Universal Power Drives opened a factory in Perivale, London to produce all wheel drive logging trucks in 1934. After WWII Unipower collaborated with other manufacturers such as Commer to create 4x4 and 6x4 trucks for heavy duty applications. In 1966 this heavy vehicle manufacturer went to the other extreme and exhibited a lightweight sports car at the Racing Car Show. The Unipower GT was like a Ford GT40 in miniature, powered by a transverse BMC A-series engine mounted behind the seats. Val Dare Bryan (ex-Lotus designer and possibly part of the GT40 development team) and Ernie Unger developed the Unipower GT. The core of the Unipower GT was a strong tubular steel chassis and cage covered by a fibreglass body made by Specialised mouldings. Universal Power Drives produced the Unipower GT until 1968 when it was taken over by U.W.F. Automotive. Around 70 Unipower GT cars were made from 1966 to 1970, powered by various Mini engines.
Unipower GT 1967 - badge on bonnet
Unipower GT 1967 - badge on tail
Unipower GT 1967 - It is likely that the windscreen came from a Triumph Spitfire.
Unipower GT 1967 - Placing the engine in the rear allowed for a much lower can than a front engine; the Unipower GT was just 40 inches high
Unipower GT 1967, BMC Mini 998cc or Mini Cooper 1275S engines powered the Unipower GT and sat between the seats and the rear wheels to give good weight distribution.
Mini Cooper 1964 1071 S. A replica of the 1964 Monte Carlo Rallye wiining car with a real Paddy Hopkirk at the wheel
