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Ross_K

By Ross_K
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MisterH Rank: BL Wedge

MisterH

Posted
Posted
3 hours ago, lesapandre said:

The car was Roy Axe styled...not sure if he ok'd the wheels. 

You are right - overall the Rapier had a slighly 'Terry and June' feel to it compared to the go-getting MK1 Capri...and subsequently sold in considerably lesser numbers. About 5000 a year which is not really profitable. About 1.2 million Mk1 Capri's were sold by comparison. This shape Rapier came out in '67 and Capri in '69 which must have hammered Rapier sales. 

Some of that is down to the detailing/jewellery on the cars - which Ford were so good at.  With a little more bizzaz - the Rapier might have done better. That parts bin steering wheel is really unfortunate on a 'sporting' car. As are the dustbin lid hubcaps. Fins are an anachronism on a new car by 1967 too when hip 'fashion' cars were moving to a kamm-tail look.

But its worth remembering that Rootes were a minnow compared to Ford's resources and the Rapier would have been developed for peanuts compared to Capri.

Capri was bound to be more profitable too - there is an awful lot of complex pressings and expensive to produce detail on the Rapier. Also made at the orphan Linwood plant with it's expensive supply chain problems.  A lot of parts would have been shipped up from Coventry which ate profits.

Overall the car was a bit of an heroic failure - but still very very nice...a lovely old thing to own.  A great achievement with the available resources - but just a bit left behind.

I used to drive past the Ryton-on Dunsmoor factory in the 70's - you could see all the finished Rootes/Chrysler cars lined up outside from the A45. A great sight...

A former wartime shadow factory - now all demolished.

Sunbeam Rapier H120: classiccars

I think it speaks to the strength of the design that when done up in H120 form with stripes and Rostyles (or similar) It looks fan-fecking-tastic, like a real baby muscle car.  Indeed this is one of my all time want cars, shame that prices are getting unfeasible now...

eddyramrod Rank: Matra Rancho towing a Tagora

eddyramrod

Posted
Posted

I agree!  Note the H120 got a variation on the Kamm tail too.

CortinaDave Rank: Renault 16

CortinaDave

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, MisterH said:

Sunbeam Rapier H120: classiccars

I think it speaks to the strength of the design that when done up in H120 form with stripes and Rostyles (or similar) It looks fan-fecking-tastic, like a real baby muscle car.  Indeed this is one of my all time want cars, shame that prices are getting unfeasible now...

I'd love one too, and looked at getting one 10-15 years ago when they were relatively cheap, but even then parts were made of unobtanium which put me off.

MisterH Rank: BL Wedge

MisterH

Posted
Posted
2 minutes ago, CortinaDave said:

I'd love one too, and looked at getting one 10-15 years ago when they were relatively cheap, but even then parts were made of unobtanium which put me off.

I don't think they are massively expensive now, under 10k for sure, but for me it needs to be under 5k

lesapandre Rank: Talbot Tagora

lesapandre

Posted
Posted
5 hours ago, MisterH said:

Sunbeam Rapier H120: classiccars

I think it speaks to the strength of the design that when done up in H120 form with stripes and Rostyles (or similar) It looks fan-fecking-tastic, like a real baby muscle car.  Indeed this is one of my all time want cars, shame that prices are getting unfeasible now...

Yes it just needed that extra detail to bring it alive - better colour, side-stripe, blacked out grille with subtle centre badge, sill -covers and good wheels.  Makes a big difference.

46,204 made overall in 9 years. By comparison Ford sold 200,000 Capris in all markets in the first two years of production and a staggering 233,000 cars in 1973.

  • BL Bloke, MisterH and eddyramrod
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busmansholiday Rank: Lancia Gamma

busmansholiday

Posted
Posted
5 hours ago, MisterH said:

Sunbeam Rapier H120: classiccars

I think it speaks to the strength of the design that when done up in H120 form with stripes and Rostyles (or similar) It looks fan-fecking-tastic, like a real baby muscle car.  Indeed this is one of my all time want cars, shame that prices are getting unfeasible now...

I bought an Alpine in 1978 for £375 (it was already rusty but the brown paint hid most of it). It chucked some rings one day so I found a bloke selling a Holbay engine in Rotherham and bought it (and the clutch release arm and bearings which are different). Fitted it then it failed an MOT for galloping rot.

Somebody told me about a stash of bodyshells in a scrappy near Gainsborough, so I went and bought one. Mate fetched it on a trailer (this would be 1981 ish) and rebuilt it. Father, wife to be hated it, but I loved it, went like stink (I removed the interlocks on the overdrive 'box so I effectively had 8 forward gears!!)

Some twat ran into it one frozen winter morning in 1986 and wrote it off. I still miss it.

wuvvum Rank: Matra Rancho towing a Tagora

wuvvum

Posted
Posted
15 minutes ago, tooSavvy said:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2002-Suzuki-Swift-1-0-Sky-Limited-Edition-3dr-Hatchback-Petrol-Manual-/334114187232?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l6249&mkrid=710-127635-2958-0

Two and a half bags for this grotfest...

*MOT 2015 'front floor mounts' adv is the 'horns' = it's on borrowed time!!

Mine's a Sky with a similar history of rust and not many more miles on the clock.  I'd be happy with a fifth of that price.

Soundwave Rank: Citroen Ami

Soundwave

Posted
Posted

Given their relative scarcity, seems to be an awful lot of Safranes coming up for sale as of late. This one is specifically a Renault Safrane Car, just in case you thought it might be a Renault Safrane fondue set.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/124860950476

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/yC4AAOSwVUphHmeQ/s-l1600.jpg

155V6 Rank: Lancia Gamma

155V6

Posted
Posted
9 hours ago, MisterH said:

Sunbeam Rapier H120: classiccars

I think it speaks to the strength of the design that when done up in H120 form with stripes and Rostyles (or similar) It looks fan-fecking-tastic, like a real baby muscle car.  Indeed this is one of my all time want cars, shame that prices are getting unfeasible now...

Father_155 had an H120 in the early eighties,it was a flying machine after the Renault 8s & 16s he'd had before it.

A couple of years later,he had a standard Rapier.I learned to drive in this,along with his Mini Pickup.I always wished it was the H120 though 🤔

Then in the early nineties,he got another H120 which had been restored & I got to drive it a few times 😎

Unfortunately,this was when he had the habit of driving cars until the Mot ran out,& it was parked in the front garden where it still is now.I reckon the glass might be usable,but that's probably about it 🙄

wuvvum Rank: Matra Rancho towing a Tagora

wuvvum

Posted
Posted

Those Rapiers are a nice thing, but I would baulk at paying £5K+ for what is basically a Hillman Hunter in a party frock.  I like Hunters but the most I've ever paid for one is about £350.

busmansholiday Rank: Lancia Gamma

busmansholiday

Posted
Posted
17 minutes ago, wuvvum said:

Those Rapiers are a nice thing, but I would baulk at paying £5K+ for what is basically a Hillman Hunter in a party frock.  I like Hunters but the most I've ever paid for one is about £350.

Had a GLS, which is the Holbay engined one. Seem to remember it cost me less than a hundred quid from a kid who was about to weigh it in at the scrappies I was hunting for Mini parts in near Beckles (sis lived there, I went down for the weekend to fix their Countryman - proper original mini one). Left it at her house, went down next weekend, changed head gasket and rocketed it home. Ran out of fuel in Lincoln, ever tried finding a petrol station in Lincoln on a Sunday night in the early 80's?. Passed its MOT, ended up using it for spares for Rapier.

And that odd tapping noise you get from Holbay engines ??. It's because they used hollow push rods with shrunk fit cam followers and rocker cups. They eventually wear loose, you have to remove them all and check them before centre punching the bastards that's causing the noise.

Ask me how I know.

 

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