Descrizione
This 1938 Coventry built 2. 5 litre Adelphi chassis rebuilt by Beaufort Restoration from my client’s, the vendor of NAS643, re-imagining. was completed as he geared down for his retirement. He was set on having the ultimate Supercharged Blue Streak two-seater, to park next to his Blue Streak Kestrel. With a brace of Coventry 2. 5 litre’s, he would have a Riley fit for any occasion.
NAS643 is accompanied by a build invoice file which would take many hours to work through. Yes, I do like a good history file, but on sunny days like today, I just want to get out and enjoy the car. So, I’ll be digesting this on the next inclement day.
There are a number of correspondents in the said file discussing the origins of the chassis and components with Ian Gladstone, founder and former proprietor of Blue Diamond Services, along with other others. It was deemed that the parts/ chassis had at one time belonged to Mr C Russell who had owned several Blue Streak Riley’s. Further components, like the supercharger, were purchased from Julian Bronson (owner of my ultimate Riley Blue Streak). Either way, all the components were purchased and duly despatched to Beaufort Restoration. The build took around some 36 months with bills totalling around £180, 000. In more recent years NAS643 has been looked after by IN Racing (Ian Nuttall).
They have carried out a further £10-12k of work including fitting a Hi-torque starter motor, rebuild rear axle and gearbox. One of the more recent bills is for rolling road set-up where 224BHP was registered, max power and torque was at 118. 5 mph! For the record, 60mph is at 2500 rpm.
A very attractive sports car, undertaken with a real attention to detail, e. g. running boards which lift up against the rear wing, to make for an easy slide into the seats. You can still jump in over the side for the quick getaway! There is useful storage for oil etc. under the bonnet in the scuttle, along with secure storage in a hidden compartment under the floor in the rear. Above this, there is capacity large enough for a few weeks touring, along with the hood and side screens, giving good cover(!) from summer storms. The car comes with the aforementioned build file, some spares including a very original block and head, current V5C registered as an Adelphi convertible and a current VSCC buff form (the next owner will have to re-apply as this is non-transferable).
For sale at a fraction of the build cost!
