Red two-seater car
Blackjack Avion
Wikimedia Commons

Blackjack Cars, founded by Richard Oakes in 1996, is a manufacturer of three-wheeled kit cars based in Helston, Cornwall, England. The company’s first car, the Blackjack Avion, was produced from 1996 until 2004, replaced by the VW Beetle-engined Blackjack Zero. In 2008 a lighter variant of the Zero known as the Blackjack Guzzi was introduced, the name derived from the Moto Guzzi motorcycle engine that powers it.[1]

Vehicles


Blackjack Avion

The styling of the two front wheel and single rear-wheeled Avion is based on the pre-war Morgan three-wheeler racing cars. It was launched in 1996 and continued in production until 2004, during which time 69 were built. It uses Citroën 2CV mechanical parts and engine mounted on a steel chassis of Blackjack’s own design, all housed in an open-top doorless fibreglass body.[1]

Blackjack Zero/Guzzi

The Zero is a more performance-oriented car than the Avion, with which it shares its three-wheeled front-wheel drive layout. Introduced in 2005, it was initially powered by a VW Beetle air-cooled engine.[2]

A 2009 review published in The Telegraph praises the “elegant practicality and the production-quality finish” of the Zero.[3]

References



Bibliography


English, Andrew. “Blackjack Zero Review.” The Telegraph, 23 Feb. 2009, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/carreviews/convertibeandsportscars/4734516/Blackjack-Zero-review.html.
Hole, Steve. A–Z of Kit-Cars: The Definitive Encyclopaedia of the UK’s Kit-Car Industry Since 1949. Haynes Publishing, 2012.
Rees, Chris. Three-Wheelers A–Z:The Definitive Encyclopaedia of Three-Wheeled Vehicles from 1940 to Date. Quiller Print, 2013.