KIT CAR Shop Tour: Unique Motorcars

As KIT CAR magazine travels around the country, we stop in at various shops to see what they're up to. While in northern Alabama, KIT CAR stopped by Unique Motorcars in Gadsden to check up on the Weaver family and see what's new.

Unique Motorcars is still a family-run business, even though they've had a successful and long history in the replicar market. Two brothers, Maurice and Alan, plus their mother, Jean, have worked for almost 30 years to keep Unique at the forefront of the aftermarket Cobra industry, though it didn't start out that way!

In the mid-'70s, Maurice and Alan, along with their father, were in Phoenix running the Antique Car Restoration Center, where they restored classic and special-interest cars, many of which would eventually find their way into serious car collections and museums. The name Unique Motorcars was owned by Bill Close, who had started to sell Cobra kits in Phoenix, where he rented space from the Weavers.

The Weavers also worked for a time as the exclusive restoration company for the Grand Old Cars Museum in Scottsdale, Arizona, (which was the world's largest collection of convertible automobiles under one roof) and they also restored numerous Mustang convertibles for A & G Classic Cars. With the neo-classic phase of kit cars in full swing at that time, the Weavers even built some Auburn boat-tail Speedsters an occasionally an Intermeccanica Porsche Speedster replica.

But everything would change for the Weaver boys in 1979 when they decided to purchase Unique Motorcars from Close and start manufacturing their own Cobra kits. Maurice and Alan had already helped Unique by creating the jigs, body molds, and fixtures used but, after the purchase, they completely redesigned the molds, eliminated some of the mold seams (for a smoother finish), and re-tooled for increased production quality. They also turned their attention to the vehicle's frame, which was redesigned and lightened.

But if buying a company and going into the kit car business weren't a big enough change in their lifestyle, then the step they took in 1981 certainly would be! Packing up the jigs and molds, the Weavers relocated to Gadsden, Alabama (60 miles north of Birmingham), which is where their family is from originally (in fact, mama Jean still works in the front office). The decreased cost of living and reduced business overhead in the smaller town allowed them to maintain the quality they wanted but still stay competitive in the marketplace.

Production went into high gear, and Unique began creating some of the parts and pieces that were becoming harder to find (such as the LeMans filler cap, Plexiglas side windows, brake and oil lines, as well as an original spec steering column). In 1989 they retooled their 427 body and created a new body mold, which again resulted in a product that required less prep time by a body or paint man. And, where some body manufacturers aren't faithful to the '60s-era look, the Weavers reshaped their car's nose and wheel openings to follow the original's design.

Filling the requests of customers, Unique added a 289 Cobra to their line in 1991. The first of the Unique 289 vehicles debuted at the AHA Fun in the Sun kit nationals at Knott's Berry Farm in Southern California, where it caught the eye of Patrick Bedard, an editor at Car & Driver. Bedard was researching an article on the Cobra replicar industry and, after a visit to Unique Motorcars, he featured their 427 replica on the cover of the December 1991 issue of the magazine (a definite high-point for the industry, let alone Unique).

In July 1993, Unique Motorcars expanded its facility by adding almost 4,000 square feet of warehouse space, which allowed them to double its assembly area and increase production by 50 percent. The Unique Motorcars factory now covers roughly 25,000 feet, all under one roof, and it's broken up into seven divisions (sales, fiberglassing, welding, pre-assembly, parts, component shop, and final assembly).

When you walk into the business and past the showroom and offices, you come into a large room where most of the assembly is taking place. It isn't uncommon to find eight to ten vehicles in this one room going together, all in various stages of completion. To the far right is the fiberglass room, where workers are busy laying up new parts and popping cars from their molds (nearly everything concerning the building of a Unique car is done onsite).

At the other end of the main room is the fabrication and welding facility, and where the all-important chassis jigs are set up, ready to accept more rectangular tubing that makes up the base for Unique's 289s and 427s. Charlie Barnett does most of the chassis welding and, when he doesn't have his welding helmet on, is busy with Unique's newest project: creating the molds for a brand-new '36 Ford cabriolet. Years in development, the Weavers wanted to make this new '36 cabriolet perfect, and it looks like they have. Initial pieces and body sections being popped from their molds are without waves or pinholes, and looking like they only need to be scuffed before being painted! It's that good. Much more complicated than a Cobra body, their new '36 cabriolet bound to make a big splash in the street rod world when it debuts at the Goodguys show in Columbus, Ohio.

Nowadays Unique offers their 427 and 289 replicas in different forms, with their most popular kit being the Deluxe Pallet Kit. It consists of a powder coated chassis with Jag independent suspension out back and twin A-arm front independent suspension, disc brakes all the way round, rack-and-pinion steering, aluminum radiator, 20-gallon fuel tank, with brake and fuel lines installed. The body is bolted to the chassis, and all doors, hood and the trunk lid have been installed, hinged and properly fit. The lights, windshield and dashboard are installed (filled with Stewart Warner gauges), the seats leather upholstered, and all pre-cut and edged rug pieces and door panels are finished and ready for installation. The roll bar is also installed, and the side pipes are bolted in place. The custom headers for your choice of engine are included with the kit as well. Also included are the original style steering wheel, and many other authentic deluxe items.

You can easily finish a Unique kit in about 100 hours or less (no welding, fiberglass work, or fabrication is required as many of the parts, such as the complete front suspension, are already in place). Unique's paint man can prep and paint a body (with stripes), in as little as five 8-hour shifts, so you could be on the road faster than you think. There are also two other kit packages Unique offers that allows the owner to build more of his vehicle, as well as a completed, turnkey version where all you do is pick the paint and upholstery colors.

Unique Motorcars knows it owes its success to its customers, many of whom have returned for more than one car in the nearly 30 years they've been in business. To show their appreciation, the Weavers have organized a homecoming event for each of the past 12 years (except in 2003) and roughly 50 vehicles and their owners (some who drive in from as far as Connecticut) and friends attend the 1-day get together (coverage of the 2004 event will be in the November KIT CAR). It's a friendly relationship between the Weavers and their customers, and something they recognize as a Unique experience!