Practically Classics Forum

I'm struggling to decide what car / project I'd like next
I'm not in the best of health so this will be a "keeper" / maybe the last classic I'll have
At the moment I've got an A35 and Sprite (as well as 2 moderns, '72 Range Rover and several motorbikes) which will be sold idc - along with bikes.
My "dream" is something in the mould of a Morgan or T Series MG but they are more than I'm willing (or wife would let me) to pay !

Any suggestions for a traditional flowing wings style roadster from, say, pre 1960's that are a bargain compared to a Morgan / T Series ?

Thanks.

Paul H

I'd also like a car like that but I'd need to sell all I have and/or come into some money to do so. As I'd like to do some VSCC events, it would need to be pre WW2. If this isn't an issue for you, then it widens your scope.

MGs are well catered for in terms of spares and there are always MGs for sale. The MG TD is perhaps the cheapest of the T types, though they have gone up in recent times. It's the first of the T types to have independent front suspension and (I'm pretty sure) rack and pinion steering.

The fifties Morgan, with the TR engine, was quite a machine but Morgans are pricey. Oddly enough, the ones I would like (Pre war series 1, with Coventry Climax or Standard engine) seem to be cheaper if rare.

I reckon the cheapest car of this type, that you'll find, is some sort of sports Austin 7. The Nippy is cheaper than the Ulster and has the advantage (You mentioned your health) of having doors; in the Ulster you have to climb over the side, albeit a lowered side. I think they are pretty well catered for in terms of spares and tuning. I saw some engine blocks for sale at a VSCC event a few years back and they looked almost small enough to fit in my pocket Despite this, they looked good fun on the track.


At about the same time, a friend of my father's died. He was 69 years old and had had about 70 cars during his life (He knew he was dying and had bought a nice MG TD as a final fling), from Austin 7 sports (Not sure if it was an Ulster, Nippy or Speedy) to V12 E Types and Aston Martins. They were always "Classic" when he owned them and he liked to try something new. He always said that the Austin 7 was a lot of fun; just as much fun as the bigger faster cars, just at a lower speed (Though it didn't always feel slow).

There are others like Riley, HRG and Singer Le Mans but these are going to cost as much and more than the MGs. The Automobile Magazine caters for older cars and here are some interesting links that I use to “Window shop”.


http://www.barrywalker.com/

http://www.terrybone.co.uk/car.php

http://www.mgsparesandrestorations.com/home.cfm

http://www.prewarcar.com/ This is connected to "The Automobile" Magazine.

http://oldcarservices.co.uk/index.php?page=bodywork

http://www.pwa7c.co.uk/

http://www.vscc.co.uk/vsccweb/

Good luck with your search

Do you have any pics of your classic rangey? It's guaranteed to be out of my price range when you do come to sell but i love those cars!

TerryG wrote:Do you have any pics of your classic rangey? It's guaranteed to be out of my price range when you do come to sell but i love those cars!

Rangie is for keeping
Body has fallen apart so it is going to be rebodied in Defender style but using Disco "cab" section to create a "wide body with plenty of arm room. Anyone who had owned / driven a Series / Defender will know what I Imean !
The original intention was to restore 100% as original but total lack of repair panels for the totaly rotten / massively previously bodged shell preclude that. The company who used to make the 2 door repair panels was taken over by another who promptly stopped making them. What you can still buy are either shared with Disco / 4 door or NOS.
I've tried sourcing another 2 door shell worthy of restoring but no joy.
To abide by DVLA rules the chassis & running gear are remaining 100% standard / original so there is always the option of refitting a proper 2 door shell at a later date but mean time a hybrid is how it's going to get back on the road.
FWIW Land Rover did produce a prototype replacement for the Defender based on the Disco cab section so not my idea -
http://www.dunsfoldcollection.co.uk/gal ... s/juno.htm

Paul H

Interesting! A guy I worked with did it the other way around - Rangie Classic body modified into a pickup and bolted onto a Disco chassis.

Cheers,

That sounds like an interesting project. I know a man with range rover classic "crew cab" that has the pickup bit from a 90 grafted on the back.
It's amazing how interchangable bits from different Landies are.
I've got a softdash classic that likes testing my patneice, i would love an origional one but the price of a good one means i would need a mortgage and the rough ones are usually beyond saving.

post pics when you do the conversion.