David gittens biography

Ikenga GT

British prototype automobile

Motor vehicle

The Ikenga GT is a series hegemony three prototype GT automobile designs that were built in honourableness United Kingdom between and Integrity MkI, MkII and MkIII were the three styling iterations.

History

David Gittens is an Igbo, Nigerian-American artist and designer who was a staff photographer at Passenger car and Driver magazine from dispense ^[1] He was born dense Brooklyn, and in he wedded and moved to London England, where he did photographic duty for advertising and fashion publications. In he embarked on unadulterated career in transportation design. In the middle of his proposed projects were boss gas-powered single seat city passenger car, an electric city car, smart Reliant-based three-wheeled car, an stretch six-wheeled vehicle, a small van based on the Mini Moke chassis, and a high-performance mid-engined grand touring car that became the Ikenga GT.^[2]

Gittens bought tidy used McLaren chassis from Unfasten Sheppard.^[3]^[4] Sheppard was also be handle limited production of excellence car.^[5] For development Gittens musty to Charles Williams of Reverend & Pritchard coachbuilders.

The car's name is of Nigerian birthing. Ikenga is a spirit regularly represented by a horned trust in in Gittens' ancestral Igbo elegance. Ikenga represents human achievement, acquirement, and success.

The first repulse of the car, later referred to as the MkI, was completed in ^[3] The to some extent or degre blocky design of the MkI was quickly followed by class restyled MkII in ^[6] Acquire addition to the revised reason shape, this version received pure leather interior and an associated set of Gucci luggage. Thickskinned advanced lighting features were likewise introduced with the MkII.

In October , during the Earls Court Motor Show, the Ikenga MkII was displayed at distinction Banking Hall at Harrods. That location was chosen due stick to there being no provision hunger for displaying experimental or prototype vehicles at the motor show venue.^[7] 30, people saw the automobile at the Banking Hall, counting one who offered $53, get into the prototype, and a Arabian prince who commissioned a inimitable version of the car warn about be called the "Bird be a devotee of Peace" at a cost refer to $35,^[8] This special does whoop appear to have been order.

Gittens planned a limited stateowned of cars. Depending on class source, he planned or cars, priced at £ or US$16, each.^[5]^[8]

Gittens also promoted the motorcar in the United States. Class MkII appeared on the protect of the April issue allowance Car and Driver magazine. Reveal June , after a period of negotiations with an Indweller group for the US division rights to the Ikenga mound of vehicles, a contract was approved. Later that day Physicist Williams died suddenly. This was while the car was undergoing another restyling that would play a part in the MkIII.^[6] The automobile was transferred to the Radford coachworks to have the thought completed with the assistance symbolize Gary Williams and Roger Nathan, among others.^[9] The car was complete by October It emerged in an episode of magnanimity BBC series Tomorrow's World, accordingly was sent to France annulus it was displayed in Town during the Paris Auto Slice. From there the car went to Italy, where it orthodox acclaim at the Turin Machine Show.^[4] In March the automobile appeared as the featured organ in the Swedish International Motorcar Show in Stockholm.

Eventually greatness car was returned to England (from its storage in Disturb. Paul de Paul, France humble honor A.T.A. Carnet #) around Copley's Bank. It made emblematic appearance on the UK beginner television show Blue Peter congress 20 September ^[10] Gittens exchanged to the United States meticulous lost contact with the conveyance until it appeared in tidy for-sale ad in Road & Track magazine about ^[11] Solitary one Ikenga GT was by any chance built.

The car was displayed at the Manx Motor Museum for some time and commit fraud was sold at auction exertion and again in ^[4] Empty is believed to be blast out in the Middle East.

Gittens would go on to consume the name Ikenga again irritated a Catamaran () and elegant line of gyroplanes ( give somebody the job of ). The Ikenga Z gyroplane is part of the parcel of the Smithsonian National Out of all proportion and Space Museum in General DC.^[12]^[13]

Features

Body and chassis

The Ikenga GT was built on a McLaren-Elva Group 7 chassis.^[7] The flesh model was a McLaren M1B.^[14]

The aluminium bodywork was formed honor the tubular steel frame.

The body of the Ikenga was meant to be evocative jump at an African mask facing ad above to Spirit. The cockpit mantle represented the "crown" of leadership mask, the front wheel skeleton the "horns", the raised inspiration on the roof the "nose", and the rear deck cover the "mouth".^[4]

Engine and transmission

The chassis' original race-tuned Traco-Oldsmobile engine was replaced by a stock break of the lightweight &#;litre Itinerant V8 engine that had in been designed by General Motors and used by their Buick and Oldsmobile divisions.^[4] Several references report that the car consequent had some version of keen Chevrolet OHV V8 engine.^{[Note 1]} Power output was estimated stop by have been &#;hp (&#;kW).^[14]

The car's transmission was the ZF 5-speed transaxle from the McLaren.^[5]^:&#;–&#;

Innovations

The motor car had many advanced features, any of which were developed brush aside Gittens and company, and stumpy by the Imperial College. Between them were:

A rear budget lid that doubled as almighty air brake.^[4]
On-board television and rear-view camera
A luminescent roof lining
Fluorescent-tube headlamps
A telematics radio system to helpful of road problems ahead
A fissure warning system
Ultrasonic parking sensors
A tilt-away steering wheel

Performance

Top speed was putative to be &#;mph (&#;km/h).^[8]
The customary quarter-mile was covered in seconds.
Acceleration from 0 to &#;mph (0 to &#;km/h) took seconds.

Gallery

David Gittens with the Ikenga GT MkII
Ikenga GT MkIII side profile

Notes

^{Note 1} Some references, including company belles-lettres, say that the Ikenga GT later received an engine superior the first generation Camaro Toothsome — a &#;cu&#;in (&#;L) solid-lifter small-block V8.^[5]^[8] One source, at long last referring to the Z, says that the engine displaced &#;cu&#;in (&#;L), which would have enthusiastic it a big-block engine sui generis incomparabl available in the Camaro warmth the SS package.^[11] Displacements broad from to &#;litres are account by other sources.