Arawak Motors

Arawak Motors Ltd. was an automobile importer and manufacturer based in St. John's, Antigua. The company operated during the late 1970s and early 1980s, a period that included Antigua's transition from associated statehood to independence in 1981. Its business combined vehicle distribution with local assembly or manufacture under the Arawak name. The company imported and sold Chrysler vehicles in Antigua, while also producing its own lightweight recreational automobile, the Hustler. The Hustler followed the general concept of the Mini Moke: an open-bodied, compact utility and leisure vehicle intended for a warm-climate island market. Its construction used a fiberglass body, and much of its mechanical equipment was sourced from the Hillman Imp. This included the Imp's rear-mounted four-cylinder engine with a displacement of 875 cubic centimetres. After Hillman Imp production ended, Arawak Motors developed a proposed successor known as the Hustler II. The second design differed substantially in its mechanical layout. It was planned to use a 1,256-cubic-centimetre four-cylinder engine from the Vauxhall Viva, mounted at the front rather than at the rear. Available reference material indicates that the Hustler II probably did not reach series production. Arawak vehicle production is reported to have continued from about 1976 until 1984. The company therefore represents a small and short-lived example of Caribbean automobile manufacturing, combining locally marketed vehicles with imported products from a major international automaker. No reliable information in the supplied references establishes its founder, ownership structure, financial performance, production volume, later corporate history, or exact closure circumstances.

Arawak Motors Ltd. was established as an automotive business in Antigua, where it combined vehicle importing with the manufacture of automobiles sold under the Arawak name. Its base was St. John's, the island's principal commercial centre. The company operated during a period when Antigua was an associated state and later became independent in 1981. From approximately 1976, Arawak Motors produced the Hustler, its only documented production model. The vehicle was an open-bodied design broadly comparable in concept and appearance to the Mini Moke. It used a fiberglass body and incorporated substantial mechanical content from the Hillman Imp, including a rear-mounted, four-cylinder engine displacing 875 cubic centimetres. The use of an existing small-car powertrain allowed the company to create a distinctive local product without developing a complete vehicle architecture from scratch. Arawak Motors also acted as an importer and retailer of Chrysler vehicles. This distribution activity placed the company within the broader Caribbean automotive trade, while its own manufacturing program gave it a more distinctive industrial role than a conventional dealership. The available historical record does not specify the number of Hustlers built, the precise manufacturing process, or the size of the workforce. Following the discontinuation of Hillman Imp production, the company developed the Hustler II. The proposed vehicle was mechanically different from the original Hustler: it was designed around a 1,256-cubic-centimetre four-cylinder engine from the Vauxhall Viva, positioned at the front of the vehicle. The available account indicates that the Hustler II likely did not enter series production, leaving the original Hustler as Arawak Motors' only documented manufactured model. Arawak vehicle production continued until approximately 1984. The references do not establish whether the company formally dissolved at that point, shifted entirely to importing, or ceased operations altogether. No dependable information is provided about its founder, directors, owners, sales, financial results, production totals, export markets, or a successor company. Arawak Motors is consequently best documented as a defunct or inactive Antiguan automotive enterprise whose principal historical significance lies in its attempt to manufacture a locally branded automobile in the Caribbean.

• 1984

  Reported end of vehicle production

  [1]Arawak Motorsen.wikipedia.org

  The available historical account places the end of Arawak Motors' automobile production around 1984.

• 1981

  Antigua becomes independent

  [1]Arawak Motorsen.wikipedia.org

  Antigua and Barbuda gained independence during the period in which Arawak Motors was operating. The company had previously operated while Antigua was an associated state.

• 1976

  Automobile production begins

  [1]Arawak Motorsen.wikipedia.org

  Arawak Motors is reported to have begun producing automobiles in Antigua around this year, with the Hustler as its documented model.

A small Caribbean vehicle manufacturer and distributor focused on lightweight open-bodied automobiles for the Antiguan market, alongside imported Chrysler vehicles.

• Lightweight recreational automobile

  Arawak Hustler

  The Hustler was Arawak Motors' only documented production automobile. It was an open-bodied, lightweight vehicle with a fiberglass body and styling broadly similar to the Mini Moke. Its mechanical package drew heavily on the Hillman Imp, including a rear-mounted four-cylinder engine with 875 cubic centimetres of displacement. The model reflected the company's effort to create a locally marketed Antiguan vehicle using established components rather than a fully indigenous powertrain and chassis design.

• Proposed lightweight automobile

  Hustler II

  The Hustler II was developed as a successor after Hillman Imp production ended. Unlike the original Hustler, it was designed around a front-mounted 1,256-cubic-centimetre four-cylinder engine sourced from the Vauxhall Viva. Available reference material indicates that the Hustler II probably did not enter series production, so it is best treated as a proposed or prototype-stage vehicle rather than a confirmed commercial model.

• Imported automobiles

  Chrysler vehicles

  Arawak Motors imported and sold Chrysler vehicles in Antigua. The available reference does not identify the specific Chrysler models, sales volumes, or the precise duration of the distribution relationship. This activity formed the company's principal documented non-manufacturing business alongside its own Arawak-branded vehicle production.

1. 1Arawak Motorsen.wikipedia.org