Born from the remnants of Davrian and Corry Cars, Darrian Cars is more than just a car company; it’s the personal passion project of owner Tim Duffee.
And Darrian will celebrate four decades of motorsport success at the Welsh Motorsport & Supercar Festival, at Pembrey Circuit on Sunday 21 September.
The Darrian story begins with a young Tim building a Davrian car for his mother. His fascination grew, and in 1973 he took a Davrian shell and transformed it into a rally car, which he drove in the Firestone International Rally in Spain. His led him to a subcontracting job with the company itself.
When Davrian and its successor, Corry Cars, went into liquidation, Tim saw an opportunity. He bought the company’s assets and began building a new kind of rally car – an in-line, mid-engined vehicle based on Davrian’s construction principles. This was the birth of Darrian Cars in 1985.
The new car was an immediate triumph. With driver Geoff Kitney behind the wheel, the Darrian T9 won its very first event, the 1986 Merlin Fireplaces Stages.
Since then, around 105 Darrians have been hand-built by Tim and his son Rhodri in their workshop in Lampeter, west Wales. The models have evolved over the years, from the T9 to the T90, the T90 GTR, and the current GTR+.
Darrian Cars have a rich history of competitive success, both in the UK and Ireland.
They’ve twice won the Protyre Asphalt Rally Championship, first with Geoff Kitney/Alan McCann in 1990, and again with John Dalton/Alun Davies in 1993.
The cars continue to prove their mettle; Chris Simmons is still scoring Protyre Asphalt points this year in a Darrian T90 built about 30 years ago! In Ireland, Kevin Gallagher won the National Modified Championship in 2024, and Barry Morris is currently leading the same series, both in a T90 GTR+.
The cars have even found success in circuit racing, winning the British GT Championship in 1996.
To celebrate four decades of motorsport heritage, a large collection of Darrians will be one of the star attractions at the Welsh Motorsport & Supercar Festival at Pembrey Circuit.
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