Sorry, Now sold.

We have decided to sell our little Hot rod roadster.

It has a plastic body and is based on a 1932 / 34 Ford, and is built on the Reliant Scimitar chassis (which is solid), running gear and drive train.

If you have owned classic / kit cars before, then you will know there are only two types, those that go and those that don't! By this I mean, some of them you can leave in the garage for a month, and then on a sunny day, hop in, start her up and go for a drive. Then there is the other type, where you turn the key and noting happens, and instead of enjoying a drive in the sunshine, you spend the afternoon getting the car going again. Don't get me wrong, it's great to tinker and work on these cars, but when you choose to do it, not when the car decides!

The day I got this on the road I'm pleased to say I discovered that it is the get up and go type, I've used it for work and pleasure, and as long as I keep the battery in good shape it starts up and drives off every time, which is great, because in my experience a car can't swap from one type to the other!

Enough of all that, these are the details of the car.

It has a fibreglass body which is bolted to a 1977 Scimitar chassis, it has the 3 Litre V6 Ford Essex engine that was used in the Scimitar.

It is the roadster version as can be seen in the pictures, but included in the sale are:-

Tonneau cover, which zips up the middle, so passenger side can remain covered whist driving.

A complete Soft top, as can been seen in the pictures, this can be fitted to the car OK and I used it for a few months, but would need some tinkering/ adjustment to make it look better.

A fibreglass Hardtop, as can be seen in the pictures, I have not got around to fitting this so it would need some work to use it.

It has a fibreglass bonnet, which needs fitting.

It comes with bolt on Mudguards which I keep in the boot, the front ones still need a bit of fertleling.

The exhausts are from a Motoguzzie, I call them Elvis exhaust (Any fans would know that before he recorded his first song the secretary asked “Who do you sound like son?” he replied “I don't sound like no one Ma'am” That sort of sums up the exhausts!

If you've got this far then you are probably serious, so I will give you a bit of background.

As you no doubt know, original metal body Model As & Bs can go for silly money, £45K and upwards, I had always liked them but knew I would have to get the plastic version, I looked for ages, you just do not see many for sale. When I saw this one it was 90% complete, but I discounted it because it was to expensive. But it gnawed away at me like they do, eventually I went and had a look hoping to barter, but there was no shifting him on the price, if I ever wanted one of these I had to pay up, so I did!

So I have owned the car for 5 or 6 years , my intention was to make it real nice, then for some unknown reason I also bought a project 1958 Buick! So, I decided to get the little hot rod road legal as quick as possible while I made the Buick “Real Nice” (it's still not quite there yet!)

So that's what I did, didn't cut any corners, but I bolted on the bits that came with the car, did some plumbing and wiring, quieted it down a bit with the Elvis Exhausts, tried out various incarnations of seating and got it all registered and road legal, TAX & MOT exempted. I didn't rat rod it, I just built it, kinda like they did in the USA back it the Fifties, with the bits I could find and afford, so in a lot of ways it's very authentic.

So it's been on the road since 2018 I've used it for pleasure, for shopping, for shows, for work, for the pub, just used it like a car!

The engine sounds nice, and pulls nice, oil pressure is great, gearbox is fine and it handles surprisingly well. The lights, horn, indicators etc all work. Radio CD player works, brakes work, steering works. Oil pressure, Temperature and fuel gauges all work, like I said, I didn't cut any corners, I just didn't “style it” or pretty it up so the overall condition is rough and ready.

So what are you looking for? If you want something fun you can jump straight in and drive then this would suit you fine. However, there is also a lot that can still be done to it. So if you want to a project then this would also suit you. If you've never done a kit car before then it's easy to underestimate the amount of work involved, I believe I am the third owner of this project, the first and second owners put in the majority of the work but did not reap the benefits. So rather than take on a missive project (like my Buick!) and maybe never get it done, buy this little car, there is as much or as little to do as you want, and you can drive it while you do it! It comes with some spares, including some bushes that will need doing.

So why am I selling? Well it's a long sorry story involving retiring to go travelling, covid and as always Money! Also, Buick is now on the road.

Regarding the price, I'm just putting it out there, please don't be afraid to make offers, whether lower (or higher), I'll see what interest I get then look at my options.

Please only contact me if you are a serious buyer, not time wasters or tyre kickers (not sure what they are actually, but they sound undesirable)

Dreamers welcome, that's how I got it.

As you can tell by the time and effort I've put into describing the car I love the little thing, I've had great fun in it, and everyone loves it.

PLEASE AT LEAST READ THE FOLLOWING

I have included pictures I've taken over the years, to show the Hardtop, Soft-top, Mudguards etc, all of this is included in the sale, the first picture shows the car as it is at the moment, with bucket seats and redoxide on the firewall.

Although it's a driver, there is still plenty of fertaling to be done, it needs a new engine mount and some bushes replaced (I have the engine mount and an assortment of bushes). If I was to keep it I would add an electric fuel pump, as on very hot days the car does suffer with vapour lock a bit. (See Note at bottom if you're interested in vapour lock!)

I did not build the majority of this car, so I can not give any sort of guarantee. So I must make it clear that although I can say that I have driven it around for a few years without any concerns and I personally am happy for me or my wife to get in it today and drive it today, because of the fact I did not build it, this sale will be strictly on a sold as seen for spare or repairs basis. I hope you understand this. I have tried to point out everything about this car, but with a purchase like this you really need to come and see it and try it.

Cash on collection from Westgate on Sea (Near Margate, Kent)

Call me on 07969 656849 for more info.

(Note on Vapour lock. As I understand it, this occurs when the fuel vaporises in the pump or lines, this prevents a mechanical pump mounted to the engine from “pulling” the fuel from the tank. This is quite a common occurrence in old classic cars with mechanical fuel pumps. This happens now more frequently than when the cars were built because of the changes that have occurred to the fuel we use now, which means it vaporises more easily, hence most modern cars have an electric fuel pump that pumps the fuel from the tank. So the solution is to fit an electric fuel pump – or, as I have been doing, carry a small bottle of water to tip over the fuel pump and cool it down if you're stuck in traffic on a very hot day and the car conks out).

Also published at eBay.co.uk

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