Coys GTR GT2
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Discussion

Storer

Original Poster:

5,024 posts

239 months

Sunday 14th March 2010
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Anybody know what this http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/1521335.htm made?

Anybody on here buy it?

Paul

Storer

Original Poster:

5,024 posts

239 months

Sunday 14th March 2010
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Tried looking there but it's not up yet.



Paul

Storer

Original Poster:

5,024 posts

239 months

Monday 15th March 2010
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Auctions are fine but you have to do your homework first and have a limit that you stick to. Thankfully we don't have quite the hype/pressure at UK auctions that they have in the States but it is still easy to get carried away and also forget the buyers premium!!!


Paul

Storer

Original Poster:

5,024 posts

239 months

Monday 19th April 2010
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Difficult to know what the car is worth. When I last saw it in the flesh it was looking a little second hand. I don't know if it has been refreshed since then.

It is the sort of car you buy and put in storage for a few years hoping values will rise as interest in running it in a historic race series grows.

It would take a great deal of work to put it on the road (which would be a sad use for it anyway). Best kept for historic racing in a few years time IMO.

BornAgainGT

81 posts

198 months

Tuesday 20th April 2010
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I have followed this car with interest.
As I owned a race prepared Ultima some 10 years ago and have been looking for a replacement toy for some time, the ex blower car had me interested.

I went to the Spring Classic at Coys with the plan to purchase the car in question, if of course the price was right.
After researching the car, discussing the original build with Colin Blower and what we, SS and myself, (SS built my original racer) would need to do to prep the car for track day use - I had a price limit in mind.

After viewing photographs of the car (see below) it became apparent the car had not changed at all since the original build by Colin Blower, in fact it had probably not turned a wheel in anger. To be fair the basic component set, and build quality was very good, even if the car was very tired. The car would however need a full tear down and rebuild from the ground up, including crack testing, bearing replacement, full engine and gearbox rebuild etc.

At the auction the car took very little interest and bidding ran out out at £32K far below the reserve set.
I like the others interested in the car felt the car had little more value so the bidding stalled and the car did not sell.
After the auction I left my contact details with Coys and have since had numerous conversations to try and secure the car, however the current owner has an un-realistic value on the car. So it remains un-sold.

To be fair the current owners valuation would be fair if the package was considerable fresher, which unfortunately it is not. This car is simply NOT a foundation for a road car, and really is only for the track day or race enthusiast with deep pockets.

Anyway enough talk below are some pictures of the car.















Hope you found the pictures interesting, and good luck to who ever ends up with the car.
Regards

BornAgainGT

81 posts

198 months

Tuesday 20th April 2010
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Exactly my thinking, which is why i did not move forward myself.

Racing Rod

1,353 posts

291 months

Wednesday 21st April 2010
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I have also been looking to buy this car as I have known it from the day Colin Blower first started building it, I was running 4 TVR Race Tuscans through his Motorsport preparation workshop back in those days.

The car is unique by virtue of the fact that it really is a Colin Blower special as opposed to an Ultima. I viewed the car a few weeks back, it's looking very sorry for itself parked up in a warehouse along with lot of other cars, some of which are also the property of the very wealthy chap who currently has ownership of this wonderful example of CB's excellent workmanship. I looked at this car as I wanted a Britcar GT Class 1 challenger to outrun and out perform the Moslers and 430's that currently dominate the class. This car is more then capable of achieving this with the works needed to bring it up to date, i.e. sequential paddle shift, endurance fuel tank, new wiring loom and the list goes on, I reckon that £35/40k will need to be spent and that neatly brings one back to the price one should offer for the car in it's present condition.

Since being sold by Colin, quite a bit has been spent on the car but in areas that reflected the current owners intention to use it as a track car, frankly it's a crying shame that this fellow got hold of it and only used it as a type of rich mans play thing, so in real terms, all the money he has spent on it including engine and gearbox rebuilds, probably surfaced as a result of the way it was driven and used, which from what I can gather, was very little as I don't believe anyone after Colin realised what it was they were dealing with.

To finish off this tale, I made what I considered to be a very reasonable offer for the car, so without going in to detail, it was the right side of £30k albeit by a small margin. This offer didn't go down particularly well with our wealthy friend but he did, via the dealer he has advising him, confirm a figure that he would accept. Suffice to say, we are some distance apart and to add to the general confusion, another interested party has now popped up with a bid higher then mine and somewhat closer to the figure the owner requires.

If this is a genuine potential buyer, as well it could be, then I'll await confirmation that the car has indeed been sold to this new bidder, I do however know that there are a number of issues that anyone other then someone who intends to race the car, will find difficult to deal with for in my book, this is an out and out race car and anyone thinking of using it for any other purpose will find the process of change or adaption both very costly and probably, totally unpractical. The car has lots of life left in it, but it's undoubtedly a racing life if it can be secured and used as Colin Blower intended.

I've posted this as I am quite happy to share information with anyone who has an interest in the future of this car, my cards are on the table, I won't be increasing my offer as the cost of project line must be drawn somewhere and if I do end up owning it, so be it, if I don't then I'll have to find another car that will do the job and give the Britcar GT front runners something to worry about hehe

Storer

Original Poster:

5,024 posts

239 months

Wednesday 21st April 2010
quotequote all
Interesting posts and the car is much as I suspected.

It would be great to see it racing again especially if it could be made reliable enough to finish the races. I am sure it could give the Ferraris and Moslers a run for their money so I hope you are able to secure it Rod or that the other potential bidder has similar ambitions.

Paul

BornAgainGT

81 posts

198 months

Wednesday 21st April 2010
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Hi Rod

I did indeed bid £35K for the car as it stands with estimates of £30K upwards of additional works required.
Much like yourself my bid was turned down with the current owner wanting more than I was prepaired to pay.

Good luck to who ever get the car, as i am sure it would be a fun project.

Reagrds
Tony

Racing Rod

1,353 posts

291 months

Wednesday 21st April 2010
quotequote all
I'll keep you posted on any progress that I might make, but to be honest I have moved on a touch and am looking at alternatives so if it does come back into the picture it will have to happen sooner rather then later.

cheers

Rod

donkeasy

636 posts

246 months

Monday 26th April 2010
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can't open pictures please put them down again

Racing Rod

1,353 posts

291 months

Friday 14th May 2010
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Still trying to negotiate with the current owner, we have progressed a little through compromise on both sides but heavy going to say the least.

It's a bugger really for every time I give up on the chance of buying it, (that's three times now), some little snippet of information or inference of compromise stops me from walking away and dismissing it as a lost cause !!!

We have looked at several other cars that would suit the Britcar GT class 1 spec but to be honest none have the outright capability of out performing the Ultima, or at least this particular car, and taking the fight to the Moslers and special 430's, even had a 996RSR offered but it's just not a quick enough car by today's standard, mores the pity hehe

Still, wait and see I guess smokin

V8Dom

3,547 posts

226 months

Friday 14th May 2010
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Racing Rod said:
Still trying to negotiate with the current owner, we have progressed a little through compromise on both sides but heavy going to say the least.

It's a bugger really for every time I give up on the chance of buying it, (that's three times now), some little snippet of information or inference of compromise stops me from walking away and dismissing it as a lost cause !!!

We have looked at several other cars that would suit the Britcar GT class 1 spec but to be honest none have the outright capability of out performing the Ultima, or at least this particular car, and taking the fight to the Moslers and special 430's, even had a 996RSR offered but it's just not a quick enough car by today's standard, mores the pity hehe

Still, wait and see I guess smokin
why dont you build one or buy s/h and convert???

Dom

Racing Rod

1,353 posts

291 months

Sunday 16th May 2010
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This car is not a standard Ultima in any shape or form, it's a purpose built race car, I watched it being built from scratch and I know what went into it. To build this car again today would be amazingly expensive as back in 2002,over £200k had gone into it, and that cost didn't include the full amount of Colin Blower time and effort, god knows how many free man hours never got priced in !!!

The car is unique, and above all it will be safe to race because Colin Blower built this knowing he would be the driver and if you look at his history in Tuscans you will find that he had a very lucky escape at Silverstone and vowed that any cars he built would always have driver safety at the core. In short, the fact that he built this car and that I know exactly what went into it is the sole reason for considering this "Blower Ultima" for racing.

BornAgainGT

81 posts

198 months

Tuesday 5th October 2010
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Not that I know of. I gave up - which as it goes was the best thing, as I now have a rather special toy in build, that SS is casting his magic on as we speak.

BornAgainGT

81 posts

198 months

Tuesday 21st December 2010
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I have had a look and cannot find the contact details, sorry.
I would suggest you contact Colin Blower through his workshop for details of who they sold the car to - which is the route I took when i was tracking it down, after Coys.
Coys will no doubt still pass on your offer to the owner but will still want their 10% or 15% on top.
Sorry I could be of no further help.

Storer

Original Poster:

5,024 posts

239 months

Tuesday 4th January 2011
quotequote all
It's a pity it has been allowed to deteriorate to such an extent. It sounds like an expensive project.

At some point in the not too distant future there is bound to be a historic race series that it would be eligible for, which might help justify the money spent getting it back into shape.

Paul