Ragtops & Roadsters Now a Birkin Representatitve
Ragtops & Roadsters, experts in the restoration and service of British automobiles, has become the sole Northeast United States representative for Birkin America.
Based in Perkasie, Pennsylvania, Ragtops & Roadsters will offer regional support for Birkin owners and prospective buyers by showing and demonstrating various versions of this Lotus Seven S3 reproduction. Ragtops & Roadsters will offer cars ready to assemble or already built and ready-to-drive cars, as well as service, performance upgrades and, eventually, full race set up.
"This is an excellent opportunity to represent one of the iconic names in British sports cars," said Ragtops & Roadsters owner Michael Engard.
Birkin America (also known as Texas Motor Works) was founded by Dick Brink and is the exclusive Birkin importer for the United States, Canada and Mexico. The Birkin S3 is a reproduction of the Lotus 7 Series 3, originally manufactured by Lotus Cars UK in 1968.
Birkin has produced this Lotus-licensed reproduction since 1982, offering both street-legal and competition-ready versions. Birkins are manufactured in a 90,000-plus square-foot manufacturing plant near Durbin, South Africa and have earned an international reputation for craftsmanship and quality.
Birkin has successfully worked hard over the year to "improve the breed" while remaining faithful to the spirit of the original Colin Chapman design. The Birkin S3 is one of many derivatives of classic "7" type cars. Most of these cars are only somewhat similar to the original Lotus in appearance and differ significantly in technical construction.
Birkin's S3 is one of only two reproductions that bear real resemblance to the original Lotus 7, although both have been re-engineered in different directions to meet modern safety and emission standards.
Although the bulk of Birkin's business has been in Japan for the last few years, that market has slowed, and Birkin is serious about expanding its American base. Two other representatives handle the Midwest and West Coast at this time.
Brink said he is excited about this new relationship with Ragtops & Roadsters. "Given their restoration knowledge of 'everything quirky' about Lotus, building and maintaining these cars will be second nature for them."
For more information about Birkins, go to www.texasmotorworks7.com