The Alternative Choice For Summer Cruising - The Lantana RouteBuggy M800i

Baja, dune, beach, The Monkees, California, The Thrills, The Thomas Crown Affair.. Just some of the myriad of potent words and images that takes over your mind at the merest mention of the charm of the beach buggy.

It's timeless quality is there to be applauded as various modern vehicle's dip a sidelong nod of respect to this classic icon of hot American summers. For example, you might just feel that the new Nissan Juke may not have been born with such compact sweeping lines & high arches without the existence of arguably, the first well known kit car.

But back to the point, have you seen the Lantana M800i RouteBuggy? I had to do a double take to check it wasn't built on an old Beetle chassis. But this is definitely no antique Californian hiding under Botox and plastic surgery..

Born in France, this is a modern, 3-cylinder, 12-valve, 812cc bundle of fun and I want one. But then, I live in a non-coastal town, can only afford one vehicle, and logic tells me that I'm not sure I'd care to be stuck in traffic in the snow at 6.30pm on a Monday night in January. It just wouldn't be quite as much fun as cruising on a coastal road in summer (although some coverage can be provided by a soft top).  But that's it's great strength isn't it, the emotive response to such vehicles defies the boring commuter-mentality logic that we've all been programmed with.

Just like the original buggy, and unlike many similar vehicles, you don't need to be wearing a helmet to drive the M800i in the UK. So crank up your stereo (there is an mp3 option), feel the warm air in your hair if you have any left, and pretend you live in California for a few precious days. Though ironically, if you did, the M800i would not be road legal.

While it's easily arguable that this is not a kit car in it's purest form, RouteBuggy tell me that they feel the vehicle fits into the spirit of the UK kit car community as an affordable, fun vehicle. So if you want to see one, the chosen place to launch the M800i in the UK is at the Stoneleigh Kit Car Show on 1st and 2nd of May. I'd have to agree that it's a pretty shrewd choice. So depending on the weather, I’d say it's likely to cause a bit of a stir.

So grab yourself some cheap kit car insurance (and maybe your waterproofs) and head for a Lighthouse Family free ocean drive, for this is a road legal automobile.

If they remade Banana Splits, I'm sure Bingo, Drooper, Fleegle and Snork would drive the M800i - and what better recommendation is there?