Gilbern

Gilbern was founded in 1959 by Giles Smith, a local butcher, and Bernard Friese, a German engineer with a background in glassfibre work; the name combines the first syllables of Giles and Bernard. The business began in a tiny workshop in Church Village, near Pontypridd, before moving to a larger site at the old Red Ash Colliery in nearby Llantwit Fardre as production started.

The Gilbern GT (1959 to 1967) was available with a variety of BMC and Ford engines and, like many small-volume cars of its era, was usually supplied in kit form, with the glassfibre body already trimmed and painted and the mechanical work left to the buyer. The Genie (1966 to 1969) and the more upmarket Invader (1969 to 1973), both using Ford’s Essex V6 engine, were increasingly sold as complete, fully-built cars.

Around 1,080 Gilberns were built in total. New VAT rules introduced in 1973 removed the tax advantage of buying a car in kit form, and the added cost, combined with the already premium price of an Invader, pushed the company into bankruptcy that year.