Words: Deven Solanki Photos: Xavier and Chanelle Dickinson
Long before kit-car culture was just a few clicks away on the internet, Kiwi enthusiasts were figuring it all out the old-fashioned way. Back in 1988, founder Neil Fraser wandered into an Auckland race meeting and spotted a Caterham Seven. Hooked on Colin Chapman’s lightweight philosophy, he set about creating his own take on the iconic design, spending the next couple of years designing and hand-building what would become the very first Fraser.
When the finished car debuted at the 1988 Ellerslie National Car Show, the response caught Neil by surprise. Orders started rolling in almost immediately, and by 1991 he’d sold his trailer manufacturing business to go all-in on building sports cars. Fast forward to today, and under Scott and Ida Tristram, who took over the business in 2006, Fraser Cars has cemented itself as New Zealand’s premier builder of bespoke lightweight sports cars.
So, how does a Fraser actually come together? Despite what many people think, owners aren’t simply handed a pile of steel, aluminium, and left to hope for the best. Every chassis, body, and major fabrication job is completed in-house before the customer ever picks up a spanner.
“You get bolt-together Self Build Packages in stages as you graduate through your build,” Ida explains. “Kind of like building a real-life Lego or Meccano set. You start with everything that aesthetically makes the Fraser look like a Fraser, the chassis and hand-formed body, and as the build progresses, you bolt the parts on to complete it.”
While most owners tackle the build themselves, Fraser keeps things flexible. If you’re happy assembling suspension but don’t fancy wiring an entire loom, the workshop can jump in wherever it’s needed. Every customer is also assigned a dedicated project manager, and once the car is complete, it heads back to the factory for a final inspection, badging, and sign-off before hitting the road. As for the timeline, that’s entirely up to the builder.
“Once you put down a deposit, your name goes into our little red book, the very same book used since car number one,” Ida says. “Some customers get stuck in and build their car over a year; others take a decade. We generally encourage a two-year window to balance work and life.”
To keep builders connected, Fraser created The Fraser Pit, an online build portal originally developed by one customer assembling his car from overseas. Every stage of the project is documented, creating a permanent record that can even be printed as a coffee-table book once the build is complete.
In the early days, Frasers were traditionally powered by Toyota powerplants such as the 4A-GE four-banger. Over the last decade, however, the Honda F20C from the S2000 has taken over as the go-to engine of choice. High-revving, lightweight, and naturally aspirated, it’s a match made in heaven for a low-slung, open-top chassis. That said, Fraser isn’t tied to one recipe. Supercharged, turbocharged, or something completely different, if it fits between the chassis rails, chances are the team can make it happen.
With chassis number 349 currently underway, the shop is super close to hitting the 350-car milestone. But what really keeps the brand ticking is the loyalty of its owner base.
“The Fraser Car Club has been around almost as long as the cars,” Ida says. “And it’s an ‘all Sevens welcome’ club; they just want to be out having fun with like-minded people. There’s the biannual Fraser 5000 that spans both islands, right down to casual ‘it’s a nice day, who wants to go for a burn?’ group chats.”
You won’t find many trailer queens here though! “Although Frasers look amazing, they’re not show cars; they’re made to be on the road. The most enjoyment you get out of them is from behind the wheel.”
Wander beyond the Fraser production line and things get even more interesting. The workshop is equal parts sports car factory, restoration shop, and fabrication house. Sitting alongside fresh Fraser chassis are hot rods, classic restorations, restomods, and one-off engineering projects that couldn’t be more different from one another.
“You name it, we’ve most likely worked on it,” Ida laughs. “In the workshop right now, we’re building an extreme BMW 2002 with custom everything, including a full custom steel widebody kit and modern running gear. Over the years, we’ve done everything from a Subaru Boxer-powered Karmann Ghia to full ground-up restorations on JDM classics, American muscle, and Euro exotics.”
The workshop has also carved out a niche, helping owners get unusual imported vehicles through New Zealand’s low-volume (LVV) certification process — from Ariel Atoms and Nomads to Caterhams, EV Mokes, and even a Noble imported from South Africa.
Keeping the wheels turning is a tight-knit crew of skilled legends. Fabricator Bruce has been with Fraser since 2007; Workshop manager Dan started on the tools in 2008; Ben looks after chassis fabrication; Tim handles the mechanical side of things, while Scott keeps busy with LVV certification work.
As Fraser Cars heads towards its 40th anniversary in 2028, the philosophy hasn’t really changed. Modern manufacturing technology has been introduced where it makes sense, but old-school craftsmanship still sits at the heart of every build. Aluminium panels are still hand-shaped, and every interior receives the same level of attention as the chassis underneath it.
“A Fraser crosses all boundaries of car lovers,” Ida says. “It’s not uncommon to pull into a gas station and have a teenager ask ‘wow, what is that?!’ right before an older bloke walks up and says ‘I remember when …’ They’re just a friendly, engaging car.”
“At the end of the day, a Fraser is a pure driving experience. You sit low to the ground, inches away from the engine, gearbox, and exhaust. You smell the car, the road, and your surroundings. You’re 100 per cent in the present moment, and how many people can sit in a car and honestly say, ‘I built this’?”
A huge thanks to the team at Fraser Cars for opening the workshop doors and giving us a look behind the scenes. To find out more about their builds, self-build packages, and the Fraser experience, head over to their website — fraser.co.nz.
