Tiger Racing, manufacturer of seven models of road and race cars, has made a dream come true for students at UTC Swindon. The owners of the historic ERA (English Racing Automobiles) trademark have supplied the parts and materials so the students can build the Wisbech-based company’s acclaimed Avon model.
The cars manufactured by UTC Swindon students will be fully road legal. One car will be produced by year 10 and 11 students and another by year 12 and 13 students. The project will enable students to develop a wide range of vocational and project management skills.
Now, it seems, there will be no holding the students back – specifically engineered aerodynamics help the two-litre performance cars accelerate from 0 to 60mph in approximately 4.4 seconds. However, the reality is that, once produced, the cars will be sold by the students to raise funds for similar future projects. UTC Swindon will also use a branded Avon Tiger Sportscar at events throughout the catchment area, demonstrating the types of projects available at the college.
“Projects like this make UTC Swindon stand out from other colleges,” says Angela Barker-Dench, principal of UTC Swindon. “This will deliver exactly what our students want – hands-on work that employers can relate to. We can’t wait to see the results.”
UTC Swindon caters for 600 students aged 14 to 19, providing courses for young people who aspire to a career in engineering. Students at the college can gain the skills necessary across all sectors of the engineering industries, as well as gaining their GCSEs and A-levels.
UTC Swindon is run by a trust sponsored by Johnson Matthey Fuel Cells and Oxford Brookes University. There are over 90 different industry partners involved with the University Technical College.
As part of the original Great Western Rail works, the UTC Swindon site creates a link between the engineering history and the engineering future of the local area, with the Old School Building and the iconic Water Tower featuring prominently. Both structures, which are Grade II listed, were treated sympathetically, with the Water Tower being restored and brought back into educational use.
Tiger Racing was formed as Tiger Cars Ltd in London in 1989 by Jim Dudley. In 1998, it moved to new premises in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, under the new name Tiger Sportscars Ltd. Facilities include a rolling road, two engineering shops, paint department, trimming shop and filled parts department. Its celebrated Z100 model, no longer in production, held a 0-60mph record at 2.8 seconds.
Tiger sportscars have been featured in many television programmes, including ITV's ‘U Bet’, ‘Don't try this at home’ and ‘Pulling Power’.
