Paul Haussauer and Brian Luff started the Clan Crusader project in 1969 after a dispute with Colin Chapman their boss at Lotus. They came up with the idea of a rear-engined car built on a fibreglass monocoque (like the Lotus Elite). The Clan Motor Company was established with the help of the Washington Development Corporation and John Frayling designed the body to be moulded in upper and lower halves. Power was given by a 51bhp Imp Sport engine. Launched as the Clan Crusader it went on sale in 1972, and could be purchased as a home assembly kit to save on Tax. Even as a kit the Clan Crusader was expensive and world events conspired against it and in late 1973 the Clan Motor Company was bankrupt after 315 Crusaders had been sold. A Cypriot business took the moulds back to Cyprus but the Turkish invasion of Cyprus put a stop to those plans and eventually the moulds returned to Britain. Eventually, in 1982, the moulds were bought by by Clan Cars in Newtownards, Northern Ireland. A modest redesign was given to the new CLAN including pop-up headlamps, and it was sold with 78bhp 998bhp engine or 65bhp engine. Around 130 Irish Clans were built. A further 30 cars were built from 1985 as the Clan Clover with 1500cc Alfasud engine. Clan Cars ceased trading in 1987.