Since the very beginning of motorsports competition, a common thread has run through the sport: It takes money to go fast. An old joke goes something like, “You know how to make a million dollars at racing? Start with five million!” In this day of Formula One teams spending half a billion dollars during a season, it’s hard to imagine a time when an individual racer could be competitive in a race series with a home-made car, running on a shoe-string budget.
One of the earliest home-builts in England was Clive Lones “Tiger Kitten.” Powered by a JAP 500-cc engine, Lones made hill-climb history in May 1948 at famed Prescott when he broke the 50-second barrier in this car.
