The Thompson brothers have set up a business to build sports cars in Wexford.
The TMC Costin sportscar is already proving itself a winner among car enthuiasts in Ireland and Britain and praise from the writers of the sports press.
Designed by Englishman Francis Costin, famous for his work with the Lotus car company, the TMC Costin is being built by the Thompson Manufacturing Company. Set up by brothers Val, Peter, Sean and Anthony, Thompson Manufacturing has six employees working at a small factory in Wexford.
This new car is built by the Thompson brothers of Castlebridge County Wexford.
The car was designed and built in a small garage at the back of the Thompson family home. With a staff of just six people, they now produce five cars every month and have plans for expansion. The Thompson brothers have been working with Professor Séamus Timoney and the company Adtec which produces armoured cars and fire tenders in Navan. It was at Adtec that they met designer Frank Costin and joined forces to create TMC Costin.
Sean Thompson outlines what makes their cars different from companies like Lotus, Ferrari and Lamborghini.
The key factor in design is this centre torsion box which stops the chassis from twisting under loading at each corner.
This design feature allows the driver to round corners without slowing down.
While sales are adequate, the production is being moved to another factory to increase output. The car is available for sale fully assembled for £12,000 or as a build-it-yourself kit for £2,500. The build-it-yourself kit requires the addition of an engine and other elements. The company estimates you can be on the road driving your own sports car for around £6,000.
Managing Director Val Thompson says after examining the figures for potential sales, they took the gamble to set up on their own. He identifies two target customers, the sportscar enthusiast and those with the engineering ability to assemble their own car.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 27 June 1984. The reporter is Michael Ryan.
