1990 Ginetta G26 DEPOSIT TAKEN!

[loserone]

I know this has already popped up in the ebay tat thread and else where, but I thought I'd put this up 'just in case' the right person doesn't read that thread (but then, who doesn't read ebay tat?)

 

 

In April, our very own Tonedepear offered up this gem, and my girlfriend suddenly became overly enthusiastic about having her own car.  She had been (a little reluctantly, perhaps) looking for a diesel Peugeot or a K11 Micra, when the object of last summer's most astounding internet documented car recommissioning was put up for sale.  And she had to have it - after all, what would spur her on to actually taking her driving test more than having a SPC (Silly Plastic Car) with pop-up lights to drive around in.  Tax and insurance were arranged, with me also being on the policy so I could collect it, and Tone charged the battery.

 

At this point, the world began to conspire against us a little.  The OMGSNOCHAOS caused a few problems, mostly involving the slopes around Sheffield being impassible to all traffic.  Then she ended up taking a group of schoolchildren to Iceland for a week.  And of course, that just happened to fall on the date when she had arranged to collect the SPC.  

 

I chose to do what any sensible person does when presented with the need to collect an old car on someone else's behalf which they've never seen running from a reasonable distance: PANIC.

don't let me need any of  this by Lirgnocab, on Flickr

 

So I scrounged a lift from my mate, and saw the SPC for the first time.  Well, actually, the third time.  I'd already seen it twice, only back then it had no engine.   Oh my.

 

Having handed over the ££££!, inflated the tyre, and completed the requisite paperwork, we headed to Morrisons where some fuel was added, and my card was eaten by the self-service pump.  Great.

 

I only have one other picture of the uneventful collection journey - the stop to wiggle the indicator bulbs around so that the front ones work (now solved with vaseline):

Ginetta collection by Lirgnocab, on Flickr

 

Notice the pile of snow..  Anyway.  We got home safely, I parked the car up, and - it not being my car - left it for it's new owner's return.

 

Some time later:

First drive of her first car by Lirgnocab, on Flickr

 

Despite the smile, there's a little concern here.  The seat, as far forward as it goes, isn't far enough to allow easy use of the clutch for someone who is 5'3".  Nor can she reach reverse (down and left and forward).  And the lack of power steering combined the difficulties of clutch control caused by this means that moving the car at low speeds is clearly an issue.

 

That should have been that*.  But it was ignored.

_{* Really, it pays to be present when buying your first car..}

 

 

The next day, there was another run around the block, and then more practice in my 323F.  A very minor altercation with a parked Astra caused another big confidence hit, and no further driving has taken place since then.  I've been taking the G26 out once a week to keep it ticking over, and I've fixed the water ingress problems (some sealant under the bonnet and re-fitting and gluing the door seals).  H has polished it by hand, but didn't seal it so the paint is back to as pink as it ever was.  It was decided that it probably wasn't the right car for her, but a twice weekly 'have you advertised your Ginetta yet' nag from me hasn't been very productive - not that I'm saying it would have been if it were the other way around!

 

I suspect this would still be the stalemate situation now, but she's just inherited a K11C micra.  As such, we need to insure it, and, I hope, she can start driving again.  

 

Hence, I can now advertise this Superb* motor vehicle for sale.  

Not much has been done in our time but to use it occasionally.  On Sunday we took it up to the National Railway Museum in Shildon, where it behaved impeccably the entire time.  It had a never ending crowd of people around it.  Some were more complementary than others.  Tomorrow, I'm taking it to sit in a car park where it will be walked passed by the foreign secretary.  Other than that, it's not really been worked on at all.  It's probably done ~500 miles on this engine.

 

OSF view by Lirgnocab, on Flickr

 

Decent boot by Lirgnocab, on Flickr

 

Dashboard by Lirgnocab, on Flickr

 

Front seats by Lirgnocab, on Flickr

 

Front seats by Lirgnocab, on Flickr

 

Front view by Lirgnocab, on Flickr

 

Rear seat by Lirgnocab, on Flickr

 

 

So.  Good bits?

* It runs! It actually works quite well once you're used to it.

* It has MOT! (one month..)

* It's taxed! (One month..)

* Stainless steel exhaust! It probably* only needs the exhaust (Supplied by Tone) fitting for the next MOT.

* Economical and reliable 1600 pinto engine.  No, really!

* Weber carb

* It no longer overheats, even at 70MPH.

* Pop up lights!

* Plastic!

* Polybushed, lowered suspension which is actually quite compliant (certainly a better ride than my BG 323F or the MX5)

* Lots of space for passengers

* Mondeo alloys

* Pop up lights!

* DAB Radio!

* A full set of brand new Ginetta badges

 

Not so good?

* Paint.

* Radiator header tank.  There isn't one.  There is space for one, though!

* Heater is *STILL* stuck on hot.  The lever on the dash isn't connected to anything.

* One tyre still goes down slowly.  

* The rear seat belts are still boxed in the boot.

* Vulgalour would not enjoy the multiple colours in the dashboard.

 

 

Price? It's on eBay for £700 Ã‚£650. AS Special: £500  We would dearly like the space on the insurance policy.  Talk to me.

 

[Partridge]

So basically it’s a more shit Cortina. Genius. 

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

That is not a lot of money for a fascinating car. 

[autofive]

dang thats cheap

 

polybushed GRP Cortina for 500 quid?

[Station]

I think that's got ace 70's styling for a kitcar, it looks like a genuine car, and not like a monstrous, mis-shapen poo.

Would that make the 150 mile trek from Teeside? You should get more photos of this beast.

[Partridge]

I do like it. It looks like a 70’s Maserati (if you put tabasco sauce in your eyes before looking at it.)

[prab]

Insuring a Q plate can't be cheap?

[loserone]

I think that's got ace 70's styling for a kitcar, it looks like a genuine car, and not like a monstrous, mis-shapen poo.

Would that make the 150 mile trek from Teeside? You should get more photos of this beast.

Easily.  I'll deliver for fuel and a lift home / trainfare.

 

Insuring a Q plate can't be cheap?

See the eBay listing for a little rant, but basically, yes, it is.  Insuring a K11 Micra, under the same conditions, is going to be £100 a year more, it seems.  

[loserone]

I do like it. It looks like a 70’s Maserati (if you put tabasco sauce in your eyes before looking at it.)

Car now comes with a bottle of tabasco sauce, thus filling the requirements for 1970s Maser dreamers.

 

Sorry, no pies (pukka or otherwise), prostitutes or white 405s considered in part-ex.

 

 

DSC_8041 by Lirgnocab, on Flickr

 

One extra, as I have it lying around.  MOAR tomorrow.  Requests? If you want to see the underside, you'd do well to look at the thread on the forum dedicated to the feline companion of an armed madman who Gazza once tried to provide fast food to, linked in the first post, as I don't have any means of getting it up in the air to look under it..

[Partridge]

I already have the tabasco-do I get a discount?

[vulgalour]

I have a completely irrational want for this car.  This often happens to me on Autoshite and rarely results in me buying anything.  Sorry about that and GLWTS &c.

[xkjaguar]

I had one of these in a shitty powder blue about 15 years ago, it was an awful awful awful car I loved it the kids would rather walk than get a lift in it.

bought it in Reading and had to drive back to Andover, got to about Newbury when the prop shaft let go and finished on the back of a truck- had just joined a breakdown service the day before!

Fixed it which involved a hybrid propshaft as it had an escort back axle and a cortina gearbox and nothing seemed to want to quite fit, also had to fit a new bell housing as a big chunk had gone AWOL, at that point i should have probably had the whole shebang balanced but-----

Anyway drove it around for a while and then decided to drive it to where i was working as i was on a ship in refit and had times in the evening to work on it

unfortunately the refit was in Rosyth, so I set off on sunday afternoon for about 600miles of carefree!!! motoring

At Lockerbie there was a huge bang (no not PanAm 007) as the prop shaft once again decided to come unglued, this time it went through the floor for good measure, so another recovery to Rosyth!

Spent the next few months getting the whole thing running stripped out, also got a sierra scrapper and put the whole drive train in as a complete matching and balanced unit which was a vast improvement (still looked terrible on the outside though)

Drove it all the way home without any major mishap (just lost the lights once due to a bad earth) and sold it (aka nearly gave it away)

Overall impressions were that it was very cramped (to stop my head hitting the roof had to have the seats bolted directly to the floor), this meant no seat adjustment, had to fit a steering wheel the size of a polo to get my knees in, consequently ended up with biceps like Arnie to manouever at parking speeds

However it made me the person I am today (wibble)

[xkjaguar]

Oh and as you say it has a decent boot, however the boot aperture is quite small and consequently difficult to get stuff in unless it can limbo, found i could really only use it for soft bags, a suitcase wouldn't bend enough!

[Wilko220]

I have a completely irrational want for this car.  

 

Same here. I usually have no interest in kit cars but this is lovely.

[loserone]

Overall impressions were that it was very cramped (to stop my head hitting the roof had to have the seats bolted directly to the floor), this meant no seat adjustment, had to fit a steering wheel the size of a polo to get my knees in, consequently ended up with biceps like Arnie to manouever at parking speeds

However it made me the person I am today (wibble)

 

The seats move quite far on this one, and it's certainly built around a taller person.  I'm 5'10" ish, and have to have the seat fairly far forward.  

 

[Partridge]

I know what everyone means about wanting it. It’s very intriguing.

[cms206]

I clearly need an eyetest as I think that's quite a handsome thing. Alas my missus is exactly 5ft tall so she couldn't drive it, I'm 6ft 3in so I doubt I'd fit comfortably and also I need to find a new house before October 1st. Grrrrr. GLWTS.

[loserone]

Quick insurance-related update.  A colleague is a little interested in this (we'll see how far he gets, he's not driven it yet )

 

Admiral have just quoted for:

24YO male, Provisional licence, No no claims, not insured on any other vehicle. On street parking, TS19 post code (not the roughest, but my insurance on an Almera halved when I moved to TS18..)

 

£840.

That might be a lot, I suppose, but for a first-car-quote it seems pretty good to me.

[autofive]

I just got a quote online for 1500 miles classic insurance, just myself (40+, told them zero no claims) on the insurance

 

112 quid, fully comp. with breakdown insurance

 

and 46 quid for an extra 1500 miles a year

[loserone]

I suspected as much.  It's currently on our multicar policy (no mileage limit, two drivers, main driver provisional etc), so isn't really indicative of what you'd pay as a separate policy.

 

I was going to take some pictures today with a copy of The Socialist on the passenger seat as William Hague turned up at work.  Unfortunately there were a rather large number of SUITS as well, so no photographic opportunities arose.  Nonetheless, the look on the professional driver's faces as I pulled away was one I'll not forget in a hurry.  It's now stotting it down, so I'm afraid no more pictures tonight.

[barrett]

Plastic car with metal doors BEST MECHANICS

 

I want this so much but I would literally get kicked out of my house if I rocked up with another crappy car instead of fixing the crappy cars I already own, sorry!

[autofive]

friday night and this ginetta is all alone

[MikeKnight]

I knew I'd seen this in the flesh! You were at Shildon a week or two ago! I was there too, but the trump is still naked awaiting its chrome returned so I wasn't there as an exhibitor.

 

My reactions on seeing it in the flesh: "Oh god almighty that's awful... and I want it."

[loserone]

You suggesting you needed chrome to exhibit there? Might explain some of the looks when I parked up!

 

Monday afternoon and it's still here.  Not even any rude "Will collect 2nite mate" offers?

 

Am I asking for this?

 

[Sigmund Fraud]

Loserone, I fear you have found yourself in the same position as me : Our cars would only appeal to Autoshitters, but most Autoshitters have no space/money/time to take on more cars.

 

 

Come on guys... A stylish*, high-performance*, limited-production coupe for the price of a knackered, ex-minicab Mondeo ! Keep it as-is and join the RATLUK crowd or invest in an electric HVLP gun and a bucket of boat paint to make it a serious* concours contender.

[loserone]

Hannah has been polishing this up today.  I think you can probably say it scrubs up well:

 

 

FULL FRONTAL by Lirgnocab, on Flickr

 

Badged up and ready to go by Lirgnocab, on Flickr

 

Nearside shine by Lirgnocab, on Flickr

 

Worst of the paint by Lirgnocab, on Flickr

 

Chipped paint on bonnet by Lirgnocab, on Flickr

 

Offside frontal. by Lirgnocab, on Flickr

 

eBay photography by Lirgnocab, on Flickr

 

I suspect if the MX5 gets a clean bill of health at it's MOT tomorrow morning, I'll turn my attention to this and see what I can get done on it this weekend.  

 

[Micrashed]

 

 

 

 

Given that you have resorted to time lapse photography here - are the headlamps a little slow to pop up?

[loserone]

The headlamps are as fast or as slow to pop up as you might want them to be; they're operated by a cable attached to a handle on the inside!