There's a Proton Putra underneath this 1990s British sports car

Mention British cars and chances are you’re probably thinking of a Jaguar, an Aston Martin, or to an extent, a MINI. But besides all the mainstream brands, there are a few lesser-known brands that are a little more homegrown with some literally built from a shed in the backyard.

However, these “shed-built” carmakers have an air of ingenuity under them and in some cases, they become well-known among automotive nerds. Brands like Caterham, Westfield, and Ariel are recognisable all over the world for their fast speed and ability to reshape one’s face.

Most of the cars built by these small-time companies are built on existing platforms and even used parts and mechanicals from other cars. That being said, the Stevens Cipher Coupe is interesting as it was built with Proton parts. Just how and why did this sports car come to be?

Tony Stevens – The British John DeLorean?

Before we get into the details of the Proton-based Cipher Coupe, let’s take a deep dive into the history behind the Stevens Motor Company. It was founded by Professor Anthony “Tony” Stevens in 1972 and the company was initially making Ford-powered delivery vans with 1920s-inspired designs.

Prof Stevens himself had experience in engineering and design. Prior to founding his own company, he was working as Product Planning Manager for the Rootes Group, the rival to the mighty but crumbling British Leyland (BL).

During his time at Rootes, Prof Stevens proposed to the company to take part in the Group 6 Le Mans Prototype category in 1967. This was the same category in which the legendary Ford GT40 and Ferrari P4 took part.

Rootes would reject the idea but Prof Stevens went ahead and funded, designed, and built the Desauto instead. It was powered by a 2.0-litre V8 engine that was essentially a pair of 4-cylinder engines lifted from a Hillman Imp.

Unfortunately, the Desauto never made it to France and Rootes refused to give further financial backing in racing it. Still, the car apparently took part in a few races including the London-Sydney Marathon but was quickly forgotten due to little publicity.

Fed up with “making other people rich by creating vehicles for them”, Prof Stevens formed his own company that also dealt with converting Jaguar convertibles and estate cars. Then, in 1978, he took the opportunity to bring his little company to be the next big British sports car manufacturer.

Deciphering the market

Initially, the first Stevens sports car was the Stevens Sienna, which was inspired by the Morgan and the MG TF but that wasn’t what the public nor Prof Stevens himself wanted.

Also read: Anyone remembers the TD 2000, the Malaysian-made retro car?

At the 1980 British Motor Show in Birmingham, the Stevens Motor Company unveiled the Stevens Cipher and it was, in retrospect, a pretty modern-looking sports car. But underneath, the two-seater was lacking in the sporty department.

The first Cipher was built on the same platform as the Reliant Kitten, a four-wheeled version of the Robin three-wheeler (aka Mr Bean’s nemesis). It was powered by an 850-cc engine and was rear-wheel-driven much like the little Reliant.

Despite the puny performance, the press and visitors saw potential in the Cipher. So much so, that apparently, a Japanese team of engineers was constantly at the booth, taking notes of the Cipher’s design and packaging. It was alleged that this team would eventually help develop the Mazda MX-5 which would be launched at the end of the decade.

However, the Cipher would face huge financial obstacles that prevented it from being mass-produced. As a result of the collapse of the DeLorean Motor Company, banks were too cautious to invest in small carmakers then. Reliant was initially interested but pulled out due to its own financial issues.

Pushed back

It has been 4 years since the Cipher was unveiled in Birmingham but Stevens’ aim of filling the British sports car void had been taken over by another carmaker. Former potential partner, Reliant would launch the Scimitar SS1 in 1984 and its design was nearly similar to the Cipher.

However, the Scimitar SS1 would be plagued with quality issues and ended up being a flop with only 1,507 units made in the ten years it was on production.

Meanwhile, Prof Stevens continued looking for financial backers for his stillborn project. In 1990, he found one in the form of Lada, the Russian carmaker, and a single prototype was produced.

It was completely redesigned as a 2+2 roadster and re-engineered to accommodate a 1.3-litre engine from the Lada Samara. Underneath, the Russian Cipher was apparently built on the Samara’s platform and was front-wheel-driven.

Despite the ambitious annual production plans (60-70k a year) at a plant in Lithuania, the Russian Cipher would never make it to production due to the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Enter Malaysia

After early success in the UK, Proton was having a bit of an image problem in the mid-1990s as it was mostly bought by pensioners and retirees. One of its proposed ideas to inject a bit of youthfulness into the line-up was a proper sports car.

Also read: Sunroof on a Saga? Take a look at these UK-spec Proton Saga brochures from 30 years ago!

So, it sought to help the Stevens Motor Company in funding their decade and a half old project. Prof Stevens redesigned the Cipher again to accommodate the Proton underpinnings and just like its Russian predecessor, it was front-wheel-driven.

However, there were two prototypes built this time. One was a soft-top convertible painted in red while the other was a silver and matte black coupe. The entire car was redesigned, giving the Cipher a fresh look for the nineties while also retaining the wedge design of the eighties.

Also read: Proton Satria Cabriolet – The curious convertible

Aside from the redesigned exterior though, the Malaysian Cipher was essentially a Proton Putra, right down to the interior. It was powered by a 1.8-litre 4G93 engine that made 140 PS and 164 Nm. With a top speed of 220 km/h, this is the fastest Cipher ever built.

Also read: Rarer than a Satria GTi, RM 13k for a 24-year-old Proton Putra, how much to repair?

As it turned out, third time wasn’t the charm. Proton and the Malaysian backers pulled out of the project in 1998, likely due to the Asian Financial Crisis and the Cipher was orphaned once again.

What happened to Stevens?

Despite that, Prof Stevens hasn’t given up on the Cipher or even the company that bears his name. As late as 2013, he imagined the Cipher for the 21st century to be powered by an electric motor and even changed the company’s name to Stevens Vehicles as it transitioned to building electric vehicles (EV).

According to its website, Stevens Vehicles no longer produces those EVs citing financial difficulties with the last units apparently delivered in 2009. The company has claimed that it now mostly provides consultancy in R&D for EVs.

So, whatever happened to the Ciphers? According to Prof Stevens himself, the 7 original Cipher prototypes still survive today and most of them underwent restoration. Meanwhile, the Russian and Malaysian Ciphers were owned by Prof Stevens before they were posted up for sale in 2018 and 2019 respectively.

Proton would give up on its sports car project with the closest being the Proton Lekir Concept that was shown at the 2010 Kuala Lumpur International Motor Show (KLIMS). Still, that was a rebadged Lotus Europa while the Stevens Cipher Coupe was more original despite the Proton underpinnings.

The fact that the Stevens Cipher went through endless iterations and prototypes all while being faced with countless financial setbacks shows how hard it truly is to build one from scratch.