Origins of the Marque - Microplas (Micron Plastics)

The UK Origins of the Mistral

Microplas Ltd was founded in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire in the early 1950’s by a group of 750 Motor Club enthusiasts who got together to design and produce an all-enveloping bodyshell for the Austin Seven chassis, from the then new glass fibre material. They were, Mike Eyre, Roger Everett, Bill Ashton, Sandy Wemyss and his brother Tony. Bill Ashton designed the body shells, the first being called the Toledo. The Stiletto followed, both shells being made for a wheelbase of 81 inches.

One of the group wanted to make a car powered by the air cooled, flat four engine designed by Archie Butterworth, so Bill Ashton designed the new "Mistral" body with flutes in the side to match up with the ducts from the Butterworth engine. This bodyshell was designed for a 90 inch wheelbase which proved suitable for a number of different chassis including the Ford 10, A40 and Singer 9. Microplas sold early versions of this shell to Fraser Nash and Morgan. 

Cresting the wave of the 1950’s kit car boom, Microplas rapidly expanded, relocating to Mitcham, Surrey. The Mistral, released in April 1955, proved to become their most popular body shell, with around 500 hundred sold at a price of £58, which remained unchanged throughout production. 

Along with the Mistral being used on home built "specials" the shell was also used by a number of UK firms to clothe their factory built chassis, including Buckler (on the DD2 chassis), Fairthorpe (The Atom) and TVR.

Microplas also licensed production of the Mistral body shell to Bob Blackburn in New Zealand, to Keith Morrison in Australia (the KM300) and Bud Goodwin in the USA via "Sports Car Engineering"

The Mistral body designer, Bill Ashton, came out to New Zealand for several years in the 1950's to oversee production being set up by Bob Blackburn at Weltex. This link is to a letter sent by Bill Ashton to NZ Mistral owner Chris Read in 2002 after Bill returned to New Zealand attended the Dunedin road races and saw NZ Mistrals racing. It details some of the early history of Microplas and the Mistral.

In addition to car bodies, Microplas (or Micron Plastics) also produced hardtops, boats and other items.