Event Horizon started life in the early 1960s as Norfolk Engineering Ltd., a small 6-man operation dedicated to motorsport engineering. For the first 2 years the tiny company operated out of a small barn in Stalham, north of Norwich in Norfolk, UK. They worked on advanced new fuel systems, suspension layouts and rigid chassis designs but found more failure than success as their manufacturing capacity simply wasn’t up to the task of providing components to most modern motorsport teams in F1 and F2.
1966, however, brought a major shift in Formula 1 regulation and a focus on driver safety forced a number of constructors to seek effective ways to marry a strong rigid chassis with a new style of immobile aerodynamics. Event Horizon had several unique chassis design technologies at the ready and supplied 4 of the top 5 constructors including Brabham-Repco, BRM, Lotus and Cooper-Maserati with components crucial to their success. A company was born.
In 1970, Norfolk Engineering re-branded itself “Event Horizon” and would take its expertise in motorsport (plus some seed capital) and attempt to take on the consumer automotive industry. While the first few models were met with critical acclaim, they failed to truly capture the hearts and minds of anyone but the true automotive enthusiast and sales were modest at best. The fuel crisis in 1973 failed to sink the niche automaker but also failed to provide a boost in sales, despite the introduction of a high mileage model which was introduced in 1974.
1979 brought about the first truly successful Event Horizon model and strong sales extended beyond the UK, Europe and Austrailia to the US, where the sophistication of European coachwork over brute force muscle cars was beginning to take hold for a growing segment of buyers.
Since its inception, Event Horizon has been a mark that provides a premium and decidedly British perspective on the consumer automobile - sometimes to a fault, as some journalists might quip. While the mark isn’t an ultra-exclusive brand like Bently, Ferrari or McLaren, most models do carry a price tag that is more dear than a typical budget saloon - though low cost models have been test-marketed and even sold with some measure of success in certain markets.
In 2009, Event Horizon purchased a controlling stake in a small Italian exotic car manufacturer - Vento Automobili - and has promised to continue to produce both world-class exotics and more approachable purpose-built sports cars under the mark.
Event Horizon has maintained it’s racing heritage and is still active in motorsport. It supplies power plants, chassis, braking and suspension components to dozens of motorsport teams in disciplines ranging from Touring Car championships to Formula 1.
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Below will be a few misc. pieces of Event Horizon history.
