Perfect donor car for the Zero........ The Mazda MX5 (Miata)

The Zero Mazda Self Build option is a very popular option and the Mazda MX5 (Miata) serves perfectly as a donor for the Zero & is available worldwide. The Mazda MX5 donor Zero utilises (Mk1, Mk2, Mk2.5) from 1989 through 2005 in either right or left hand drive.

Several parts are required from the donor car Engine 1.6 or 1.8, Gearbox, Differential, Front Hubs & Calipers, Rear Hubs & Calipers, Steering Shaft , Steering Column with Stalks, Brake Master Cylinder, Clutch Master Cylinder, Propshaft, Drive Shafts.

You can select from a variety of Zero self build packages to suit all budgets from our starter kit through to a complete kit of components that can be assembled easily by yourself. The GBS Zero range is available as right hand or left hand drive and as a Standard width or GT (grand tourer /wide body) chassis option, which allows greater access and a more comfortable seating position for the taller/larger driver.

Contact us today to arrange your visit to see us and to enjoy a test drive in our Zero demonstrator with one of the team.

GBS Zero Student Build - Tesla engine into a Zero.....

GBS Zero Student Build…… Earlier this year a college placed their order for their first GBS Zero Self Build Kit which the students will be building later this year. This wasn’t a standard kit as they wanted the Zero to be electrically powered by a Tesla engine. So the Zero chassis has had to be modified to suit their engine choice.

This complete custom engine installation is currently underway to accommodate a Tesla engine in our fabrication department. We look forward to following and supporting the students with this exciting build.
We are able to work with you to customise the whole power train and other aspects of the car. We recently completed a Zero build which you may have seen featured on our news page before that was powered by a Kawasaki 1400 GTR engine that is now complete and road registered and being enjoyed on the road. Before it left the GBS Workshop we made a short video talking through the spec of this Zero and this can now be seen on our GBS YouTube channel.

The Zeros can be enjoyed on the Road & Track, with the option to have this Zero kit with the Zero fully welded integrated Roll Cage, which are MSA Compliant and FIA Compliant.

See more details about the Zero Self Build options we offer including the Zero Custom kit here, or contact us to discuss your Zero build.

Q- Flow project continues to progress... Project partners visit GBS...

Our Hy-Value Recovery project continues to progress with Liron Issman
and Chris Mulkern from Q-Flo recently visiting us here at GBS to discuss the project. Both Liron and Chris enjoyed a full tour of GBS including our new fabrication department and were very impressed with our facilities and what the GBS team do.

”The purpose of our partnership with GBS is to develop Q-Flo's carbon-nanotube mat material, Torstran, as a lightweight component within GBS' high performance Zero car. This includes blending the CNT's with existing components for light weighting and EMI shielding purposes, along with developing and manufacturing an all new electric Zero”. - Q-Flo Limited.

Your can find out more about the Hy-Value Recovery project here.

NEW EVENT - Friday Night at the Factory.... Join us in your Zero...

Friday Night at the Factory - Great British Sports Cars.

COME & JOIN US….

This is a new event that we have created that will be happening on the last Friday of the month from May to August. Similar style to our GBS Cars & Coffee events this is a great opportunity for you all to have a summer evening ride out in your sports cars / bikes and a meeting point to enjoy an evening of cars, bikes, car chat, music, food and drinks with the GBS Team. The GBS Car Park will be open from 5pm till late.  

The dates for Friday Night at the Factory events are planned for the below*:
Friday 26th May
Friday 30th June
Friday 28th July
Friday 25th August

All cars are welcome and everyone is welcome to join us for a great evening. Food and drinks will be available on the night. Please drive responsibly in the local area.

First Event Date: Friday 26th May 2023.
(Run every last Friday of the month -May to August)
Times: 5pm till late
Location: Great British Sports Cars - NG22 9ZD.

More details can be found on our GBS Event page and more will be released nearer the time.
*If dates are to change, the our GBS Event Page will be updated.

Great start to the Bank Holiday weekend with our first GBS Track Day of the year....

Will orton - touring car driver in the GBS Zero at Blyton park.

Fantastic day at our first GBS Track Day of the year….. Last Saturday (29th April) we started of the Bank Holiday weekend with our GBS Track Day at Blyton Park, where we were joined with several other Zero owners some of which was their first time out on the Track in their Zero.

Out on track was our two Zero demonstrators (Mazda & Ford) unfortunately our new Zero Race Car was not quite ready for the event, but it will be seen and out on track at our next GBS Track Day. We were also joined by several customers who were spectating and also enjoyed passenger rides in our Zero demonstrators with 18 year old Will Orton who joined us for the day. Will is a Touring Car driver, racing cars in the JCW Mini Challenge. Will also instructs for Palmer Sport, Silverstone, Car Chase Hero’s and Touring Car Experiences. It was great to have him join us for the day doing passenger laps in our demonstrators and also offer customers with driver coaching to help them get the best from the day. See more about Will Orton here.

The Track day got booked up very quickly and we know that a lot of people missed out on booking a place, but we will be announcing the next GBS Track Day very soon so hopefully you will be able to join us. The GBS Camera’s were there capturing the action throughout the day, you can see a few photos below and more photos from the day can now be seen on our GBS Facebook page.

Bespoke paint options..... Behind the scenes at paint.....

Full custom paint for your Zero….

Our full custom paint option that we offer has become a very popular option and recently we have seen some very nice paint colour and options being chosen, as well as some that are scheduled for paint over the coming weeks that we look forward to sharing with you. Our custom paint option is truly individual to you, we work with you from start to finish to get your bespoke paint colour and design that you want.

Above is a recent Zero factory build at paint that is now back with us in the build bay for the build to continue, we will share more details on this paint colour and spec next month. A lot of preparation work goes into getting the Zero ready for paint, the paint process usually takes around 2 to 3 weeks but that can change depending on the paint design.

If you already have a Zero then we can do a full paint transformation, visit our paint option page to see an example of a customers paint transformation from orange to grey that we did. More details about our paint and vehicle graphics can be found here, or contact us and we can discuss the options with you.

Automotive Engineering Student enjoys work experience at GBS....

Last week we were pleased to have welcomed Matthew Davis Haller to GBS for a weeks work experience.
Matt who is in his first year studying Automotive Engineering at the University of Leeds, spent 4 days with us and spent time in various departments of GBS with the team to get an understanding of what we do and what we can offer. Matt already knows a lot about the Zero having built one himself with his Father.

Few words from Matt about his week with us…. “My work experience at GBS for an engineering degree was perfect – so much design and production under one roof, and to the standard of engineering excellence the company adhere to is a rare thing in the UK. It was great to get away from the theory of my degree, and see some practical engineering in real life. My previous knowledge about the Zero allowed a hands on approach to different parts of the manufacturing process that included cutting chassis members, an introduction to both Mig and Tig welding, and GRP bodywork production.
I also spent time in the workshop help preparing a car for IVA and help build the GBS race car. This brought back many enjoyable memories of when I built my own car with my father.
Richard also helped me understand the ECU they run on many of the cars (including my own), and the tuning/calibration aspect of it. Something I’m very interested in as it brings together many aspects of engineering. I look forward to working with GBS more in the future, to learn more about CNC machining, the CAD design and ECU aspects of the business.”

January 2019 was the start of Matt and Father Jerrys Zero build when they first visited our GBS stand at the Autosport’s Show at the NEC in Birmingham. They have been enjoying their Zero on road since the beginning of 2021 and have also enjoyed several road trips and track days in it. The Zero self build is an ideal project for a Father and Son to enjoy together, and also enjoy together once its on the road on both the road and track.

We are a very popular choice with Schools and Colleges throughout the country for work experience placements. We try to accommodate students for work experience when ever possible weather it be for a week or just a day. To apply and for more details please visit our GBS Career page.

GBS Owners area reserved for you all at Malvern Kit Car Show....

If you are heading to the Kit Car Show at Malvern in your Zero, then please see below a site plan of the GBS Owners area we have reserved for you all to park together over the weekend.

The GBS team can be seen with the Zeros at the Malvern Kit Car Show that is happening on Saturday 3rd June and Sunday 4th June at the Three Counties Showground in Malvern.

Visit our GBS event page for more details about this event and other events that we have planned. The next event on the GBS Calendar is our GBS Track Day which is happening at Blyton Park on Saturday 29th April.

Students from Cranfield University enjoy a full factory tour of GBS.....

Yesterday afternoon the GBS team were delighted to welcome Students and Staff from Cranfield School of management to GBS for a full factory tour. The students that visited us are studying Logistics and Supply Chain MSc at Cranfield University. The tour was split into two groups and led by Richard and Matt which covered all areas of GBS and behind the scenes including the workshop, design room, clean assembly room, engineering machine shop, Composite department, parts and spares store and shop and also for the first time our tour also included our new manufacturing and fabrication department. All the students enjoyed the visit and were impressed with what the GBS team do and have to offer, and impressed with how much we manufacture in house.

We are making several tour slots available throughout the year, and this includes a full behind the scenes tour on how the Zero sports cars and products are made. Our tours last from anywhere between one and half hours to two hours , and usually take place on a Saturday morning but a weekday & Evening tours can take place on request if needed.

Click below to see more details on the factory tours that we offer and to book your chance to experience Great British Sports Cars. More GBS Tour dates will be announced soon on our event page.

Are you getting your GBS Zero ready for the summer months ahead.....

Are you getting your Zero back on the road and ready to enjoy the summer months ahead?

Then visit our parts website Kit Spares - www.kitspares.co.uk to see a full range of parts and spares that we offer, including some new products and upgrade options that we have available for the Zeros and other sports cars.

Below are just a few of our favourite and popular products we offer, our Kit Spares shop and showroom is also open Monday to Friday and occasional Saturdays, so why not call in and see what we have on display.
Keep checking our GBS Event page to see what events that we have planned over the next few months with more new exciting events being added soon.

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Easter Opening Times:
Over Easter GBS and Kit Spares will be closed for the long weekend from 7th - 10th April and be back to normal opening hours on Tuesday 11th April 2023. You can still order online from our Kit Spares and all orders will be processed and dispatched on Tuesday 11th April.

Saturday 17th June - GBS Cars & Coffee event sponsored by Yokohama Tyres...

Saturday 17th June

We are excited to share with you all that we have now confirmed the date for the next GBS Cars & Coffee event of 2023, which is proudly sponsored by Yokohama Tyres and will be taking place on Saturday 17th June at GBS from 10am-2pm.

As many of you know everyone at GBS has a strong passion for cars and anything to do with motorsport and we love our Cars & Coffee events and Track Days etc and we all love to host our Cars & Coffee days which are getting busier and attracting a variety of sports cars each time we host one.

After working with and stocking Yokohama Tyres for several years now and supplying them on our parts website and shop Kit Spares we are delighted that they are joining us at our next GBS Cars & Coffee event.

Yokohama Tyres-
On the day one of the sales team from Yokohama will be joining us, you can see more about Yokohama on their website. Please click here for more details.

The GBS Cars & Coffee event at GBS was created in 2016 and has since been a massive success & we have continued to hold the event again for several years. Its an event that we have created that gives the chance for you all to have a ride out in your sports cars / meeting point and enjoy a coffee (plus biscuits/ cake of course) and chat about your cars, all are welcome to join us in any car (modern or classic including bikes). Everyone is welcome to join us in any car!
Another great thing about our GBS Cars & Coffee events are that we raise more money for two great charities…. We collect for the Notts & Lincs Air Ambulance & Cancer Research, and will be collecting on the day. Refreshments are free and all we ask for is a donation to our chosen charities.

The Kit Spares shop and showroom ( www.kitspares.co.uk ) will be open on the day. Please feel free to call us or email and pre order and parts, ready to collect on the day to avoid any delays.

All of the GBS and Yokohama Team look forward to seeing you and welcoming you to GBS on Saturday 17th June.

ALL CARS ARE WELCOME TO JOIN US…..

MOVE COMPLETE - All elements of our production are now under one roof.....

As you know earlier this year we announced that we are expanding with the doubling of our current site here in Nottinghamshire with the purchase of premises and the adjoining site. After a busy start to the year and two very busy months we are now pleased to have all the GBS team and all elements of our production under the one roof and now back up and running to full production.
A lot of planning and preparation went into the move to reduce the down time of production in our manufacturing department. The move went smoothly and was completed earlier this month, all machines are in and we were back up and running with Zeros chassis and components back in full production few weeks ago, with the first Zero coming out the jig in our new Manufacturing department two weeks ago.

With all the team and production under one roof, we now have the room to grow and expand our business in the future. We are pleased to share with you below some behind the scenes photographs of our new manufacturing department and we will be sharing a full factory tour video with you very soon. We would also like to thank everyone who has helped and supported us during this move and enabling us to make it happen, its looking like 2023 is going to be another busy and exciting year for us all.

Thank you for joining us at our first GBS Cars & Coffee event of 2023.....

Big thank you to everyone who joined us last Saturday (18th March) at GBS for our first Cars and Coffee event of 2023…….They just get better and better each time we hold our GBS Cars & Coffee events, and what a fantastic day we had with a car park full of sports cars, even the rain held off for the morning. We would like to say a big THANK YOU to you all for joining us and helping us make it such a great event and enjoyable day, its always nice to see so many Zero’s together in the car park along with a wide variety of other cars. The gates opened at 10am and by 10.30am the car park was already getting full.

The GBS and Kit Spares show room was very busy with people and the Kit Spares   was also very busy with sales and enquires. As usual the cakes attracted a lot of attention and certainly went down well with not many left along with the unlimited supply of tea and coffee. We would also like to thank A-Plan Insurance for sponsoring and supporting our event, you can see more about their insurance they offer on our Insurance page.

Another great thing about our GBS Cars & Coffee events that we love, is that we are able to raise money for our 2 chosen charities which are the Cancer Research UK and The Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance, we all feel and hope you agree that The Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance is a fantastic service and has helped & will continue to help many people, as well as the Cancer Research UK that is again a fantastic charity that makes a big difference to so many people and their families.
The next GBS Cars & Coffee date will be announced next week.

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Join us at our next GBS Cars & Coffee event…..

GBS Track Day is confirmed, will you be joining us in your Zero?

The first GBS Track Day of 2023 is happening on Saturday 29th April at Blyton Park and the GBS team would like to invite you all to join in your Zero’s.

Its on the outer circuit of Blyton Park which is 1.5 miles and an open pit lane, starting at 9am and finishing at 5pm you will be guaranteed to get lots of laps in. We can’t wait and hope you can all join us and enjoy the day with us. We will be there with the Zero’s which we will be offering passenger rides with one of the GBS team. Passenger passes can all be purchased on the day with Javelin Track Days along with Helmet hire too.

More details about this GBS Track Day can be found on our event page with a link of where to book your place. We recommend that you book soon to avoid disappointment as this is likely to get booked up quite quickly.

We look forward to seeing you there!

The Zero can be seen at this years Kit Cars Shows.....

We are pleased to confirm that the GBS team can be seen with the Zeros at the Malvern Kit Car Show and the Newark Kit Car Show later this year.

The National Kit & Sports Car Show at Malvern, Worcestershire is taking place on Saturday 3rd June and Sunday 4th June and the Newark Kit Car Show is happening on Saturday 22nd July and Sunday 23rd July at the Newark Showground.

We will confirm nearer the time what Zeros can be seen on our stand along with a range of parts and spares from both Kit Spares and ATR Products.

We have also reserved a GBS Owners area for Zero owners to all park together at both shows like previous years, details on this will be released soon on our event page.

Visit our GBS event page for more details about these events. The next event on the GBS Calendar is our GBS cars & Coffee event which is happening this Saturday 18th March at GBS - All cars are welcome to join us, gates open at 10am. #GBSCarsandcoffee

Contact us today to discuss your Zero Self Build…..

Zero powered by a 2.5 Duratec engine goes to Rolling Road.....

GBS Zero goes to rolling road…. This GBS Zero which many of you may have seen last year on our stand at various shows and events was back with us last month for an engine upgrade and then Rolling Road.

The 2.5 Duratec engine on ATR Throttle Bodies with a Life ECU was with us for development on a new cam, rods and pistons upgrade, then taken to Rolling Road where we were testing the trumpet and inlet extension tubes. The Rolling Road map session made 252 bhp which the customer was very pleased with and is now ready to start enjoying more miles in his Zero this year, and will hopefully be joining us on Saturday 18th March at our GBS Cars & Coffee event. (See more details on our event page)

If you are interested in booking your car in with us for any upgrades, rolling road or any other of our workshop services then get in touch.

Not long until our first GBS Cars & Coffee event of the year....

ALL CARS ARE WELCOME….

Not long now until our first GBS Cars & Coffee event of the year which is proudly sponsored by A-Plan Insurance that is happening on Saturday 18th March at GBS. All cars are welcome to join us, and we are pleased to hear already that many of you are planning to join us in your Zeros and other sports cars.
Like all our Cars & Coffee events we will be offering free refreshments on the day, but ask for donations to help raise more money for two great charities…. We will be collecting for the Notts & Lincs Air Ambulance & Cancer Research.

The Kit Spares shop and showroom (www.kitspares.co.uk ) will be open on the day. Thank you to those that have already pre ordered items to collect on the day, please feel free to call us or email and pre order so they can be prepared and ready for you to collect on the day to avoid any delays as it can often be busy. For more details about the event and to let us know you are joining us please visit our event page.

All the GBS and A-Plan team look forward to seeing you and welcoming you to GBS on Saturday 18th March.

The new GBS Manufacturing department is well underway - All elements of our production will soon be under one roof.....

Earlier this year we announced that we are expanding with the doubling our current site here in Nottinghamshire with the purchase of premises and the adjoining site. 
Since getting the keys just before Christmas we have all been extremely busy getting the new facilities ready. We are pleased to share with you an update and some behind the scenes photographs of how it is going as we are now very close to having all of our production under one roof. A lot of planning and preparation has gone into the move to reduce the down time of our production in our manufacturing department. This move has given us room to grow and expand our business and is allowing us to bring all elements of our production under one roof. We look forward to sharing with you more photographs and videos next month of the new department up and running.

We are not exhibiting at this years Race Retro Show that is happening this weekend. But we look forward to seeing you all next month at our GBS Cars & Coffee event that is happening on Saturday 18th March at GBS. More details can be found on our event page.

This could be the year to build your dream Sports Car at home in your own garage?

The Zero is a constantly evolving to make it easier for the home builder to build in their very own garage workshop.  With our new build guide soon to be released and the support from the team it couldn't be easier to build your own sports car. The GBS Zero is available as both factory build and a self build assembly kit for you to make your very own sports cars.

Building a Zero will be to your very own individual specification with the enjoyment of the build continuing all the way through till its on the road for you to enjoy for many years on both the road and track. Below are just a few questions that we often get asked……

Can I try before I buy?
Yes come and have a test drive in our Zero demonstrator with one of the team. We have two demonstrators available a Ford Duratec and Mazda based Zero. - Contact us today to book your visit and test drive - Click here

Which kit do I go for?
There are several options to consider and every kit that we supply is different as customers have different budgets, specifications, options and requirements. So contact us to discuss or why not arrange a visit to see us then we can show you all the options and help advise on the best route for your Zero build.

Are any specialist tools required to build the car?
No, you should be able to build the Zero with a good general tool kit consisting of a range of spanners, sockets, drill etc there is no welding or cutting required. This is tool kit that we recommend that has a good range of tools for the build. - Visit www.kitspares.co.uk

Where can I buy spare parts and extra parts for my build?
All parts for the Zero build can be bought from our Kit Spares online shop. Kit Spares stock the full range of parts for the GBS Zero and a comprehensive range of parts and spares for many other kit car makes and models. If you can’t find what you are after on there please give us a call or come and visit the Kit Spares shop and showroom.

I live outside the UK, can I still purchase a Zero?
Yes, the Zero range is available in both right and left hand drive. The Zero has already been sold into France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Portugal, Greece, Siberia, South Africa, Australia, America and Southern Ireland. Contact us for more details.

How do I register the car when its finished?
We offer support throughout your build including our IVA and registration service. Our workshop team offer an IVA Pre Check Service, Full IVA Service where we prepare and present your car to test, including all of the paperwork for both IVA and registration of your car. Visit our after sales page for more details on these services and others that we offer.

Is the Zero expensive to insure?
No, the Zero is remarkably cheap to insure considering their spec and performance. There are many specialist kit car insurance companies who offer a good price for insurance. (Price depends on status and history of driver).  Please click here for more details on the Insurance Companies we recommend and for our Dealer codes.

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Not everyone can say they have built their own Sports Car…..

Take your time, look at the options that we offer, do some research and come and visit us and we will show you everything, answer all your questions then the fun starts and we can start planning your build with you. Please also visit our FAQ page for more answers that you might be looking for.
We look forward to welcoming you to GBS.

Pleased to welcome another University of Nottingham Student to join the GBS Team for a few months…..

We have been working for a while now with The University of Nottingham to offer Postgraduate placements for students and we are pleased to have been able to offer several Students placements opportunities here at GBS. Our recent student to join us earlier this year is Amir Ata Varaei who is currently studying Mechanical Engineering at the University of Nottingham, Amir has a strong background in engineering design and is here to work alongside our design and engineering team on a project to produce engineering and assembly drawings for our products from existing and new CAD drawings. This will give all products engineering drawings, illustrations and for the assembly procedures to aid customers and staff to build the car as well as for reference. Part of the project is to also look to produce image files from the drawings and work with our parts & ecommerce team to get the items on our website with the illustration drawings and product codes so we can grow our product range that is online through our Kit Spares website - www.kitspares.co.uk

Few words from Amir “It is an amazing place to work with highly supportive and friendly people. Richard the Director and Alex always point me in the right direction. I thoroughly enjoy spending time with them and working on CAD drawings and preparing models and can gain enormous experience from working with dedicated strong design team. I have always had a passion for mechanical engineering, Great British sport car is helping me to go above and beyond what is required.

If there will be opportunity I would prefer to get another placement here in GBS. In any case I can benefit from the great experience that I am getting from working here, and everywhere in the automotive industry.” Amir Varaei

We are continuing to work with the University of Nottingham and look forward to offering more student placement opportunities throughout the year.