Spex Design Corporation

Spex Design Corporation was a small Canadian automotive design and kit-car manufacturer established in Montreal, Quebec, in 1982 by automotive designer Paul Deutschman and Kell Warshaw. Its best-known product was the Spex Elf, a conversion kit for first-generation Honda Civics built from 1973 to 1979. The Elf occupied an unusual position between a conventional body kit and a complete kit car: rather than supplying an entirely independent vehicle, it transformed an existing Honda Civic donor car into an open roadster. The conversion required substantial alteration of the donor vehicle. The Civic's roof and side panels were removed, after which the builder installed a steel subframe and a fiberglass body designed by Spex. Because the kit retained many mechanical and structural components from the Honda donor car, it was intended to provide a comparatively accessible route to a distinctive custom vehicle rather than requiring the construction of a car from a collection of unrelated parts. The approach also reflected the practical constraints of a small kit-car producer: using readily available donor-car components could reduce complexity for builders and preserve familiar Honda running gear. The Spex Elf used selected components from other production vehicles for its lighting equipment. Its front lamps came from the Honda Accord, while its rear lamps were sourced from the Mercury Capri. These parts were incorporated into the roadster's custom fiberglass design, giving the converted Civic a substantially different appearance from the original hatchback or sedan while maintaining a connection to mass-produced automotive hardware. Production appears to have been very limited. Spex Design Corporation made approximately 20 Spex Elf kits before selling the molds. The small run places the Elf within the specialist and enthusiast-oriented end of the kit-car market rather than the volume automotive industry. The company is also associated with Deutschman's broader design work, including the T-Rex, Porsche Spexter, and later Callaway projects such as the C7 Corvette and CS Camaro. However, the available reference material identifies the Spex Elf as the principal product directly attributed to Spex Design Corporation. The limited production volume, absence of a documented large-scale dealer network, and sale of the molds indicate a short-lived or highly specialized business model. Publicly available material does not establish a current operating structure, successor company, corporate owner, or present-day product range. Accordingly, Spex Design Corporation is best documented as a historically significant niche kit-car maker whose main identifiable contribution was an inventive Honda Civic-based roadster conversion.

Spex Design Corporation was founded in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1982 by Paul Deutschman and Kell Warshaw. Deutschman was an automotive designer whose later work was associated with projects including the T-Rex, the Porsche Spexter, and Callaway vehicles such as the C7 Corvette and CS Camaro. Spex Design Corporation operated in the specialist kit-car and automotive-design field rather than as a conventional series-production automobile manufacturer. The company's documented product was the Spex Elf, a roadster conversion based on first-generation Honda Civic vehicles from the 1973–1979 model years. The design was conceived as an intermediate format between a body kit and a complete kit car. Builders began with a Honda Civic donor vehicle, removed its roof and side panels, and added a steel subframe together with a fiberglass replacement body. This method allowed the conversion to use many of the donor Civic's existing components while giving the finished vehicle a substantially different open-roadster configuration. The Elf's component strategy combined Honda donor parts with selected lighting components from other production cars. The front lights were taken from the Honda Accord, and the rear lights came from the Mercury Capri. Reusing components from established vehicles was consistent with the practical and economical character of small-scale kit-car construction, where builders often rely on donor-car mechanical systems and readily obtainable replacement parts. Production was extremely limited. Available reference material states that approximately 20 kits were made before Spex Design Corporation sold the molds. No larger production run, broad distribution system, successor brand, or current corporate operation is documented in the supplied sources. The sale of the molds appears to mark the end of the company's known direct manufacturing activity, although the subsequent history of the molds and any later continuation of the design are not established here. Spex Design Corporation's historical importance lies less in commercial scale than in the originality of its conversion concept. The Spex Elf offered enthusiasts a way to repurpose an ordinary Honda Civic into a specialized roadster using a combination of structural modification, fiberglass bodywork, and donor-car components. Its low production volume makes surviving examples and documentation relevant primarily to kit-car, custom-car, and automotive-design history.

• 1982

  Spex Design Corporation founded

  [1]Spex Design Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  Paul Deutschman and Kell Warshaw established Spex Design Corporation in Montreal, Quebec, as a specialist automotive design and kit-car company.

• Spex Elf introduced as a Honda Civic roadster conversion

  [1]Spex Design Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  The company developed a conversion kit for 1973–1979 first-generation Honda Civics, using a steel subframe and fiberglass body after removal of the donor car's roof and side panels.

• Approximately 20 kits produced

  [1]Spex Design Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  Spex Design Corporation produced about 20 Spex Elf kits, confirming the product's highly limited and specialist scale.

• Spex Elf molds sold

  [1]Spex Design Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  After the limited production run, the company sold the molds. The supplied source does not identify the buyer or document later production.

A niche automotive design and kit-car manufacturer focused on converting mass-produced donor vehicles into distinctive low-volume custom cars.

• Kit-car conversion

  Spex Elf

  The Spex Elf was a roadster conversion kit for first-generation Honda Civics produced from 1973 through 1979. Builders removed the Civic's roof and side panels, installed a steel subframe, and fitted a fiberglass body supplied by Spex Design Corporation. The design reused many components from the Honda donor vehicle, while its front lighting came from the Honda Accord and its rear lighting from the Mercury Capri. Approximately 20 kits were produced before the molds were sold.

• Use a Honda Civic donor platform for the Spex ElfStrategy

  Background

  Spex Design Corporation developed the Elf around first-generation Honda Civic vehicles rather than creating a complete stand-alone vehicle.

  Action taken

  The company designed the conversion so builders could retain many Civic components while modifying the body structure and fitting a steel subframe and fiberglass roadster body.

  Aftermath

  The approach produced a distinctive but very low-volume kit-car offering, with approximately 20 kits reportedly made.

  Source

• Sale of the Spex Elf moldsOther

  Background

  Following production of approximately 20 kits, the company no longer retained the molds used for the Spex Elf body.

  Action taken

  Spex Design Corporation sold the molds to an unidentified purchaser.

  Aftermath

  The available source does not establish whether the design continued under new ownership or whether additional kits were produced.

  Source

1. 1Spex Design Corporationen.wikipedia.org