Automotive Design and Development Ltd (ADD) was an English company that was responsible for the creation of the futuristic-looking Nova kit car. The company was based in Southampton from 1971 to 1973 after which it moved to Accrington, Lancashire until 1975. ADD as a company failed and the rights to the Nova were bought by Vic Elam who founded a new company, Nova Cars in Mirfield, West Yorkshire in 1978 which continued until 1990. A low volume production run was made by Nova Developments in Cornwall in the 90's and the company was sold to Shashi Vyas whose company Aerotec Nova was still based in circa 1996. No examples were produced after this time, the body moulds remaining in Cornwall.
The car was styled by Richard Oakes with engineering by Phil Sayers. The two seater Nova with its dramatically opening roof/door canopy combines basic ideas of the Ford GT40 and Lamborghini Miura in a fiberglass shell on a VW Beetle chassis and mechanicals.
Licensed version of the Nova have been built in Austria as the Ledl, in Australia as the Purvis Eureka, in France as the Défi, in Italy as the Totem and Puma, in New Zealand as the Scorpion, in South Africa as the Eagle, in Switzerland as the Gryff, in the United States as the Sterling and Sovran and in Zimbabwe as the Tarantula. There have also been numerous un-licensed copies. Some versions featured pop-up head lamps and gull-wing doors, but the basic silhouette remained the same.
Versions of the Nova have appeared in number of films, including Cannonball Run II, Death Race 2000, Winners and Sinners, Condorman and "Mani Di Velluto" it:Mani di velluto.