Ikenga MK1 Ikenga MK2 Ikenga MK 3 Home Segment entry Auto page Design Ikenga
© dwij 2002
Click Images
To Enlarge

IKENGA GT motorcars - London, England

In gratitude to Charles Williams

Link: Rare footage of 1968 Ikenga MK II

Link: Rare BBC footage of 1969 Ikenga MK III

Link: Motorsport Magazine 2016 Retrospective

The Ikenga automobile venture began as a joint effort of designer/photographer David Gittens and the renowned British coach builder Charles Williams; creating a series of innovative prototype vehicles as limited editions and as future-linked concept probes for British manufacturers. Regarded along with Dennis Adams, Colin Chapman, and Tom Karen by the Times of London as "auto stylists whose ideas put Britain ahead in the world of design," David Gittens conceived and designed six radical vehicles including a single seat Fiat 500cc powered inner city module; a trike based on the Reliant chassis; an electric city car; a tiny four place, six wheeled, expandable vehicle; a recreational car based on the Austin Mini Moke chassis, and the 170mph, Buick powered, high performance McLaren-based grand touring series shown on the left. Supported by the same talented team of mechanical and technical wizards who developed voice actuated furniture for computer hardware, Ikenga's assembly studio in London's Kensington district became the creative base from which to grow the vision of a prototype auto design studio.

A core vision of the Ikenga auto venture was to express my creative abilities, and make contributions in motor vehicle concepts, as an expatriate American of African-European descent; launching a successful business idea onto a life stage deemed off-limits to my culture in the 1960s. The team supporting the development Ikenga motorcars reflected the wonder and excitment of London, England in the mid-sixties: creative, visionary, dynamic, outrageous, inventive, and multicultural; a truly awesome experience!