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Private company

Eagle Cars Limited

English automobile company

Eagle Cars Limited was an English company, based in Lancing, West Sussex, originally operated by Allen Breeze, although it has undergone a number of ownership changes since. Originally making a Jeep lookalike called the RV, between 1981 and 1998 they built several iterations of a gull-winged car called the Eagle SS. The SS was based on an American kit car called the Cimbria (itself based on the earlier Sterling, which in turn was a copy of the British Nova), and was brought to the UK by Tim Dutton (of Dutton Cars).2 It ceased to exist in 2009.1 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

1981Founded1

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Blue sports car
Photo: vinograd, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons4

Eagle Cars Limited was an English company, based in Lancing, West Sussex, originally operated by Allen Breeze, although it has undergone a number of ownership changes since. Originally making a Jeep lookalike called the RV, between 1981 and 1998 they built several iterations of a gull-winged car called the Eagle SS. The SS was based on an American kit car called the Cimbria (itself based on the earlier Sterling, which in turn was a copy of the British Nova), and was brought to the UK by Tim Dutton (of Dutton Cars). In 1988 Eagle Cars moved inland, to nearby Storrington.2

The story

Founded by Allen Breeze, the company was sold to trials motorcyclist Rob Budd in 1989. Eagle Cars Limited changed location again in the nineties, moving to Walberton (still in West Sussex).

The company officially ceased trading in 1998, but production had ended long before. The moulds and rights to Eagle's various cars are currently in the hands of a variety of other companies. The SS moulds were sold by Tim Naylor of TEAC Sports Cars in 2012 on eBay to a buyer from Wexford, and nothing more has been heard of them since. TEAC has ceased to exist and all trace of the SS moulds have disappeared. The RV moulds were apparently seized by bailiffs and have also vanished. All attempts to trace the whereabouts of the various Eagle moulds have drawn a blank as of November 2012. Anyone knowing where they are should contact the Eagle Owners Club.

From Wikipedia’s article on Eagle Cars, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3

Products and brands

Eagle Cars' fibreglass-bodied Jeep-lookalike, the Jeep RV, was built around Ford Cortina parts. There was also an Eagle RV 4X4 (Range Rover, later also Daihatsu Fourtrak/Rocky based), unusual for kit cars in that it had four-wheel drive. The RV used an X-braced ladder frame and the expected Ford engines, although the Ford Capri's 3-litre V6 and the usual Rover V8 were also possible fitments, while the Eagle 4x4 was available with a whole host of different engines from Rover, Mercedes, Peugeot, or Ford. Later a Ford Sierra-based two-seater, two-door convertible (also available with a hardtop) called the Milan 2 Plus. This was first seen in 1988 and was co-developed with "Milan-Automobile" of Remscheid, Germany. Since it accepted all Sierra underpinnings, the Milan was available with engines ranging from 1.6 to 2.8 litres and with either rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. During the eighties, an RV Jeep Series II was developed, using more modern Ford Sierra parts.

Eagle also offered modified versions of the sporting 2-seater Dutton Phaeton using Ford Escort Mk I and Mk II parts, called the Eagle P21 and P25. These could accept a multitude of engines, ranging from the donor Escort's four-cylinder to a Rover V8. They were 3,530 mm (139.0 in) long, 1,574 mm (62.0 in) wide and 1,194 mm (47.0 in) tall.

Eagle's last development was the Stendetto, a Ferrari F40 lookalike sportscar based on the Pontiac Fiero.

From Wikipedia’s article on Eagle Cars, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3

Timeline

  1. 2009Dissolved Dissolved1
  2. 1981Founded Founded1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

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