Leading Edge Sports Car Company
{{Short description|British car company}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Use British English|date=November 2016}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Leading Edge Sports Car Company
| founded = June 2002
| defunct = September 2005
| fate = Dissolved
| industry = Automotive
| products = Automobiles
| location_city = Dereham, Norfolk
| location_country = United Kingdom
}}
Leading Edge Sports Car Company was a British car company based in Dereham, Norfolk established in June 2002. The company was dissolved in September 2005. It outsourced the manufacture of its cars to fellow Dereham company Breckland Technologies.
Leading Edge 190 RT
Leading Edge was established in 2002 by Paul Mickleburgh to market its first new car, the 190 and 240 RT in Europe and the US. The car was a lightly updated version of the Tommykaira ZZ, a popular car in Japan, but made in Norfolk, and it suffered from the Japanese recession and the company became bankrupt. The receivers sold the tooling and inventory to neighbouring Breckland Technology Ltd, run by ex-Lotus engineer Mark Easton, who continued to manufacture the cars and sold them on to Leading Edge to distribute from the summer of July 2002 at a price of around £26,500.{{cite web|url=http://www.evo.co.uk/carreviews/evocarreviews/26483/leading_edge_190rt.html |title=Evo May 2002 |publisher=Evo.co.uk |date=2002-05-08 |accessdate=2011-12-18 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120211042150/http://www.evo.co.uk/carreviews/evocarreviews/26483/leading_edge_190rt.html |archivedate=11 February 2012 }}
The car featured a mid-mounted Nissan 2.0 L twin cam engine (1998cc), producing {{Convert|180|bhp|kW PS|0|abbr=on}} at 6900 rpm and torque of {{Convert|142|lbft|Nm|abbr=on}} at 4900 rpm. Top speed was claimed to reach {{Convert|140|mi/h|km/h|abbr=on}} and accelerate 0-60 mph in 4.8 seconds. Its open-top body was glassfibre, with an extruded aluminium central tub topped and tailed by tubular metal subframes and weighed only {{Convert|763|kg|lb|0|abbr=on}}.
Leading Edge 240 RT
The 240 RT was also launched in 2002 as a high-powered version of the previous Tommykaira ZZ. The 240 shared the same Nissan 2.0 L engined as the 190 RT, but with a higher output of {{Convert|240|bhp|kW PS|0|abbr=on}}, producing an acceleration time of 4.4 seconds to 60 mph.{{cite news|author=Motoring |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/4757254/Britains-sporting-pedigree-intact.html |title=The Daily Telegraph 13 July 2002 |work=The Daily Telegraph |date= 2002-07-13|accessdate=2011-12-18 |location=London}} With the addition of a hard top roof in 2004, the weight increased to 809 kg.{{cite web|url=http://www.autocar.co.uk/CarReviews/FirstDrives/Leading-edge-240-RT/206298/ |title=Autocar 6 January 2004 |publisher=Autocar.co.uk |date=2004-01-06 |accessdate=2011-12-18}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leading Edge}}
Category:Sports car manufacturers
Category:Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of England
Category:Car manufacturers of the United Kingdom
Category:2002 establishments in England
Category:British companies established in 2002
Category:Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 2002