Ronart Cars

Ronart Cars is a British sports car manufacturer and constructor of unique and bespoke sports racing cars. The company was founded in 1984 by Rona and Arthur Wolstenholme, based in Peterborough. The company design and manufacture sports and racing cars for both road legal and track day use with unique designs from open wheel racing cars to modern day sports cars.

The W152 was the first car to be designed and produced by Ronart Cars. Wolstenholme initially had the idea in 1981 but the design and build of a prototype car began in 1984 and the car launched at the 1985 International Classic Car Show. Production started in early 1987. The Mk2 version of the Ronart W152 started production in 1996 which has continued until the present day.

A departure into more mainstream cars came in 1999 where the company took on new joint ownership and designed and built the carbon fibre Ronart Lightning V8, which they launched at the 1999 London Motor Show. More than twenty four direct orders were taken at the show stand on its debut. Only a limited number of cars however were built before production ceased in 2003 after the new owners closed the business following a switch of investment into another car manufacturer.

In 2004, Wolstenholme, licensed the Vanwall brand and over the following ten years created and manufactured three new Vanwall car designs, the Grand Prix Racer, the Vanwall 2S and the replica Vanwall 58.

In 2006 Iain Sanderson joined Arthur Wolstenholme with Vanwall in the production of Vanwall cars and the W152. During which time they also started the Lightning Car Company specifically to create and develop a new car called the Lightning GT. This was an ultra modern technology, electric sports car with a design style based upon the original Lightning V8. The Lightning GT was launched at the 2008 International London Motor Show.

The W152 was manufactured under licence by Vanwall for ten years, from 2004 until the factory closed in early 2014. Since then manufacturing has continued by Ronart.

The Ronart W152 is currently being produced from Ronart Cars, Peterborough.

The W152 was the first car to be designed and produced by Ronart Cars. Design began in 1981 and production started in 1986.

The W152's style is based on that of the front-engined Formula 1 cars of the 1940s and 1950s. The external exhaust system and "hump style" headrest are key design features of a car from that era. The W152 design however is not a copy but an original design with a reflection of many styles of cars from that era.

The MK1 chassis was originally designed by Spyder Engineering, who had made chassis for Lotus in the past. Like many Lotus cars, the W152 uses a backbone chassis. So, the chassis narrows in the centre, at the transmission tunnel and spreads out to all 4 corners. The MK 2 cars, produced since 1996 featured the chassis redesigned and built in-house. The chassis is normally powder coated or enameled in black.

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