The Costin Sports Roadster is a lightweight mid-engined

sports car A sports car is a type of automobile that is designed with an emphasis on dynamic performance, such as Automobile handling, handling, acceleration, top speed, the thrill of driving, and Auto racing, racing capability. Sports cars originated in ...

that was intended for initial launch in the mid-1990s. A prototype test bed chassis was finished in 1991 at Costin Ltd in

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

. The original Costin Cars were designed by the aerodynamicist

Frank Costin Francis Albert Costin (8 June 1920 – 5 February 1995) was a British automotive engineer who advanced monocoque chassis design and was instrumental in adapting aircraft aerodynamic knowledge for automobile use. Career Costin was an engineer ...

. Costin had previous associations with

Vanwall Vanwall was a British motor racing team and racing car constructor that was active in Formula One during the 1950s. Founded by Tony Vandervell, the Vanwall name was derived by combining the name of the team owner with that of his Thinwall ...

, Lotus,

Maserati Maserati S.p.A. () is an Italian luxury vehicle manufacturer. Established on 1 December 1914 in Bologna, Italy, the company's headquarters are now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. The company has been owned by Stellantis since 2021. Ma ...

, and

Dealer Team Vauxhall Dealer Team Vauxhall, commonly known as DTV, was a motorsport organisation. In the absence of any official motorsport sponsorship by General Motors globally, and by its Vauxhall Motors subsidiary specifically, a group of London-based Vauxhall de ...

(DTV) for race car chassis designs. A modern design update of the original Costin Sports Roadster, was designed and hand sculpted full size in wood and plastic filler by William P. (Bill) Barranco in 1994 in London UK. In absit 1995, the first two (2) prototypes were built in the mid nineties with revised body styling but was not road registered until recently. In total 6 chassis were constructed and 2 bodies were produced from the FRP molds. The company Costin Ltd went into liquidation following unsuccessful attempts to find funding for the venture.

See also