7 replies to this topic

[Mistron]

Hi folks,

 

I've been in contact with a chap looking to identify the origins of his interesting special.

 

It's a front engined spaceframe which at one stage prior to his ownership wif fitted with a distinctive gullwing coupe body (ugly, but distinctive!) and bore the Luton registration no '499 EXE'

 

He bought the car in the mid '80s and fitted it with a Falcon Mk2 shell and re-registered it.

 

The frame has the chassis number GD628/1. Perhaps the builders initials were GD?

 

Details can be seen here: http://www.oldclassi.../spaceframe.htm

 

Looking at the photos of the old body, I see there are no mirrors, and the wheels are 3 bolt fixings, so it seems less likely it was actually raced, but the frame does look fairly competent.

 

Any thoughts?

 

Personally, It's just about my ideal car.......

 

Al

 

 

 

 

[bradbury west]

Al, have you checked with Michael Ware at NMM. He has always been well versed in these oddball creations. He runs the column for such mysterious causes at C&SC. I will e mail you his details.
Roger Lund

[Allan Lupton]

XE, like other X? letters was originally London not Luton. Luton did not have letters of its own, being Bedfordshire.

 

There was a later reallocation which gave XD and XE to Luton but that was after the suffix letters were also used so 499 EXE is London and the linked piece says it's 1962 which I think may be right.

[rbm]

I'm fairly sure I have seen a period pic of this on the web, maybe a Convair or something similar

I would suggest that you should try Rob Daniels who used to run the 1950s specials website (that seems to have gone defunct sadley), sorry I have lost his email address but you may be able to get it through the Fairthorpe Owners club?

 

Richard

[FrankCornell]

My guess is the gullwing bodyshell may be a much modified "Sirocco GT", made by Speedex of Luton, and the chassis might even be their own tube "Mercury" space frame. The basic outline of the doors and the shape of the wheelwells match a photo - plate #3, in "Ford Specials" by PJ Stephens. The frame is also depicted in plate #6 and has similarities.

[Mistron]

DOH! (as Homer Simpson would say) I looked at the Speedex chassis in 'Stephens' and it's certainly similar, but not quite right, but totoally failed to notice the similarities to the Sirocco GT shell over the page! I think you are right on that part. Well spotted!

 

Mind you, the changes to the screen are hardly an improvement, so maybe that's how I missed the similarities in the rest of it.

 

Ironic that I've looked at that page more than the rest of the book as it also has the Yimkin photo which I studied a lot whilst identifying my own mysterious chassis!

 

Cheers,

 

Al

Edited by Mistron, 05 January 2015 - 08:34.

[Stephen W]

My immediate reaction on seeing the photo was Biota. 

[Peter Morley]

There are similarities with a Biota and they did advertise a closed version but it is quite different - I've got a Biota in the same shade of orange gelcoat!