Guess who’s back.... Back again

So here we go again with another build from the depth of my garage. Something a tad “different” this time as this build is going to technically be a re-body as opposed to a kit build. The main difference being for a vehicle using the original chassis and running gear will not require an IVA test. So that broadens the artistic license for the finished product to a much greater scale. For example if I want period looking components within the car, then I will not have to worry about radius finishes or positions of switches etc.. in order to satisfy the IVA requirements. The world is my oyster/lobster/other crustacean so to speak. 

So where is the Cobra? ...... fear not fellow petrolheads. Just before the start of winter 2020 I finished a small garage extension on my property or showroom as it should be called because I finished the walls to a plaster finish and porcelain tiled floor also. This now homes the Cobra perfectly along with plenty of additional storage space for lots of vintage petrolania I have also been collecting over the years. 

Still a few more bits I need to finish in the new garage  such as some nice rustic vintage looking shelving for the said collection, but winter is cold and motivation is low..... roll on spring. 

So the Cobra is sat waiting for the sun in the new garage, which leaves a nice big double garage come workshop screaming for something to be built in there... shopping time! I have for some time been toying with a few scratches I needed to itch, and may still do so in the future. But I have decided to do another build as opposed to a restoration. A little V12 Jaguar XJS was nearly purchased with the intention of a full restoration however they are not rare enough (yet) to make them truly desirable in my opinion. And the idiosyncrasies within them would give TVR a run for their money also, so a kit build it is. 

The criteria for me is similar to when I built the Cobra, I want a “period looking” car with style and rarity, and like the cobra it must be a bit of a head turner (for the right reasons) without screaming to all that it’s a kit car. Nothing wrong with kit cars whatsoever, however I don’t want a car that looks like it’s been assembled from what was left over after the fall of British Leyland Cars and held together with whatever was on special on the Lidl middle isle deal of the week. 

“So what is it you are building” I here you say and what big V8 or V12 am I planning to use. The answer is possibly a little surprising to you all as only 4 pots will be found under the bonnet of what I want to build, and British Leyland will be the sole provider for the donor car..... ironically. The car I want to build is a T48 Corsa Spyder. 

The T48 Corsa Spyder is a fantastic looking machine manufactured by Fiorano down in Bromley, Kent. They are period looking race car to the late 1940/50’s initially designed by Alan Hooper. He drew his inspiration for the body from the Ferrari 166  which reflects massively in the few that I have seen, however they are just that.... “similarities” unlike the Cobra kits on the market nobody would ever fool anyone into thinking this was a genuine Ferrari 166 despite some builders donning the Ferrari logos on their cars like on some of these pictures. These pictures are of other peoples cars and just like my Cobra they all have little differences between them yet are all based on the same chassis and running gear. 

The kits offer a few chassis options in order to build, the most common being the Triumph Spitfire. Other options are variants such as the GT6, witch according to some people are superior in handling because of the rear suspension. However I have read up that with the GT6 running a 6 pot 2lt block the extra weight over the front axle looses some feeling through harsh steering. However it’s exceptional hard to find a Triumph GT6 nowadays to restore let alone find a rolling chassis complete with a V5 to butcher into a kit car. And if I did do that to a GT6 then I think there would be a line of people at my front door wanting to lynch me all day long, and I would also feel guilty myself for adding to the loss of a GT6...... so Spitfire it is then! .... Off to go shopping. 

So just like my last blog I shall be documenting and recording the build through a blog, so feel free to save a link to your favourites and check back occasionally for progress. Just like the Cobra blog I will not commit myself to timescales or budgets etc... but will guarantee attention to detail and a quality finished product for when it’s done. Glad to be back building again!