Special Shite - few more on page 2

[Inspector Morose]

That is a superb and very readable article there, barrett. Did you know there is a monument to the Olympic just out of Rochdale town centre? I stumbled across it whilst on a job there last year.

[barrett]

I've seen photos of that Olympic thingy before - bit weird innit?

 

anyway, I just found this on my harddrive, Tornado leading a Turner and Lotus 11, with a Peerless in the background - heaven!

[Justin Case]

Don't forget Buckler, who unlike many of the others produced a really well-engineered car.

http://www.bucklercars.com/buckler_cars.htm

 

Just look at the space-frame chasis on the DD2

 

[barrett]

Buckler was really only a chassis builder though, it wasn't until quite late in the day they started offering bodies too, and when they did it was an expensive aluminium job by (iirc) Taylors, who also built the Healey Westland bodies. One of the things that killed Buckler was this lack of identity - no one really knew what a Buckler looked like, and for all the events won by Buckler chassied cars, they were always listed as (for example) Martin-Buckler, Falcon-Buckler or whatever

 

The engineering that went into his cars was amazing though, a proper old-school British engineer was Derek Buckler. Interestingly, one of the last Buckler cars offered for sale (I forget which 'DD' it was) had a Microplas Mistral body fitted.

 

I'll check out that link later, it's an interesting story and definitely worth revisiting

[Formula Autos]

IIRC there was an article in one of the early issues of Real Classics, about 12 years ago, about a rebuilt special (a Berkeley, I think). I seem to remember it going into the problems that the owner had in finding parts, and how they had to be inventive in the resto and adapt other stuff (mostly from Minis) to get the thing up and running again.

 

It sounded a monumental task getting it back on the road, and made taking on a decrepit project like that seem both scary and intriguing.

 

Anyone got a copy they could scan?

[Richard]

I think I have all the Real Classics but Mr Hatred has some of them at the moment, I'll look for that article.

[M'coli]

I would of thought that the Ford sidevalve engine would of been a bit pants for a sportscar.

You've got to look at it in the context of the time - in the 1950s they were cheap, readily available and thanks to the 750 Motor club tuning parts were common. If the sportscar was light enough like, for example, the Lotus 7 as suggested by alfisti, then the car would go well relative to the base vehicle.

[wuvvum]

Another pretty car, the Rochdale..

 

I'd never seen a rear view shot of an Olympic before. Now I can see why they were described as miniature E types...

[Formula Autos]

Some moar photos of an Olympic, wot I snapped at a car show this summer.

 

Apologies for the crapness of shots. I iz not a very good photographist.

 

This one appears to have gained Marina door handles and rostyles at some point.

[garethj]

From Brazil, how about this fantastic GT Malzoni?

Clicky picture linky

 

Or this rather sexy later model

 

[Guest]

That is a superb and very readable article there, barrett. Did you know there is a monument to the Olympic just out of Rochdale town centre? I stumbled across it whilst on a job there last year.

 

That's incredible. I've had family in Rochdale for years and I've never seen that.

[seth]

Just scanned this in....

 

 

 

[Captain Mainwaring]

How's about this?

 

 

I'd never heard of these until recently. http://www.fordanglia105eownersclub.co. ... -heron.htm

[simmo]

Bit of local interest for me, I saw that the Peerless body was made in West Drayton Middx By James Whitson and Co so did a bit of a quick google and it looks like they made a three wheeler called a Cornet.

 

I didn't realise we had a local car industy but some chap has written about it:

 

http://www.uxbridgegazette.co.uk/west-l ... -27418092/

[garethj]

How's about this?

 

 

I'd never heard of these until recently. http://www.fordanglia105eownersclub.co. ... -heron.htm

There was one on ebay about a year ago. Had a huge Webasto sunroof which couldn't have done much for its structural rigidity, but a pretty thing nonetheless.

[barrett]

Bit of local interest for me, I saw that the Peerless body was made in West Drayton Middx By James Whitson and Co so did a bit of a quick google and it looks like they made a three wheeler called a Cornet.

 

Do you mean Coronet? Just going on rather patchy memory, I think that was based on the old Powerglide and had the same 322cc Anzani twin as the Astra. Designed by Paul Gottlieb who also designed... some other weird cars. I think there are only about 3 left.

I'll read that article later and no doubt find I've been talking out of my arse as usual.

[simmo]

Yep, you're spot on it is Coronet

 

http://www.thecoronet.com/

[barrett]

Oops, it was David not Paul Gottlieb. I'm trying to remember what else he did, I keep thinking Allard Clipper but it just seems to be too ugly to be his design.

Somehwere I have a really sad story about a bloke who had spent 7 years or something restoring his Coronet and the week before the first new MOT his garage set on fire and the whole thing was gutted. 20-odd years later I still feel sorry for the poor bastard

[messerschmitt owner]

Bit of local interest for me, I saw that the Peerless body was made in West Drayton Middx By James Whitson and Co so did a bit of a quick google and it looks like they made a three wheeler called a Cornet.

 

Do you mean Coronet? Just going on rather patchy memory, I think that was based on the old Powerglide and had the same 322cc Anzani twin as the Astra. Designed by Paul Gottlieb who also designed... some other weird cars. I think there are only about 3 left.

I'll read that article later and no doubt find I've been talking out of my arse as usual.

and it is a powerdrive. The Powerdrive has a 322cc Anzani engine and the Coronet a 328 cc Excelsior Talisman twin - both being fan cooled.

 

THis was my Powerdrive

 

powerdrive 1 by messerschmitt owner, on Flickr