About AK Sportscars

AK Sportscars Ltd – otherwise known as Jon (the boss), Wendi (the real boss), Trigger ( the other boss), Bob ( Workshop Supervisor),  Martin and Phil (the real workers)  Danni and Molly ( the part- timers) Dougie our trimmer and Carla in the office keeping us all in order. An average family affair – NO – we are passionate about our product – the AK 427.

It all started in the mid 80’s when Ken (the ‘K’ in ‘AK’ also Jon’s Dad) decided to build a kit car. Never one to do things the easy way he spent 18 months making his own pattern and moulds, being unhappy with anything available quality wise then on the UK market.  He along with a good friend Alan Frew (the ‘A’ in ‘AK’), who was in the fabricating business, then produced the Standard AK chassis. Although it started as a hobby, demand steadily grew until a decision had to be made whether to continue his existing glass fibre laminating business or go full time into kit manufacturing. Obviously the car had WON and AK Sportscars was born!!!

Production slowly increased so son’s Dan and Jon and wife Lynda joined Ken. Later with the move to our present industrial unit came Trigger and Dougie our interior trimmer. Next joining the “family business” was Wendi,  enlisted to keep them all in order!!! followed by Bob our Workshop Supervisor. Carla holds everything together as our Office Manager, Martin our body Laminator and Phil our Welder keep the kits going out on time. We are also regularly joined with a helping hand from “The kids” Danni helps in the workshop and Molly works part time in the office.  We are now nearly 30 years on from Ken making his first Cobra and producing around 40 kits a year so it’s a real team effort.

This is the AK Sportscars team where each member plays their own role to make our business and the car one of the most respected in the industry.

Ken and wife Lynda retired in 2009 from the business, although Ken is still involved in the electrical side of the business.  We the AK team are passionate about our AK427.

 

MEET THE AK TEAM:

 

 

 

 

 JON FREEMAN – MANAGING DIRECTOR

JON WHO TRAINED AS A CARPENTER STARTED HELPING HIS DAD, KEN AT AK IN THE EARLY 1990’S BEFORE JOINING HIM FULL TIME IN 1998. JON’S PASSIONS OTHER THAN PLAYING IN THE COBRA’S, INCLUDE MOTORCYCLES HE HAS A FEW OLD BIKES IN HIS GARAGE HE HAS RENOVATED AND ALSO ENJOYS BOTH ROAD AND TRACK ACTION ON THE MORE MODERN SUPER BIKES TOO.  JON TOOK UP THE NON MOTORISED SPORT OF ROAD CYCLING FOUR YEARS AGO AND CAN REGULARLY BE FOUND WEARING LYCRA REACHING TOP SPEEDS OF OVER 68 MPH ON THE DOWN HILLS IN THE ALPS !!! A LITTLE SLOWER THAN ON 4 WHEELS IN “RUFUS” ONE OF THE AK DEMO CARS!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 WENDI FREEMAN – DIRECTOR

WENDI WHO TRAINED AS A NURSE STARTED HELPING OUT AK SPORTSCARS AT EXHIBITIONS  IN 1993 AND JOINED THE AK CREW FULL TIME IN 2009.  WENDI LIKE JON CAN ALSO BE FOUND CLAD IN LYCRA BUT CHOOSES TO SPEND MORE TIME ON HER BIKE IN THE GARAGE ON A TURBO TRAINER AS PART OF HER EXERCISE REGIME. WHEN NOT ON HER BIKE YOU MAY FIND HER JOGGING OR WALKING ROUND THE LOCAL VILLAGES. SHE DOES EASE UP ON THE EXCERCISE TO PLAY IN THE DEMO CAR AND IS EASILY RECOGNIZABLE BY THE MASS OF HAIR FLYING IN ALL DIRECTIONS AS SHE GOES PAST, USUALLY SPORTING AN EXCITED WAVE!

 

 

DAVID HALES ( TRIGGER) – DIRECTOR

TRIGGER JOINED AK BACK IN 2005 AND WORKED HIS WAY UP FROM TRAINEE LAMINATOR TO WORKSHOP MANAGER.

TRIGGER LEFT AK TO SET UP HIS OWN SUCCESSFUL SPECIALISED WELDING BUSINESS LOCALLY AND AFTER 3 YEARS RETURNED TO AK

SPORTSCARS AS DIRECTOR.  HE STILL OWNS HIS WELDING BUSINESS WHICH KEEPS HIM BUSY IN HIS SPARE TIME, THIS AND BEING A DAD TOTWO LITTLE GIRLS GRACE AND RUBY DOES NOT LEAVE HIM A LOT OF FREE TIME, BUT TRIGGER CAN  REGULARLY BE FOUND AT 6 AM AT THE LOCAL GYM KEEPING HIMSELF FIT DRAGGING JON AND WENDI ALONG WITH HIM.. A FIT AND HAPPY AK TEAM!!!

 

 

 

 

 

CARLA PHILLIPS – OFFICE MANAGER

CARLA JOINED THE AK CREW IN FEBRUARY THIS YEAR. HER WORKING BACK GROUND INCLUDES ACCOUNTANCY AND BUSINESS MANAGEMENT. CARLA IS MUM TO ABBIE WHO KEEPS HER BUSY WITH HER THEATRE DRAMA SCHOOL EVENTS ALL OVER THE COUNTRY.  WHEN CARLA GETS SOME ME TIME YOU WILL FIND HER EITHER IN THE GYM OR OUT AND ABOUT IN HER OPEN TOPPED SPORTS CAR WITH THE WIND BLOWING IN HER HAIR WITH HER PARTNER VINCE WHO IS ALSO A CAR ENTHUSIAST.

 

 
 

 

 

 

BOB HENNING – WORKSHOP SUPERVISOR

BOB TRAINED AS A CARPENTER WORKING ON BOATS AND JOINED AK IN 2012 AS A GLASS FIBRE LAMINATOR. HE WORKED UP AND IS NOW OUR WORKSHOP SUPERVISOR. BOB HAS ALWAYS HAD AN INTEREST IN MECHANICS AND IS HAPPY WHEN STRIPPING, MODIFYING AND REBUILDING ENGINES.  BOB IS KEEN ON DIY AND ALWAYS HAS A PROJECT ON AT HOME. HE HAS ENJOYED THE CHALLENGE OF LEARNING TO MIG AND TIG WELD AT AK. BOB IS A SINGLE DAD TO SAM WHO CAN ALSO BE FOUND HELPING OUT AT AK ON OPEN DAYS AND EXHIBITIONS WHEN SHE IS NOT STUDYING.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MARTIN FARE – LAMINATOR

MARTIN JOINED AK IN MAY 2014. FROM LEAVING SCHOOL HE COMPLETED HIS APPRENTICESHIP IN ENGINEERING BEFORE SPECIALISING IN MARINE ENGINEERING COMPOSITES. MARTIN IS A CAPTAIN AND LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE LOCAL TEN- PIN BOWLING TEAM, HE ALSO PARTICIPATES IN HIS LOCAL CRICKET AND CRIBBAGE CLUBS ON TOP OF ALL THESE PASSTIMES HE HAS BEEN A MEMBER OF THE SCOUT MOVEMENT SINCE 1968. MARTIN ALWAYS HAS A SMILE ON HIS FACE.

 

 

 PHIL RENAULT- WELDER

PHIL JOINED AK IN MAY 2017. HE HAS BEEN A WELDER SINCE LEAVING SCHOOL MANY MOONS AGO. PHIL HAS A PASSION FOR CARS

AND HIS DAILY DRIVE INTO WORK IS IN HIS 1969 TRIUMPH HERALD WHICH ALWAYS MAKES WENDI SMILE WATCHING HIS SIX FOOT

FRAME  EXTRACTING HIMSELF OUT THE DRIVERS  DOOR ON HIS ARRIVAL TO WORK. PHIL IS DAD TO FOUR CHILDREN,  BRANDON, EVIE,

ARCHIE AND SCARLETT RANGING IN AGES FROM 5 TO 11 SO MUCH OF HIS FREETIME IS SPENT WITH HIS CLAN OR TINKERING WITH HIS

CAR. HE IS A WELCOME ADDITION TO THE AK TEAM AND HAS FITTED IN PERFECTLY ENJOYING AND PART OF ALL THE BANTER IN THE

WORKSHOP… DON’T ASK IF HE IS A LITTLE JUMPY THOUGH!!!

 

 
 

 

 MOLLY FREEMAN- PART- TIME OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR

MOLLY STARTED AT AK SPORTSCARS AGED 4 MONTHS!!!! ATTENDING HER FIRST STONELEIGH KIT CAR SHOW WITH MUM ( WENDI), DAD ( JON) AND GRANDAD (KEN). SHE HAS ALWAYS SHOWN AN INTEREST IN ANY MOTORISED VEHICLE AND SPEED,  CRASHING HER FIRST QUAD BIKE AGED 3!!!!. MOLLY HAS JUST FINISHED HER THIRD YEAR AT COLLEGE STUDYING HAIR AND BEAUTY. SHE WORKS PART TIME AT AK HQ .WHEN SHE DOES GET SOME DOWN TIME YOU WILL FIND HER PARTYING THE NIGHT AWAY WITH HER FRIENDS. MOLLY IS ALWAYS ON HAND FOR LARGE EVENTS AT AK AND OFTEN SURPRISES HERSELF WITH HER KNOWLEDGE OF THE AK 427.

 

 

 

 

 

 

DANNI FREEMAN – PART- TIME RUNNER

DANNI HAS BEEN A PART OF AK SINCE BIRTH,  BEING JON AND WENDI’S ELDEST DAUGHTER SHE DID NOT GET ANY CHOICE HA HA.  DANNI  REGULARLY JOINED JON AND WENDI AT THE WORKSHOP DURING SCHOOL AND LATER COLLEGE HOLIDAYS. WORKING INITIALLY IN THE OFFICE HELPING WITH COLLATING BROCHURE AND INFORMATION PACKS AND LATER IN THE WORKSHOP POLISHING THE STAINLESS PARTS MADE IN-HOUSE. DANNI ALWAYS ATTENDS TO HELP OUT AT OUR SHOWS AND AGAIN KNOWS MANY OF AK’S CUSTOMERS PAST AND PRESENT.  DANNI ALSO HAS A MAIN JOB,  STILL WITH CARS WORKING WITH A LOCAL COMPANY DOING CAR WRAPS AND SPECIALIST CAR SIGNAGE SO HER KNOWLEDGE OF GREAT CARS IS SECOND TO NONE!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now you’ve met the team that produce

“Probably the best Cobra in the world !”