In Portugal, the production of Avon tires has been launched
The British company Nova Motorsport has announced the start of production of tires under the Avon brand at the plant acquired in May 2024 from Camac and modernized in Portugal, and the first to be released were Avon ACB9 tires for historic racing, such as Formula Ford, as well as Avon Traction Mileage for classic Land Rover models.
In Nova, they note that before the release of the ACB9 tires, the company's scientific and technical department in Portugal carried out an intensive testing program, both in the laboratory and on the racing track, to be confident that they do not concede to the original model in terms of characteristics and quality. In the near future, the team of Nova engineers will also test the updated tires on the track with the participation of leading pilots from Formula Ford.
"The rapid resumption of production of ACB9 tires, on which racers have won numerous victories and which are chosen by Formula Ford participants around the world since the mid-1980s, reflects our desire to meet the demand from dealers and pilots who prefer legendary Avon Motosport tires," say Nova.
In turn, Avon Traction Mileage tires are "no less cult products", and the original model was part of the factory equipment of the first Land Rover since 1949 and is now considered an authentic option for classic models of the brand of the first-third generations. In the near future, the tires will be tested both on asphalt and off-road.
Nova emphasizes that the first tires were manufactured at the Portuguese plant in accordance with the highest quality standards, which became possible thanks to significant investments and large-scale work of the logistics department. The expansion, reconstruction, and modernization of the plant in Palmeira cost around 20 million euros, and now the enterprise can produce around 500,000 tires per year, including Avon Motorsport family tires, as well as Carmac products for historic cars and new models that Nova will develop. To maintain a high level of quality, the company brought around 200 trucks of equipment from the former Avon plant in Melksham (Britain), and the same testing methods, technologies, molds, materials, etc. are used at the new plant.
"When Nova Motorsport was created in January of this year, a tight schedule was set for the re-release of key Avon Motosport products without changing their characteristics and in accordance with the same quality standards," noted James Wickley, Nova's commercial director. "The purchase of the Camac plant in May once again demonstrated the level of our ambitions, and now we are already releasing the first Avon brand tires in Portugal, and our dealers and customers can be sure that we are moving quickly to fulfill the goal of returning the necessary tires to full-scale production in record time."
The name of the ACB9 tires is deciphered as Avon Car Bias, meaning they have a diagonal structure, while the ninth is the tread pattern code. Full-scale production is planned to begin in the fourth quarter, and the tires will be available through Nova's global dealer network. The Traction Mileage tires will also be produced in large quantities starting from the last quarter of 2024, and owners of classic Land Rovers will be able to purchase them exclusively from the British company Vintage Tyres, which offers tires with an authentic design for cars produced in the 1980s and 1990s.
In the next stage, the production of classic racing tires of the radial type Avon CR6ZZ, which are legal for public roads, is expected to be launched, as well as new tires that will become the company's flagship model in the segment of tires for rallycross. In addition, next year, the production of Avon ACB10 Sport tires (for compact racing cars) will begin, as well as models for historic racing, hill climbing, etc.