

I got my information from the Heron Cars website, which lists all cars made by them together with their original and current owners.
Your puzzle picture is there and illustrates fully-built production car no. 7, which was originally owned by Maurice O'Reilly but it doesn't say who the current owner is (maybe it's still Mr O'Reilly's).
Despite there being full information on the site together with links to other sites and articles, there is no mention whatsoever of Conran or Gibb!

I appreciate the point and thanks again.