In keeping with modern trends we now work a 4 day week, open Mondays to Thursdays with increased hours 8 to 5 and are not open on Fridays/
Saturdays/Sundays
2 cherished number plates available FL04TSY £1,000 (CAN'T be put on a car to make it look younger) and F10ATY £1,500 (CAN be put on any Dutton amphib) both on retention certificates, (no vat)
OUR 50 + YEAR CUSTOMER PLEDGE
We are immensely proud of our always free customer service that we have been offering since the early 1970's. We doubt there are many car companies (even if they still exist) where you can contact them and ask "what engine mount was fitted to my 50 year old car". That is exactly what happened recently, an owner of a 70's Dutton B Type had a damaged rubber engine mount and no one could work out what car it was from. A single email from him and in less than an hour we replied "105E Ford" one happy customer.
A couple of weeks ago we had an urgent email from a French owner of a 25 year old Dutton Mariner who was at the amphib meet in Basse-Ham, France (held every year in the UK or Europe and open
to all amphibious Dutton owners) saying his radiator had developed a major split and was not repairable, like the previous example no one could identify the make. The same day we replied "Sierra Diesel". He bought a new rad and then continued enjoying the amphib meeting. A week later we received an email thanking us for the correct info and confirming that he successfully completed the amphib meeting and then drove 400 km home.
These two examples are typical of what we receive every week, not surprising when there are more than 8000 Duttons driving/floating around the World.
Our factory has always been open to all, many visit because they are interested in what we make, many just want to chat to Tim Dutton about the thousands of cars he has made over 50 years
and some come for free technical advice or even order an amphib. Tim feels he has a moral duty to keep as many Duttons on the road as possible and is always contactable by email.
We have been made aware of a fake UK "Dutton club", this has absolutely nothing to do with us despite them using our registered trade mark (#UK00001150532)
The controller of this business is attempting to sell over priced parts for
Duttons, as an example we have a screen shot of a challis bearing they sell at £19.99 - you can buy these on ebay for £3.02 just search ebay "30202 bearing". He trades
using the fake name of Chris Dean when he is actually Chris Codner from Poole.
So please be very careful when sending personal/bank info to someone who does not exist. For the record there are no
clubs in the UK specifically for Duttons, we recommend you joining a specialist car club for "all makes" that is local to you.
Over the last few years we have seen some unbelievable amounts of money being asked for early Duttons - don't get taken in by these eye watering prices they are not real.
Feel free to contact us for a realistic purchase price before you part with your money.
55 years of Dutton Cars
See Ultimate Rides for 5 min US TV video on the Dutton 4WD Surf: click HERE to view the clip.
See Secrets of the Supercars on UKTV Play for 5 min Video on the Dutton 4WD Surf: click HERE to view a clip.
See a demonstration of rough terrain handling. Click HERE to view a clip.
YouTube 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 UK
Over 860,000 views and still counting...!
EXHIBITIONS
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.
1982 cartoons salvaged from our 1992 factory fire
WHY 99.99% OF BOATS ARE RIGHT HAND DRIVE
A specialized oar called the steering oar was placed on vessels to provide the same functionality as modern-day rudders, and
they were operated by sailors positioned at the stern. Because the vast majority of sailors were right-handed, these oars were
always placed on the right side. Sailors began calling the right side the steering side, which soon became "starboard" by combining two
Old English words: steor (meaning "steer") and bord (meaning "the side of a boat"). "Port" is named as boats could not moor up on the
starboard side (as there was a "steering oar" in the way) so the other side was always call the "port" side. We can still manufacture
the Surf in Left hand drive if specifically required
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 1968 and 1989 with over 80 staff in 24,000 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
haemorrhaged 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
Setting up at the 2021 Southampton Boat Show.
Very successful Southampton Boat Show 2019
Tim Dutton - Woolley
PICTURES OF THE MONTH
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 well over 20 years old and still going
strong.
Brittany Northwestern most region of France. The annual Amphib meeting, Over 75 amphibs attended August
2019.
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, Malta, 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 33 years and upto VIN 280 has allowed
us to produce 4 entirely different models - the Mariner up to 2000 (Mk3 Fiesta donor), Commander up
to 2006 (Suzuki Samurai donor) and the current Surf.
We take customer privacy seriously and will NEVER disclose customer names or addresses or cold-call
them so please don't ask
50 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 WWII Dutton shed at RAF Tangmere (1968) and the good old days when E Type Jaguars were simply thrown away
when not needed...
50 years old and still going strong
SURF & REEF
delivery & production
Please contact factory direct for current Delivery times.
BUILDING NOW - SEE NEW/USED page
A new blue Reef will be available for delivery in 6 months time and a new UK registered Surf is available NOW for delivery
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
1968 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
Duttons in
Norway, Canada, Sweden and Russia
Duttons have now been registered for road use in Norway, Canada, Sweden and Russia, 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.
TV & VIDEO
STUFF
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.
To view the video click HERE
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 ex 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
2006 Channel Crossing Video now available. Click HERE to view (4min).
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.
Specifications liable to change without notice.
DUTTON is a registered Trade Mark.
