Gardner Douglas T70
Discussion
This is a bit of a sad thread to be honest as its the end of a very enjoyable era for me. I built this car myself with help from a couple of pals as a 40th birthday present and project for myself. 6 yrs on and its time to try something new. i'm going to try and go for my ppl and get involved in light aircraft for a new buzz!
The kit car build was something new to me and quite scary to be honest. Although from an engineering background id never attempted anything like this and had just messed about really tuning and playing with cars. This was a new level altogether!
Edited by 200Plus Club on Wednesday 1st October 23:36
Gardner Douglas make this kit and i fell in love with it to be honest at first sight. After a year of research and also working out finances i took the plunge and ordered a kit. I actually bought a used porsche g50 gearbox before i got the chassis kit ! :-)
The car came together Over a period of a year in a friends single garage and then moved to a much larger garage once at the Bodywork stage.
Many new skills were learned during the build and i can honestly say it was enjoyable as sn experience. I got lots of support from GD and other T70 Builders and friends.
When it was finally ready to drive it was one of the scariest days of my life!
The car came together Over a period of a year in a friends single garage and then moved to a much larger garage once at the Bodywork stage.
Many new skills were learned during the build and i can honestly say it was enjoyable as sn experience. I got lots of support from GD and other T70 Builders and friends.
When it was finally ready to drive it was one of the scariest days of my life!
We trundled round Bruntingthorpe doing a shakedown. Nothing broke or killed me as we tested and the performance was everything I'd expected from something weighing 900kg and almost 500bhp!
I managed to get it home in one piece and then spent the next few test days playing with the handling and suspension. Spec wise its a forged LS6 from weber race engines with a porsche g50 box inverted and driving the rears through custom driveshafts. The engine is dry sumped and is a monster. 440ftlb with ease in 900kg with sticky 888s in 335/30/18 rears puts power down like you wouldn't believe. 0-100mph is about 6 or 7s and it handles as well as it looks.
I managed to get it home in one piece and then spent the next few test days playing with the handling and suspension. Spec wise its a forged LS6 from weber race engines with a porsche g50 box inverted and driving the rears through custom driveshafts. The engine is dry sumped and is a monster. 440ftlb with ease in 900kg with sticky 888s in 335/30/18 rears puts power down like you wouldn't believe. 0-100mph is about 6 or 7s and it handles as well as it looks.
In terms of specification i built it to be a trackday monster and not to wilt so its got twin oilcoolers to go with the ARE dry sump. The brakes are AP 4 pots around with fantastic pagid pads which do not fade despite slowing down my little monster from fast speeds. Its got fantastic handling and turn in, you do have to drive it with respect as it will bite but its a proper "drivers" car. The wheelbase is similar to an elise but its got 500bhp or so behind your back and enough torque to sit doing donuts all day long if you are a little over enthusiastic with the throttle in tight bends :-)
![](http://thumbsnap.com/sc/q5YyqPLS.jpg[/img]</a> <a href="http://thumbsnap.com/0GPK15nr" Target="_blank">[img]http://thumbsnap.com/sc/0GPK15nr.jpg[/img]</a> <a href="http://thumbsnap.com/ZlzJ0cMq" Target="_blank">[img]http://thumbsnap.com/sc/ZlzJ0cMq.jpg)
I am seriously considering a factory built GD cobra in the near future.
How much did you save (approx) building it yourself over factory built to the same spec?
I know with a Westfield it is around £3k, which hardly seems worth the bother, unless you enjoy getting your hands dirty.
I've built a Westfield and a Tiger btw.
Lovely car though...
How much did you save (approx) building it yourself over factory built to the same spec?
I know with a Westfield it is around £3k, which hardly seems worth the bother, unless you enjoy getting your hands dirty.
I've built a Westfield and a Tiger btw.
Lovely car though...
If i recall it was about 7 or 8k but GD do a superb job of all their builds and that was then so im not sure what it would be now tbh. Mine was part factory built as i wanted perfect panel fit and finish so i took the built rolling shell back to them to have the Bodywork done in the factory. I'd recommend GD to anyone thinking of building a kit or buying a turn key car their standards are so high.
I built it based on one of the early spyder race cars owned by John Surtees and tbh i am proud of how it came out and the fact it goes as well as it looks on track.
The hard part is finally selling on but the next project is potentially as exciting or better if i manage to get flying!!!
Check out piston heads classifieds for the actual advert lol but if anyone fancies building their own id be happy to discuss
The hard part is finally selling on but the next project is potentially as exciting or better if i manage to get flying!!!
Check out piston heads classifieds for the actual advert lol but if anyone fancies building their own id be happy to discuss
One other aspect I've loved is the amount of nice comments you get at track days and the grins on faces when I've taken people out in it. It certainly outdoes any of my previous trackday cars and tbh without going to something like a single seater or radical etc i dont think i could have had a faster car to play in. It really has been a tremendous experience from start to finish and I'd recommend it to anyone thinking of doing something similar. You only live once as they say! Thanks for reading.
Edited by 200Plus Club on Wednesday 1st October 21:36
Have already received an email enquiry from a "gentleman" who wishes to buy my car but works as a caterer on a cruise ship. Apparently he's quite willing to send his agent to pick up the item and only needs my PayPal or bank details.... what's not to like there eh.? Lol i did swear at the c**k on email reply.
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