Beschreibung
Truly superb condition, extensively restored by RSSOC club member to standard+ specification over many years. Original SE5 GTE, pure to the Tom Karen of Ogle Design Ltd concept, with the more traditional dashboard and subtle styling details.
3. 0L V6 Manual with Overdive
Tax and MoT exempt (though with current MoT to Aug)
Extensively restored
Olympic blue with black interior
Ready to use and enjoy
Running gear. In mechanically excellent condition having benefited from extensive work and improvements - no known issues. Brakes are all new – all new hard lines, new upgraded flexible hoses, new cylinders, shoes, pads, discs, drums, fully rebuilt original calipers plus upgraded to twin circuit master cylinder with integral servo and silicone fluid. The brakes pull up keenly and evenly with a pleasingly light pedal. Gearbox excellent, lovely crisp gear selection with rose jointed linkage, overdrive works as it should, serviced with fresh oil and filters. Rear axle good, fully overhauled with new bearings etc. Engine shows good oil pressure and provides stout performance with no nasty smoke, noises or rough running. Maintains steady temperature under all conditions. Benefits from new core plugs, upgraded stainless steel coolant pipes and exhaust, silicone coolant hoses with Mikalor clamps, electronic ignition, new alternator, new coil and leads, auxiliary electric fuel pump and cooling fan. Starts well hot or cold. Suspension tight and compliant, polybushed, new trunnions, new ball joints, drop links etc etc - it drives really nicely and feels gratifyingly sporty and taught on a full set of Spax adjustable coil over units. Rolls on a refurbished set of period Dunlop composite alloy wheels, wearing a matched set of Goodyear tyres.
Electrics. Original wiring loom in excellent condition. Upgraded supplementary fuse box with relays for load circuits; upgraded headlights to H4 halogen with bulbs; upgraded micro switches for overdrive inhibit switch; switchable supplementary electric fuel pump; switchable supplementary electric radiator fan. All electrical components, lights, fans, gauges etc. working as intended. Starts and charges as expected.
Interior. In lovely condition inside, nicely refurbished but retaining it's period charm and cosy patina. New carpets throughout, with new sound deadening beneath. Rear 1/ 4 trims, boot lining and rear seating also all in excellent condition; headlining excellent. Dash and door trims all good. Heater, fan and controls all working. Instrumentation very good. Original style radio present.
Exterior. Very presentable, refinished inside and out in Olympic Blue as part of the restoration some years ago and still looks very smart. Some minor stone chips / blemishes commensurate with use since, but the overall impression of the car is excellent - it looks really smart and garners admiring comments and thumbs up everywhere you go. Chromework, window surrounds and lights are all original and good, with some typical minor age related spotting / marring. Doors and bootlid all lock/ unlock as expected. Original style 'raised digit' number plates.
Underneath. The chassis is superb having been extensively restored - no corrosion or deterioration evident anywhere. Had new, upgraded outriggers as part of the restoration and everything underneath has been prepped and painted for continued preservation and longevity. Sensibly upgraded with stainless steel fuel tank; cunifer brake hard lines; copper fuel line; new insulation rubbers; extensive use of stainless steel fasteners etc. etc. Really as good as it gets underneath and one of the primary reasons I bought the car.
Condition Summary:- In fabulous condition, extensively restored. No known issues - drives exceptionally nicely. Interior in excellent condition. Exterior finish and chromework highly presentable. V5C and documents, ignition keys, door / boot keys present. Please view the detailed pictures for an accurate guide to condition. This SE5 was the culmination of a 5 year hunt for my perfect Scimitar. Having owned a number of previous GTEs, both SE5's and SE5a's, I concluded I wanted the best SE5 I could find. I preferred the purity of the original design and the more classic (in my opinion) dashboard. It had to be a manual with overdrive car – absolutely no rust, no tatty bodywork, a nice interior (preferably in black) and mechanically sound so it could be used regularly. I looked at a few and even considered extending the search to SE5a models as I just couldn't find an SE5 that ticked the boxes.....
Then I found this car....
This fabulous car had undergone a thoroughly comprehensive, carefully considered and well engineered rebuild over many years – a real labour of love. It was stripped absolutely bare, body off the chassis, chassis fully dismantled and everything blown apart before being meticulously refinished and rebuilt, incorporating sensible improvements and enhancements along the way. The suspension had also been polybushed, the brake system upgraded to twin circuit with integral servo, the electrics thoroughly improved with all load circuits upgraded to relay control, auxiliary electric fuel pump and radiator fan, electronic ignition etc. just to name a few.
Being over 40 years old, it is tax and MoT exempt, (though it passed a voluntary MoT with ease - MoT valid until until the end of August) and it is a really well sorted, nicely running example ready for regular use. It is a properly classic, fun, competent and surprisingly rapid machine that handles incredibly well for a car of such age. I have been entirely confident jumping into it and taking it on journeys of any length - happily using it for a daily 50 mile commute when desired.
It's a design that has matured very well, with all the classic feel of traditional British sports cars combined with the iconic Scimitar shape, plus more than enough performance to keep pace with modern traffic. They are even relaxed motorway cruisers with overdrive engaged. As an MoT and Road Tax exempt classic car it is eminently usable in modern traffic.
