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New Arrival – 1986 Rover 3500 Vitesse 4.6l

Last week my pre-Christmas purchase finally arrived, though it was only held up due to the festivities and luckily the previous owner was as relaxed about it as I was. I’d been had forewarned by the owner that he hadn’t been able to get it running a week before I was due to collect (and pay for) it, though he had been using it previously so I was expecting it when the day finally came (even if my bid had been for a running and driving car), and he was a nice chap to deal with. Sadly no real paperwork came with the car which is a shame especially since it’s modified and I feel it has something of a story to tell – so if anyone knows this car or anything about it please don’t hesitate to drop me a message. I’m going to be digging into more about the engine as it is one of the reasons I bought the car and you don’t see 4.6 litre Rovers all that often. The car was also a rare twin plenum car originally apparently (one of which has been on my list to purchase for a while), though obviously that is something of a moot point now as the original engine is long gone. It’s a little sad that the car didn’t remain a twin plenum car, but at the same time it has ended up as something interesting and thats good enough for me.

The car was described as being solid but the paint being thin in places, and thats accurate though I’ll admit I was hoping for it not to be quite so thin on hard edges that you can see through it, and dull everywhere else. I have little doubt that a good polish will help it look a whole lot better and the other paintwork can be done in time, though it isn’t too much of a worry as this car will be used and not a garage queen. The door cards aren’t fitted and there is no headlining, so those will be on the shortlist to complete to make the car useable, and it could also use a good deep clean inside and out, along with an inspection, service and whatever else we find along the way that needs fixing.

We got around to getting it running a couple of days after the car arrived and I walked into the workshop just in time to see it spitting flames from the exhaust (after hearing the racket from outside). It isn’t the greatest sign for the engine but it did entertain me and as it was the first time I saw the car running I felt it was something of an introduction to what will surely be a big character among our cars. I caught the flames on video and you can see them below along with a few extra images from the original listing and a few I have taken since it arrived.

Specs:

  • 1986 Rover Vitesse Twin Plenum
  • 4.6 litre Serpentine engine
  • T5 gearbox
  • Revolution RFXs
  • Rimmer’s stainless steel exhaust and manifolds
  • Gaz adjustable shocks

 

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Renault 17 Gordini – running at last!

Its now been 13 months since I updated this page and the little Renault has been in storage for all of that time and not been touched while other projects have been completed. Since the old man picked up a new Alpine for himself he’s been reinvigorated to get this project started and so the car was brought out of storage early this week. Everything has been gone through and checked to make the starting process as painless as possible, just so we would know how well the car runs and what sort of condition the engine is in.

As it turns out the engine is actually quite sweet and sounds fairly throaty! Looking forward to getting this car back on the road and having a drive, and happy that we’ve finally started it too!

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1974 Jaguar XJ6 Manual

Monday 12th March 2018

So our Jaguar XJ6 has just arrived, sight unseen and I was pretty excited personally, this is a rare manual car and also a one owner car with only 46,000 miles on it. It certainly sounds like a winner and the arrival was a pleasant surprise as the car is solid after all those years in dry storage and also in good condition throughout too, though it needs a good wash. This car has been lightly recommissioned by the previous owner though we’re expecting some work and won’t know exactly what until we’ve had it up in the air.

1976 Jaguar XJ6 3.4 Manual

Monday 19th March 2018

We’ve finally gotten round to giving the XJ6 a wash and gotten it back into the workshop for a quick look, and we’ll have it up in the air tomorrow. The paint isn’t in the greatest of condition as we expected, and the brightwork will need rechroming too. We’ve had the car running as you can see in the video below and its fair to say she isn’t running at her best – yet.

 

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The London Classic Car Show 2018

I can’t believe a year has passed since I visited the London Classic Car Show at the ExCeL in London, but somehow it has. The show seemed to be a little smaller perhaps this year, though the layout was different so I could easily be mistaken. As alway there were many fantastic cars to see and many for sale also. I didn’t spend so much time watching the parade this year though what I did see did look fantastic also, especially since there were a couple of very non-original cars included in the line up.

I’ve included a gallery of some of my photos from the day below, this is an event that is well worth attending for anyone who likes classic cars.

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New Year’s Day: Brooklands

Well it is now 2018, and before work beckoned we managed to drive round to Brooklands Museum yesterday afternoon for their New Year’s Day car meet. We arrived late, and missed the bulk of the visiting classic cars. We did have a great time and there were still many fantastic and individual cars on show when we got there. I’ve included a gallery below of some of my personal favourites for you to (hopefully) enjoy. This was the first time I’ve been to an event like this at Brooklands, and I can easily say that I will definitely go again, it really is a special place with a great atmosphere which is just perfect for classic cars.

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Happy New Year!

I just wanted to write a quick blog post before all of the festivities get underway wishing a Happy New Year to everyone who follows us on social media, checks our website or has bought a car from us. Its been a good year for us and I personally am looking forward to another year full of interesting cars, people and stories. Hopefully some of our big plans for the coming year will be able to go ahead and make for some interesting reading for all of you. We’re going to be organising more car meets this year to try and raise some money for charity and hopefully we’ll see more and more people attending and more money being raised for good causes along with our own annual donation in March.

We’ve been clearing out a few of our projects in the last couple of months to make some room for more interesting and creative things (some of which will be a surprise), though we’ve still got a few big projects to complete before these get underway. We are also happy to discuss taking on outside projects, so if you’ve got one that you’re considering then please do get in touch. You can head over to our projects page and find out what is still going on and follow the progress on these both on our website and on social media.

Once again Happy New Year, I hope it will be a good one for all of us.

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Our Week: 6th – 12th November

Its been something of a hectic week here, with new cars arriving, others being painted and our lovely MK1 Escort Mexico replica being sold.

First up is our Sunbeam Alpine, which is now being built back up after being repainted, and I was a little wowed when I saw it come out after being painted, as it really does help to complete the car, which is sure to be a head turner. I can’t wait to get out for a drive in it and share the end result with anyone who is happy to read my ramblings.

Also in the workshop is our very low mileage Pre HE Jaguar XJS which I’ve nicknamed ‘The Penguin’ (I’m sure you can appreciate why). The car was in long term storage with its original owner (which is how it accounts for the low mileage) before being sold and the new owner ‘recommissioned’ the car to a fairly low standard before we bought it. There were a lot of imperfections in the bodywork and paintwork which are now being corrected. This is going to be a fantastic car and they engine bay is receiving the same treatment, as well some much needed attention to help cure a misfire.

We finally pulled the Renault Alpine GTA out of storage to send it off to paint only to find out that no one wants to touch the glass work or even the rubber seals, as they are impossible to find for these cars, so the project has been delayed somewhat. If you know of anyone who specialises in Renault Alpines then please let me know.

I was very excited by the arrival of three (long awaited) American pick-up trucks, who are to be sold on behalf of a long time family friend. The last time I saw these trucks was when they were bought around five years ago, and I know that they haven’t done much since. All three vary greatly and to me, that is a fantastic thing. I’ve only managed to drive one of them so far but it surprised me by how well it drove. That truck is the 1935 Dodge KC 1/2 ton pick up that is fitted with a later Slant-6 engine and even NOS! The other two trucks are also special, with the hot-rodded Chevrolet 3100 Stepside catching the eye – and ear – very easily, I can’t wait to take it out for a drive. The final truck is a rat-rod International Harvester that is also very modified. A full description for each truck can be found on our current stock page.

 

There are also three other new listings on our website. An MG B convertible project that is very solid and should be going for an MOT at some point in the near future, it needs attention to its paint and bodywork but runs and has a good interior. Also listed is a rather fun MG B V8 ‘track car’ that is road legal and will also be MOTd before being sold, it looks pretty special too, so its worth having a look at the photos. Finally we have my favourite of the listings in the form of this stunning 1970 Fiat 124 Sport Coupe, it is a fantastic little car and drives just as beautifully as it looks.

I managed to spend a day at the NEC at the Lancaster Classic Car Show yesterday which proved to be even more enjoyable than expected, even if most areas were rammed to the rafters. There were some simply fantastic cars on display and it was great to be able to catch up with our friends at The Market (www.themarket.co.uk) and I even managed to chat with the man who looks after George Harrison’s old Mercedes 500 SEL.

To cap off what has been a pretty great week our MK1 Ford Escort Mexico replica has just left for its new home, and more importantly it is going to the right home where it will be loved and enjoyed. I’ll certainly miss this car and plenty of my colleagues will too. I hope you’re all having a fantastic weekend!