We are now back in production working on kits and fully built cars already ordered and accepting new orders (note customer friendly reductions on fully built car payment details).
Very strict isolation is still enforced in the entire Shipyard so no one other than staff and delivery drivers are allowed access so it is, with regret, that until further notice:
No Public
No Customers
No Demos
No entrance to Shipyard or Factory
No Phone use (it takes up to 72 hours for hard objects to be safe to touch)
On the plus side we are contactable by email and can ship and receive parts.
Coronavirus Update March 23 2020
Hi all
We hope you are well.
The health and well-being of our staff, all our families and our customers is the most important thing in these critical times.
Therefore, as of Monday evening March 23 Dutton Cars is temporary closing the factory and asking everyone here to stay at home. This is the right thing to do.
Initially this is for a three-week period but will be reviewed on a weekly basis and may have to be extended for as long as it takes to beat this.
We have cameras all over the Shipyard and 24/7 security men who are responsible for fitting the temporary flood barriers (to stop us flooding West Sussex) on Spring tides.
Delivery drivers can drop off parcels outside then go, parcels will not be signed for and will be untouched for a minimum 3 days to clear any contamination.
All my staff are furloughed and are ready and waiting to get back to work. Back in February I took the precaution of ordering and taking delivery of more than sufficient stock to build all cars that are on order - and more, as soon as Boris says we can go back to work we will be in full production from 8am the next work day. I have sailed thru the 3 day week in 1973 and the tankers drivers strike of 2000 and will not be beaten by C19.
Together we will get thru this, stay safe, strong and healthy and all the best to you all and your families.
And remember,
STAY AT HOME.
Just when we got over the factory flooding!
Tim Dutton
51 years of Dutton Cars
Just released on YouTube the establishing shots of Britain's Got Talent
with Simon Cowell and David Walliams in the Union Jack wrapped Dutton
Surf arriving at the Thames TV studio, Media City, Salford Saturday April 18
We have always used exhibitions as our main form of paid advertising. Our first exhibition was 1970 when Peter Filby
rented a field in (we think) Hindhead in Surrey. Of course the 1982 Motor Show at the NEC Birmingham was the most
talked about as we had just won the court case bought by Ford Motor Co who spectacularly failed to stop us using
the name Sierra. Our court costs were £20,000, the best £20K we could have spent on publicity, the story being
reported all over the World. Even cartoons appeared in the national press (as below), we think no other car company has ever been
the centre of such attraction in cartoons. It was particularly amusing that just by chance our exhibition stand was next to
the Ford exhibit at the NEC Birmingham.
This year we will be celebrating 51 years of vehicle manufacture and will be
exhibiting later in the year at the Southampton Boat show September 11 to 20
2020
1982 cartoons salvaged from our 1992 factory fire
MAGAZINES
It was sad to hear of the closure of Kit Car Magazine especially as it was the first magazine in the World
to be dedicated solely to kit cars. Luckily we still have Total Kit Car and Complete Kit Car magazines to
promote the UK specialist car industry
Dutton is the oldest car company in the world to still be wholly owned by its founder
To put this into context, Dutton was the first company ever to seriously 'productionise' kit car
manufacture resulting in building 8000 cars between 1969 and 1989 in 20,000 ft sq spread over 4 factories and a main
road showroom in West Sussex
The first amphibious car Dutton made was in 1989. No other company comes anywhere
near us for longevity. Even the most famous amphibious car ever - the Amphicar - was
only built for 2 years then the company hemorrhaged for a further 2 years in a
desperate attempt to sell off the remaining stock
Dutton is the Worlds only company in series production with amphibious cars
(despite what you see on the internet)
After trading for years as Tim Dutton Amphibious Cars Ltd we thought it would be rather fun
to re-use the 50 year old company name of "Dutton Cars Ltd" (same company just a name change)
First prototype (1989) based on Dutton Sierra drophead, note the use of steel bumper / chassis
(never again) alfresco exhaust and a bemused Tim Dutton
Southampton Boat Show
Very successful Southampton Boat Show 2019
TV WITH DUTTONS:- Celebrity Hunted with Stanley Johnson
and Georgia Toffolo Ch4. Great British Canal Journeys with Sheila Hancock and Giles Brandeth Ch4 transmission
before end 2019 and Richard Hammond's BIG transmission first quarter 2020.
Surf was used by Simon Cowell and David Walliams as opening film for
the soon to be shown series of Britain's Got Talent.
What are the chances? An amphibious caravan passing an amphibious car...
20 mph, 5ft drop and no slipway... (click
HERE or on picture above for
Video, opens in new window)
Most modern cars are designed to last 11 years. This Dutton Mariner is over 20 years old and still going strong.
On the way to Brittany.
Brittany Northwestern most region of France. The annual Amphib meeting, Over 75 amphibs attended August 2019.
The Reef was easily faster on the water than all the Amphicars, GPA's, DUKW's, Searanger and others.
Make contact
To make contact with us please email factory@timdutton.com
Tel 01903 713313 we don't always hear the phone so quicker to email
We are free (ish)...
As you know the EU transitional period will end December 2020 so
anyone in EU can purchase Dutton cars/kits from us until then exactly as
they have been doing since the beginning of time (well, 1973...)
We buy dead 4WD Duttons
We are eager purchasers of all 4WD Duttons regardless of their condition including part built kits
Send us full details/photos and price
WHERE THEY GO
Austria,
Brazil,
Belgium,
Burma,
Canada,
Costa Rica,
Croatia,
Dubai,
England,
Estonia,
France,
French West Indies,
Germany,
Holland,
Hungary,
Italy,
Japan,
Kuwait,
Monaco,
New Zealand,
Northern Ireland,
Norway,
Poland,
Qatar,
Russia,
Scotland,
Southern Ireland,
Spain,
Sweden,
Switzerland,
Turkey,
UAE,
USA,
Wales
And some Military stuff..
This is not the total of all our cars sold, customers have bought more
than 1 Dutton, there are repeat orders and many are sold into the same location
We have been manufacturing amphibious cars longer than all the other companies
in the World added together - including Amphicar - this unparalleled experience over 30 years and
260+ sales has allowed us to produce 4 entirely different models - the Mariner up to 2000, Commander up to 2006
and the current Surf and Reef
We take customer privacy seriously and will NEVER disclose customer names or addresses
or cold-call them so please don't ask
A Brief History of Tim
Article reprinted from February 2016 Complete Kit Car Magazine, see HERE
Sunday Observer
48 year old advert from our Archives
As true today as it was in the early 1970's...Note £345 for an entire kit!
Built to last
We recently received this from a customer who bought a Dutton in 1972; now over 70, he still uses the B type
(if his son is not borrowing it...)
Note WW2
Dutton shed in 1972, and the good old days when E Type Jaguars were simply thrown away when not needed...
47
years old and still going strong
Reef in full Production
REEF delivery & production
Delivery is now late Spring 2020
We are quite happy to accept a deposit and incomplete order form as a firm order so
you can get a production "slot", final spec can be added closer to the delivery date
We attempt to keep some deck/hulls in stock:-
We have one white Reef hull in stock - if ordered waiting time is reduced by 2 weeks
IMPORTANT:- if we quote a delivery time from a general enquiry it is only valid at the
time we quote, delivery times can easily vary drastically depending on pressure of work, however once an order has been
received then the delivery date is fixed
SURF delivery & production
Delivery is now late Spring 2020
We are quite happy to accept a deposit and incomplete order form as a firm order so
you can get a production "slot", final spec can be added closer to the delivery date
We attempt to keep some deck/hulls in stock:-
none
IMPORTANT:- if we quote a delivery time from a general enquiry it is only valid at the
time we quote, delivery times can easily vary drastically depending on pressure of work, however once an order has been
received then the delivery date is fixed
Stock cars
For the first time ever, we have managed to catch up with orders and now
have some cars in stock. See the "new - used" page for further details.
UK Slipways & launch sites
A comprehensive list of UK slipways and launch sites that you can use for your Dutton is now available from BOATLAUNCH.CO.UK. giving details of over 940 British coastal and inland slipways. Please click HERE to access their site.
Note that the site also gives tide predictions.
Duttons 1969 to 1989
With well over 8000 Duttons driving around the World and despite not making them for over 30 years we are still here
to help owners. Got a TECHNICAL problem? then
contact Tim for assistance. Please note we have NO documentation or spares on these early Duttons
(and don't forget to join the Dutton owners Club)
Duttons in
Norway & Canada
Duttons have now been registered for road use in Norway and Canada, this joins the ever increasing list of
Countries where
you can register the Dutton
A day in the life..... cars being completed, customers and visitors cars and our two demo cars.
Our "fleet" of two demo cars.
Monday morning, Jimny donor for Surf, and Fiesta donor for Reef.
Dutton goes electric
Tim Dutton is currently building five electric powered Surfs for a European Customer.
The 'E Surfs' will be used on canals that have strict emission regulations
and will be powered by 48v water cooled electric motors.
The photo above shows the motor coupled to the same jet that's used for conventional Surfs. The batteries will be on an overnight charge before the cars are driven to the canals during the day. If the batteries go flat on the water, the petrol engine can be run to give enough power back to the motor through a 48v converter.
TOP 15%
A staggering 85% of all cars (all makes) fail the IVA test first time. The Dutton passes. We are so confident
that the cars we present pass first time that if for any reason they don't we will re-test at our expense
TV & VIDEO STUFF
TOWIE ITV2 The "lads" drove around Basildon and local lakes.
CHANNEL 4 SHOW "GADGET MAN" aired September 02 featuring the Dutton SURF
Tim also featured in an earlier episode of 'Scrapheap Challenge' on Channel 4.
Female Comedienne JO BRAND has a new tv programme on DAVE TV where she
does weird stuff to do with water. Jo spent a whole day at our factory filming
in the Dutton Surf, this was shown recently and is viewable on here and shows Jo and
Tim having fun before heading for France in a Surf.
2006 Channel Crossing Video now available. Click HERE to view (4min).
The
Dutton. It is neither the car that thinks it's a boat nor a boat that thinks it's
a car. It has the invincible superiority of knowing that it is both "Boris Johnson Prime Minister of Great Britain and Northern Ireland"
THE FACT DUTTON IS THE WORLD'S ONLY SUCCESSFUL AMPHIBIOUS CAR MAKER SAYS A LOT. THE S2's RUGGED............... "AutoExpress Magazine"
NEW WORLD RECORD 2 Duttons cross
English Channel Nov 2006, see AMPHIBIOUS RECORDS link on "PRESS" link above
Part Completed jet bodies
Hull and deck meet up
2nd Dutton ever made, this Dutton P1 based on the Mk1 Sprite was built in 1969 and is still going strong today.
Photographed in 2005 to celebrating the 25th year of the Dutton Owners Club (search DuttonOwnersClub to find out more) .
With well over 8000 cars made already the DOC look forward to you joining them with your Dutton Amphib.
Specifications liable to change without notice. DUTTON is a registered Trade Mark.
