How about a 'period' classics pictures thread
Discussion
LordBretSinclair said:
Not an improvement IMHO 
They're fairly ugly little bugs aren't they. 
The Arkley SS was a cheap way of getting your Spriget back on the road after the tinworm had munched through the wings.
You only needed to repair the tub, attach the one-piece bonnet and graft on the one-piece rear.
I seem to remember that Martin Lilley (and possibly John Britten) had a sideline in assembling customers' Lotus 7 kits for them.
Maybe the Arkley SS was a way of using those talents.
Martin went on to buy TVR, but that's a whole other story...
Edited by Roy C on Sunday 6th April 15:40
Anyone taken the trouble to cost out a total price to buy the parts and complete the work to make this serviceable again at todays prices, WHOW !
OR ! flip-front and a little fiddling on your front drive and your back on the road again. This is a legacy from the days of impoverished MG enthusiasts.
OR ! flip-front and a little fiddling on your front drive and your back on the road again. This is a legacy from the days of impoverished MG enthusiasts.
RichB said:
Roy C said:
RichB said:
rolymo said:
Full of the joys of spring today, Guys , that Triumph Spitfire was work in progress just pushed into the street to have a look round, the engine is still on the bench in the workshop being rebuilt ,hence the height .Lost a whole pile of photos in a house flood that is the only one remaining so I cannot show it finished .
Photo, here is another mismatch ?
There were a number of those replacement fronts for Spidgets, I seem to remember Arkley was a popular one. Photo, here is another mismatch ?
The kits were supplied (or conversions done for you) by TVR dealer John Britten at Arkley (the site was formerly Martin Lilley's Barnet Motor Company and later became the TVR Centre).
This is the shape I'm more familiar with
ARKLEY, MG Midget/ Spriget or Sprite ?
The flip-front on the MG midget came about by association with several business principals, IE : - TVR , I was workshop foreman for one of the dealer/distributors therefore on pretty good terms with Martin Lilley who made it known that it had been necessary to register the ARKLEY design in order to
legally form both Arkley USA Ltd and Arkley UK Ltd which were used to sell the manufacturing and retailing rights and raise capital for another venture. The UK side may well have eventually gone to the firm of Peter May (The Grand Daddy of midget modifications) who I also did considerable export business with years ago.
When I moved to the USA and opened up a British car shop the price of all BMC/ Rover replacement parts suddenly escalated due to rumours regarding the future uncertainty of MG and various financial manipulations that caused serious price increases on many parts.
Negotiations with the CEO of ARKLEY USA did not prove satisfactory on several points which encouraged me to consider making the fibre-glass panels in my own facility in Florida. However therein lies a rather large legal problem !
Most people familiar with the USA know there is a lawyer hiding under every lamppost and copyright on registered designs is one of the favourite Black-holes of the judicial system therefore it pays to be cautious and not fall into a conflict over intellectual rights, the original assembly was changed to present a different optical identity, just enough to meet regulations. Unfortunately the public were not sufficiently impressed enough to warrant manufacturing a mould to continue supply. Some you win some you don’t.
Photo :- Rover V8 engined MG Midget
The flip-front on the MG midget came about by association with several business principals, IE : - TVR , I was workshop foreman for one of the dealer/distributors therefore on pretty good terms with Martin Lilley who made it known that it had been necessary to register the ARKLEY design in order to
legally form both Arkley USA Ltd and Arkley UK Ltd which were used to sell the manufacturing and retailing rights and raise capital for another venture. The UK side may well have eventually gone to the firm of Peter May (The Grand Daddy of midget modifications) who I also did considerable export business with years ago.
When I moved to the USA and opened up a British car shop the price of all BMC/ Rover replacement parts suddenly escalated due to rumours regarding the future uncertainty of MG and various financial manipulations that caused serious price increases on many parts.
Negotiations with the CEO of ARKLEY USA did not prove satisfactory on several points which encouraged me to consider making the fibre-glass panels in my own facility in Florida. However therein lies a rather large legal problem !
Most people familiar with the USA know there is a lawyer hiding under every lamppost and copyright on registered designs is one of the favourite Black-holes of the judicial system therefore it pays to be cautious and not fall into a conflict over intellectual rights, the original assembly was changed to present a different optical identity, just enough to meet regulations. Unfortunately the public were not sufficiently impressed enough to warrant manufacturing a mould to continue supply. Some you win some you don’t.
Photo :- Rover V8 engined MG Midget
Yes, Peter May now owns the rights (I believe). He does advertise the Arkley panels on his website. The first yellow one also looks a bit like a rare Spridget derivative called a Dragonfly (google it). It used spridget parts but with an extended front chasis, a little bit Morgan/Marlinesque.
rolymo said:
Anyone taken the trouble to cost out a total price to buy the parts and complete the work to make this serviceable again at todays prices, WHOW !
OR ! flip-front and a little fiddling on your front drive and your back on the road again. This is a legacy from the days of impoverished MG enthusiasts.
Mine was a CAT C write off after similair (but not quite so severe) damage - when an impatient **** at dartford tolls reversed into me. Insurance totted up list price for wings, nose and bonnet and that was enough.OR ! flip-front and a little fiddling on your front drive and your back on the road again. This is a legacy from the days of impoverished MG enthusiasts.
I took the pay off, bought the car back (it never left my garage) and I got all the panels from clubs/forums/ebay for about £200ish. Sprayed it myself and had the car on the road again with a fat profit. Which I then spent on building a 1380 for it ;-)
yellowjack said:
Wow! Look at all that s p a c e on the motorway!
Probably before the introduction of speed limits as well?
ISTR the picture was dated about 1965, so round about the same time as the speed limits were introduced. I'll see if I can pin the date down any better.Probably before the introduction of speed limits as well?
It's the M6 at Forton services, btw, taken from the tower. Just checked and Forton services were opened in 1965, it was probably taken soon after it opened - we only lived half an hour or so away.
---ETA---
Sadly, it was just after the speed limits were introduced.
It turns out Forton was opened in January '65 (as was that stretch of the M6), and the speed limits were introduced in December '65.
The pictures were taken in May '66. Here's the other one of the set.... I'm the happy smiling (?) lad sat on the bench with my Mum and sister. Our car (Morris Minor Traveller) isn't in the picture, but it appears in several of the other pictures so I'll find a good one and post it.
Edited by Morf on Wednesday 23 April 21:59
Roy C said:
Yes, that's an Arkley SS (an MG Midget with a new front & rear). Most had a wide front opening and some had the original grille grafted on, but this one has a vaguely MG-shaped nose.
The kits were supplied (or conversions done for you) by TVR dealer John Britten at Arkley (the site was formerly Martin Lilley's Barnet Motor Company and later became the TVR Centre).
I remember a copy of Car (?) magazine I had from that time, with an article with the headline of "So they gave little Soddy an Arkley...". The road test basically suggested that it was a Noddy car, and the storyline involved "Soddy" and "Big Arse" getting a new car.The kits were supplied (or conversions done for you) by TVR dealer John Britten at Arkley (the site was formerly Martin Lilley's Barnet Motor Company and later became the TVR Centre).
Edited by Roy C on Sunday 6th April 07:22
Such wit...
Morf said:
yellowjack said:
Wow! Look at all that s p a c e on the motorway!
Probably before the introduction of speed limits as well?
ISTR the picture was dated about 1965, so round about the same time as the speed limits were introduced. I'll see if I can pin the date down any better.Probably before the introduction of speed limits as well?
It's the M6 at Forton services, btw, taken from the tower. Just checked and Forton services were opened in 1965, it was probably taken soon after it opened - we only lived half an hour or so away.
---ETA---
Sadly, it was just after the speed limits were introduced.
It turns out Forton was opened in January '65 (as was that stretch of the M6), and the speed limits were introduced in December '65.
The pictures were taken in May '66. Here's the other one of the set.... I'm the happy smiling (?) lad sat on the bench with my Mum and sister. Our car (Morris Minor Traveller) isn't in the picture, but it appears in several of the other pictures so I'll find a good one and post it.
Edited by Morf on Wednesday 23 April 21:59
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