Description
This vehicle has been the subject of an 18 month sympathetic restoration and kings ransom! Sympathetic, as I tried to keep as many of the original parts as possible, as this patina cannot be easily replicated. For those of you that cannot afford £1, 300, 000 for the real thing, this is the solution.
This car has been documented in TKC (track, kit, classic) magazine in the UK, for the last 4 episodes, culminating with a front cover. I have over 45 years experience, in restorations and complete builds, of a huge variety of vehicles, in a professional and personal capacity.
Back ground: This vehicle was originally commissioned in 1978 by Martin Lilley, who was the owner of TVR at the time, at an astronomical cost of £20, 760 (according to Google, the equivalent of £180, 000 in today’s money!). This gives this car a unique providence. I believe Mr Lilley was quoted in Classic Car magazine, that this car drove better than the original Daytona he once owned. This cost did not include the donor car, a low mileage, 4 year old Daimler Double Six! A few months later, Mr Lilley had the gearbox change from automatic, to a Getrag 5 speed gearbox with new clutch and all ancillaries (a further £2500). At the time of the gearbox change Mr Lilley had a more powerful and reliable XJS HE V12 engine fitted. It was totally rebuilt with new liners, pistons, timing chain, valves, gaskets, main bearings big end bearings, etc at a massive cost of £4217. 44!!! All the engine and gearbox work was completed a Saltcoat Motors, a prestigious Automotive Engineers in Hambledon. The manufacturer of the body conversion was RH Engineering owned by the charismatic Richard Stewart. Moulds were taken from an original Daytona for accuracy. Many genuine parts were utilised in the build, for example the windscreen and surround.
Unfortunately, sometime in the the next few decades, it was put away in a damp barn and left for several years till I bought it eleven years ago. It really was in a sorry state. I dry stored the car for several years till my retirement in southern Spain, where the work was completed recently. It has required extensive welding on the chassis and floor pan by a qualified welder, to far above DVLA standard. (certainly better than mine). However, this is stronger now than the original chassis. The complete dashboard and glove box was recovered by a top upholsterer (Autotrim) in black Alcantara (as per the original) at a cost of £1000 (£900 + £100 for glovebox and other small panels). Many of the interior panels have been remade and re-covered in Aluminium, not hardboard. Two new fuseboxes have been added for extra protection and a lot of the original wiring has been replaced. The radiator was emptied and flushed. 50-50 antifreeze added. I’ve listed below all the new parts that have been fitted in the extensive restoration.
New parts: Custom made alloy fuel tank, replica stainless mirrors, distributor cap, rotor arm, HT ignition leads (8mm red), front L&R track rod ends, ignition coil, ignition ignitor, clutch slave cylinder and pipe, every copper brake pipe, both front brake flexy hoses, top and bottom ball joints each side, front discs and pads, rear brake pads, handbrake cable (custom made by Speedy Cables), oil and filter, both air filters, electric APS fuel pump/ filter and hoses front to back, large 680 amp battery, time clock, rear tyres, auxiliary air valve (AAV) with stainless internals (expensive), oil temp gauge, washer bottle and hoses, rear exhaust bobbins x 4, 3-eared wheel spinners, wiper blades, headlights x 2, steering wheel, gear knob, number plates, genuine badges throughout, coolant temp sensor, column switch, hazard switch and relays, stainless period fog-light, black carpets throughout, horn button, 12v cigarette socket, number plate light (£132), etc, etc. You get the idea?
Features: New beige hood and rear window, as new chrome wire wheels with stainless steel spokes and Borrani emblems, chrome ashtray, chrome handbrake lever, Fiamm air horns, remote locking, drilled foot pedals, front calipers rebuilt, space saver spare wheel, period radio (had to be cut in half to fit in the correct place so no music however you could hide one somewhere under the dash), propshaft professionally balanced, two front almost new tyres.
Paperwork: Leather (red) bound receipts book, Jaguar V12 workshop manual, receipt of conversion costs, gearbox & engine change (correctly changed on the logbook) and much more, 2 sets of keys, logbook in my name, also will come with a flash drive with hundreds of build photos and hundreds of useful detailed genuine Daytona photos. Bodywork: Colour is Ferrari Rosso Corsa. It does have light scratches and marks commensurate with age. This is a fifty year old car so do not expect brand new, however it is presentable. Too many replicas in my opinion are too shiny and new (as that’s what they are). This looks real.
It’s also correctly registered as a Daytona RS Spyder too, unlike many others. This car is fully legal to drive in the UK. If you find one of these cars registered as a Jaguar or Daimler, run away. These would never pass current IVA specifications. Once you get that letter from DVLA saying it was picked up on an APNR camera and now has to go for IVA or the logbook is removed from the database, the car will not allowed on the road legally. Its then only good for parts! Always check the DVLA website, using the registration number, to see what the replica is registered as. As I say, this one is correct and legal.
Driving is a fantastic experience, it stops traffic everywhere it goes. The 5. 3 Litre V12 is quiet, smooth and powerful, especially in manual form. Very similar power to the original unlike other replicas with smaller engines.
Total mileage from new is only 69600 miles which obviously is very low. There is a useful owners club which I have been a member of for several years. They have a yearly meet and run.
This vehicle is MOT and tax exempt. Specialist insurance is around £150 to £300 a year but subject to age, claims, etc
There are some jobs needed to finish as I ran out of time, the heater blower does not work, the tacho has stopped working, the clutch thrust bearing is noisy (but there is access to lubricate it) but these are minor issues compared to the hundreds of hours work done already.
Try and find another one of these for sale, in this condition let alone the providence, new parts, chrome wire wheels, new beige roof, tonneau cover, magazine articles and front cover, etc. If you have done your research you will know this is a bargain. Just would like funds for the next project.
The vehicle will be in Reading, Berks. I can deliver if you cover the fuel costs but would prefer you viewed first. A deposit will be required either way.
A walk around video, with the car running, is available. Contact me for details.
