Who's got a Kit Car in the garage then?

[FullCircle]

Who\'s got a Kit Car in the garage then?

After NAS and I compared notes on kit cars the other night, it seems Snowleopard also has one, but has declined to mention what (yet).

I will kick it off
I have a 1969 registered Dutton Melos with a 1984 Sierra 2.0 lump, Cortina clocks, and ancient nylon Firestone hoops for minimum adhesion to the road. Mine was bought for a grand, and it seems that it is worth...... a grand!
No tax, 89 quid insurance, 25 quid MOT and off you go. I even run it on second hand oil as it never does more than 1500 miles a year.
Cheap, cheap cheap, and falls off the road at such a slow pace that you won't kill yourself.


Jim

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

Re: Who\'s got a Kit Car in the garage then?

Until relatively recently I had a Sylva Striker with a 3.5 V8 out of a Rover SD1..

Tuned engine at 280Bhp, with total weight of 650Kg gave 430Bhp/ton..... or in other words just less than 4 seconds to 60 Mph... or a new set of tyres every 2500 miles.....

Unlike Jim's "falls off the road at such a slow pace that you won't kill yourself" Dutton... this thing fell off the road fast enough that you didn't have time to panic..... /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

 

[BlueSkyNick]

Re: Who\'s got a Kit Car in the garage then?

I've got a 1/24 scale radio controlled Lola which I bought in 1980 while bored on 4 months leave. Never quite finished putting it together, and its still in the box!

 

[dick_james]

Re: Who\'s got a Kit Car in the garage then?

Funny you should mention kit cars. I've just finished a Dax Rush - lotus 7 clone with a slightly breathed on Rover V8. Frightenly fast (for my age anyway).

 

[snowleopard]

Re: Who\'s got a Kit Car in the garage then?

so this thread has migrated fro PBO!

mine's a challenger E-Type replica with jag 4.2 running gear. 5 & a bit 0-60. fearsome beastie. built it 13 years ago.

 

[Superstrath]

Re: Who\'s got a Kit Car in the garage then?

Technically a "kit"...a 1968 Lotus Elan S3se drop-head. Modded suspension to take modern tyres, slightly breathed on twink....
And today I'm off to see Richard Mallock to get my Mk21/23 hillclimb car fettled for this season. Can pull a ton in 5 secs at Gurston Down.
I need to think of some cheaper hobbies.

 

[Talbot]

Re: Who\'s got a Kit Car in the garage then?

Dont have it any more, but when I was a yuf I built a Ginetta G15 and had a G21 3ltr on order until the kit car loop hole in purchase tax was filled in abt 1973 .

run a big bike these days for my fun (easier to garage, easier to insure, and faster)

BMW K100RS

6 points and climbing - bl**dy cameras.

 

[FullCircle]

Re: Who\'s got a Kit Car in the garage then?

Talbot,
agree about the bikes, I know there are hundreds of those on this forum. I have 2 myself (culled from a herd of 9 ywo years ago /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif) . Mines a Bandit 12 which I bought in December 1995 much tinkered with, and the other a pristine,Sundays only 1973 Yamaha RD350A. None of the collection is for sale at anytime, anycost.
I just thought it interesting to ask, as we have vaguely unreliable pieces of custom made plastic both on land and water. My pref for Kit cars comes as I buy other peoples semi finished junk, do the absolute minimum to keep it running, and have a lark with it. I can no longer afford a yacht and a fortune on cars.
I used to keep squillions of quids worth of Premier marques, and wouldn't now swap my Dutton for a Ferrari. I had a Ferrari, and I was too scared of leaving it abandoned anywhere, or blowing it up, or stuffing it through a hedge when out ice skating.
I never lock the Dutton (no doors see) and it attracts huge attention wherever it goes (mainly guffaws, but hey!). And they only made 600 of them, of which prob 300 never got built, 150 thrashed and crashed. The rest are all different, which is nice.



Jim,
who is sawing up lumps of GRP on the new boat today. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

 

[Vascojc]

Re: Who\'s got a Kit Car in the garage then?

Landrover 11A 1967, did not technically start life as a kit, but has developed into a full size meccano replica!

 

[Lakesailor]

Re: Who\'s got a Kit Car in the garage then?

Did have. A Mini which was a kit car when I bought it. Brought it from East Yorkshire (lovely roads for fast mini) to the Lakes (nightmare for fast mini).
I sold it before I killed myself. 1380cc full race motor.LSD, rose jointed etc, etc. See it here Mini rebuild I wish I hadn't sold it. Some bugger on Anglesy has all the fun now.

 

[halcyon]

Re: Who\'s got a Kit Car in the garage then?

Does 2 TR7's count, started of using one as donor shell for the TR7 I bought in 79, now looking at making two out of them.

Brian

 

[Talbot]

Re: Who\'s got a Kit Car in the garage then?

[ QUOTE ]
Does 2 TR7's count, started of using one as donor shell for the TR7 I bought in 79, now looking at making two out of them.

[/ QUOTE ]

Not sure if that qualifies you as a paid up kit car builder, but certainly does as a stratospheric level masochist! /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[halcyon]

Re: Who\'s got a Kit Car in the garage then?

There actually a good car to drive,and when we get it rebuilt with 16 valve Sprint head a Webber 45's, it will have a bit of go.


Brian

 

[PeterStone]

That reminds me...

That's the car with the bashed in - er I mean sculpted side panels isn't it? I seem to recall Issigonis inspecting one for the first time - as he walked round it he reportedly said " Good Lord - they've done the same on this side too."

 

[StugeronSteve]

Re: Who\'s got a Kit Car in the garage then?

Not reallt a kit, and certainly not a car, but my Commando is in a pile of bits at the mo, so it sort of qualifies. Unless we have a particularly crap summer it isn't going to see the road again until next spring now.

 

[capricorn]

Re: Who\'s got a Kit Car in the garage then?

Yep !

1992 Westfield SEiW. Pinto 2.1 , big Dellorto carbs, ported head, fast road cam, blah, blah, blah.

Sees very little use because the boat is first choice toy when the suns's out !

 

[NevisTheCat]

Re: Who\'s got a Kit Car in the garage then?

Not a kit, but I seem to spend as much time putting the thing together slowly. got a 1967 Alfa Romeo Duetto and guess what........no rust. It does however have the most delicate switch gear and fittings which seem to need to be replaced contanstly.

If boat ownership is anything like a classic carthen i intend to leave the money in the bank and play more golf.