The motoring world is littered with companies who were keen to earn a living by producing kit cars based on the ubiquitous Volkswagen Beetle, and a Californian company called Autokit Industries was just one such organization. The company’s owner was credited with designing the Invader GT, but this might not necessarily be true. Regardless, the Invader GT has enough of a following that it has its own Facebook group. There aren’t a lot of members, but there are more than I would have expected. This particular Invader GT is an interesting breath of fresh air. It appears to be complete and is a car that runs and drives, so it is ready to be used as it currently stands. Located in Belmont, New Hampshire, it is listed for sale here on Craigslist. The owner has set a price of $5,000 for the Invader.

The appearance of the Invader has its good points and its bad. The styling may appear to be a little bit ungainly, but it is this way for a practical reason. It is based on a Beetle chassis and floor, and with no room for any sort of luggage space where the trunk would normally be in a VW, the area in front of the engine and under that funky louvered cover is where the luggage gets stowed. This is the space where the rear seat would normally be in a Beetle, so that should provide a reasonable amount of luggage capacity. One other interesting feature is the Perspex gull-wing doors. These aren’t an aftermarket addition, but were one of the interesting design features of the original car. The owner says that the car is in need of a repaint, but is including all of the paint required, plus a new spray gun, with the car.

The story of the Intruder GT is an interesting one. The car was released in kit form by California-based Autokit Industries, and the design of the vehicle has been credited to that company’s founder, Bruce Weeks. In truth, the illustrious Mr. Weeks purchased a kit for a Mantis Targa Kit Car, and then cut and modified it to create the Invader GT. The kit was a success, with Autokit selling a significant number. Some estimates suggest that over 2,000 kits were sold, which is an impressive number for a kit car company. Just how many eventually hit the roads might be another story altogether. Autokit then closed down, and the molds and tooling were sold to another individual who owned a company called Kaylor Energy Products. It appears that this company was nowhere near as successful, and apparently sold exactly no kits! It appears that the molds were then left to sit under a stand of redwoods on a private property somewhere in California. Following a local council clean-up order, it is believed that the molds were sent to a dump, thus bringing to a close the manufacturing of the Invader GT kits.

The interior of a kit car is often the area where the nicest kit can fall in a heap, and unfortunately, that’s the case with this Invader. It isn’t beyond help, but from what I’ve seen of various Invader GT interiors, there was no standard version of the dash. I’ve seen some which have used VW components and gauges, and numerous examples that have utilized aftermarket items. I’ve even seen one where the gauges are all from the aircraft industry. This interior could be used as it stands, but the mismatched seats and unfinished dash will probably encourage the next owner to place their own stamp on it. There are no photos of the engine, but we do know that the car is fitted with a 1,600cc Volkswagen engine and 4-speed manual transmission. The owner also says that the car runs and drives well.

Kit cars are not to everyone’s taste, and their halcyon days are long behind them. They were a common sight in the 1960s and 1970s, but their decline perfectly coincided with stricter vehicle emission and safety regulations. It is highly doubtful whether we will see a resurgence in the industry, but owning a car like this Invader GT really means owning what is an eccentric part of our automotive history. For someone who is looking for a car that is interesting and a bit left-field, this would be a pretty worthy candidate.