A Sylva classic, updated for the modern day. In a typical Sylva move, Jeremy Phillips, Sylva’s head designer, decided to create a car that went completely against the grain. Trying to capture the sixties ‘Beach Buggy’ ethos, in a market dominated by seven look-alikes and Cobra replicas, Jeremy saw the production car trend for front wheel drive cars and took that as a cue to design a kit car that utilised the transverse production car layout.

Originally designed around a Ford Fiesta MkI, the Sylva Jester became an instant success, with low cost and ease of build, coupled with a superb handling Jeremy Phillips chassis, as would be expected from the designer that brought the Striker, Fury and Riot to the market place.

First marketed by Sylva and later by Harlequin Autokits, the Jester disappeared from the marketplace in 2005. Having been taken over by Stingray Motorsport in 2007, the exclusive agent for Sylva Autokits, the mechanicals have been completely updated for a new donor – the Ford KA. Taking the best of what Ford put in and coupling it with another Jeremy Phillips chassis, the new package allows a very simple and cost effective route into Sylva ownership, with complete cars possible for under £4K.

The Jester is a fully matured kit car, with well proven ability both on an off the track. Clearly more of a practical project than a Riot, the Jester can still hold its own on a track with the proven Jeremy Phillips pedigree underpinning the design. By using the best bits of what Ford paid millions to develop and stripping out all of the unnecessary bits, the Jester provides a focused experience in an all up fun package.

With some everyday practicality in the form of a small boot area, adjustable seating for different drivers, heating as well as full screens and hood as options, the Jester can be used for a weekend away as well as Sunday blasts. The Front Wheel Drive layout combined with a reduction in weight, creates lively performance in a predictable and well handling car, with characteristics that most modern drivers are comfortable with.

With the Ford KA being the chosen donor, the availability of both a reliable original donor and the subsequent parts is good, with no sign of the KA being taken out of production. This means that your Stingray Jester will be serviceable for a long while to come. That is if most Sierra based kit cars are anything to go by!

The Jester can be purchased in various different formats, according to how the customer wants to approach the build. From basic kits which then rely on serviceable parts from the donor, through Max kits which provides some key replacement parts, right up to Comprehensive Max kits which take the guess work out of purchasing a kit car, with everything provided.

SVA is not a problem, with simple mechanicals and a well radiused body ensuring a smooth path through this crucial test.

Click Here for Jester pricelist.