Highlights

• A sporty looking Vitesse, reported to drive well and offering potential for further improvement
• Presenting in a very original condition having recently featured in a period film
• A post ’68 car and, hence, in the most powerful and developed MKII guise

The Appeal

The History and Paperwork

• Our car was registered in February 1970 making this a MKII model
• Not too much is known about the early life of our car
• The current owner acquired the car in 2015 as a project
• In that time its mechanic owner has looked after the car himself
• The car is regularly used and very original
• So much so as it recently appeared in a feature film set in the 1970’s
• Paperwork comprises just the current V5 in the name of the owner
• The car is registered as a Historic Vehicle
• As such it is MOT and VED exempt in the UK
  
  

The Interior

• Although far from concours, our car’s interior appears to be highly original
• The light blue vinyl seats are not significantly holed or ripped it appears
• There is a small section of deterioration to the driver’s seat piping 
• The front seats, like the rest of the cabin, would likely respond well to a deep clean
• The rear bench is in good order and appears surprisingly capacious
• The dash on the MKII is a fully equipped affair set into a wood veneered panel
• The gauge set consists of a mix of white on black Jaeger and Smiths items
• There are a number of switches and levers situated in the centre of the dash
• The dash veneer appears compete but would benefit from some localised repair
• The black vinyl dash top panel appears to be in a good general condition
• A non-standard, three spoke alloy, sports steering wheel is fitted
• The carpet set appears original and is finished in black and seemingly complete
• The door cards and rear side panels are finished in blue vinyl
• These are topped with veneered wood cappings and appear complete and original
• The covers for the rear internal wheel arches appear to be missing
• The headlining appears to be complete with some staining at the top of the windscreen
• The boot is missing its liner but this allows full visibility of fuel tank and boot floor
• These both seem to be in a decent, overall condition
• A full-sized spare wheel is housed in an aperture under the boot floor
  
  

The Exterior

• This Vitesse is predominantly finished in Valencia Blue with an Old English White roof
• It is hard to know if the paintwork is original 
• The data plate under the bonnet does detail a paint code of 19, however
• That is the correct code for Valencia Blue
• The paintwork is reasonable on the flanks of the car
• The bonnet and boot lid, however, have lost some of their paintwork
• The bodywork appears to be solid and robust, appropriate to the car’s age
• Inevitably, there are some areas of surface corrosion and imperfections in evidence
• Cabin glass and light lenses look to be original and in decent condition
• Our car rides on non-standard, 13-inch, Minilite style alloy wheels
• A matching set of Runway Enduro tyres are fitted in 185/70 configuration
• Some of the original factory exterior badges appear to be missing
• There is obviously some potential for further improvement here
• However, the “bones” of the car appear good and may present a good foundation
  
  

The Mechanics

• By the time the MKII Vitesse arrived in 1968, power had grown to 104 bhp
• This was delivered by the 1,998cc inline six-cylinder engine
• In a car weighing in at less than 1,000 kgs made for spirited performance
• Power is delivered to the rear wheels via a four speed, all synchromesh gearbox 
• The large clamshell bonnet allows excellent access to and sight of the engine
• Our car is reported to drive well with no known issues
• The car is used and enjoyed regularly
• The under-bonnet presentation is reasonable but offers potential for further improvement
• The underside of the car looks to be in a good overall condition
• There is some surface corrosion in evidence but nothing unusual for the age of car
  
  

Summary