RE: Thunder Road Cobra 289FIA
Discussion
Finally took me a while
Alot of mixed feeling on the styling once the Fiat 8V body was grafted on.
I always loved it as a Kid - would have it in a hearth beat - co ist is a Hollman and Moody tuned 427 but different and I just like it.
The Willment/Ghia 427 Coupe
The Savonuzzi designed, Ghia built body was originally fitted to a Fiat 8V chassis. John Willment found the discarded body in a junkyard and married it to a leftover 427 Cobra competition chassis. A Holman-Moody 427 with twin four barrels was fitted for propulsion. Willment lost interest before the project was completed and sold it. The car has bounced around since then and has never been fully sorted out. It is the only Cobra coupe that has never seen a racetrack. This may be a good thing.
So few pictures of it!
Will Google some more later.
Alot of mixed feeling on the styling once the Fiat 8V body was grafted on.
I always loved it as a Kid - would have it in a hearth beat - co ist is a Hollman and Moody tuned 427 but different and I just like it.
The Willment/Ghia 427 Coupe
The Savonuzzi designed, Ghia built body was originally fitted to a Fiat 8V chassis. John Willment found the discarded body in a junkyard and married it to a leftover 427 Cobra competition chassis. A Holman-Moody 427 with twin four barrels was fitted for propulsion. Willment lost interest before the project was completed and sold it. The car has bounced around since then and has never been fully sorted out. It is the only Cobra coupe that has never seen a racetrack. This may be a good thing.
So few pictures of it!
Will Google some more later.
look forward to finding some more info on the car and the history behind it.
The Willment Ghia is now in the UK and is having the interior refreshed on the car.I spoke to the guy who owns the car last year at Silevrstone and it is not as awful to drive as people make it out to be.
The car was built by John Willment ,then sat around unwanted for some time before it was sold on,as jellison, says it has been unloved for much of its life and still only has about 11,000 miles on the clock. I know that Rod Leach has sold the car on a few occasions.
The car was built by John Willment ,then sat around unwanted for some time before it was sold on,as jellison, says it has been unloved for much of its life and still only has about 11,000 miles on the clock. I know that Rod Leach has sold the car on a few occasions.
jellison said:
dinkel said:
Spoiler.
Ollie's beast.
Bryant one look right without the hideous add on.
The car was owned untill very recently by John Bendall,who has now sold it.
I think the car was fitted with a front spoiler for the Classic Le Mans race a couple of years ago and possibly for a couple more events that year.
The car no longer has that hideous front spoiler fitted.
HEM 6 has had that hideous front spoiler for about 6 years now,together with the hideous Le Mans hardtop.
Here`s another early photo of HEM 6 without a spoiler.
Edited by hurricaneharold on Thursday 3rd January 22:32
Edited by hurricaneharold on Thursday 3rd January 22:34
jellison said:
Yep that is fine - I'd experiment with it till it works as joe bloggs user toggling in it.
How About a bit on that Crazy Italian Bodied job that Nostalgia used to sell regularly! with the 427 underneath it (was that the Wilment Cobra thing - I don't think so - Frua bodied thing maybe - I'll have to check and fine a picture)?
Is that Salvadori in 65?
Looks like a Bryant and it has a modern TopHat logo on the car.
I reall do hate that spoiler (I would not let it run with it at a meeting I ran).
No Jon,that is not Salvadori in the car,I changed the photo,and for some reason I can not log back on to change the dsecription.How About a bit on that Crazy Italian Bodied job that Nostalgia used to sell regularly! with the 427 underneath it (was that the Wilment Cobra thing - I don't think so - Frua bodied thing maybe - I'll have to check and fine a picture)?
Is that Salvadori in 65?
Looks like a Bryant and it has a modern TopHat logo on the car.I reall do hate that spoiler (I would not let it run with it at a meeting I ran).
Yes it is a Bryant in the car ,if my memory is correct ,I took that phot at Donington or Silverstone a couple of ears ago
[quote=jellison]Finally took me a while
Alot of mixed feeling on the styling once the Fiat 8V body was grafted on.
I always loved it as a Kid - would have it in a hearth beat - co ist is a Hollman and Moody tuned 427 but different and I just like it.
The Willment/Ghia 427 Coupe
The Savonuzzi designed, Ghia built body was originally fitted to a Fiat 8V chassis. John Willment found the discarded body in a junkyard and married it to a leftover 427 Cobra competition chassis. A Holman-Moody 427 with twin four barrels was fitted for propulsion. Willment lost interest before the project was completed and sold it. The car has bounced around since then and has never been fully sorted out. It is the only Cobra coupe that has never seen a racetrack. This may be a good thing.
So few pictures of it!
Will Google some more later.
Here is another photo of the Willment Ghia.
And while we are talking about one off Cobra`s
The AC Coupe which got wrecked at Le Mans in 1964 ,now rebuilt and owned by Barry Bird.
And the Daytona Super Coupe ,built on a 427 chassis ,designed by Peter Brock,who designed the Daytona Cobra`s. The car was never finished and was sold as an unfinished project in 1985.
Alot of mixed feeling on the styling once the Fiat 8V body was grafted on.
I always loved it as a Kid - would have it in a hearth beat - co ist is a Hollman and Moody tuned 427 but different and I just like it.
The Willment/Ghia 427 Coupe
The Savonuzzi designed, Ghia built body was originally fitted to a Fiat 8V chassis. John Willment found the discarded body in a junkyard and married it to a leftover 427 Cobra competition chassis. A Holman-Moody 427 with twin four barrels was fitted for propulsion. Willment lost interest before the project was completed and sold it. The car has bounced around since then and has never been fully sorted out. It is the only Cobra coupe that has never seen a racetrack. This may be a good thing.
So few pictures of it!
Will Google some more later.
Here is another photo of the Willment Ghia.
And while we are talking about one off Cobra`s
The AC Coupe which got wrecked at Le Mans in 1964 ,now rebuilt and owned by Barry Bird.
And the Daytona Super Coupe ,built on a 427 chassis ,designed by Peter Brock,who designed the Daytona Cobra`s. The car was never finished and was sold as an unfinished project in 1985.
Edited by hurricaneharold on Friday 4th January 17:03
[quote=jellison]Finally took me a while
Alot of mixed feeling on the styling once the Fiat 8V body was grafted on.
I always loved it as a Kid - would have it in a hearth beat - co ist is a Hollman and Moody tuned 427 but different and I just like it.
The Willment/Ghia 427 Coupe
The Savonuzzi designed, Ghia built body was originally fitted to a Fiat 8V chassis. John Willment found the discarded body in a junkyard and married it to a leftover 427 Cobra competition chassis. A Holman-Moody 427 with twin four barrels was fitted for propulsion. Willment lost interest before the project was completed and sold it. The car has bounced around since then and has never been fully sorted out. It is the only Cobra coupe that has never seen a racetrack. This may be a good thing.
So few pictures of it!
Will Google some more later.
The guy who now owns the Willment Ghia also own this very original 1962 260 Cobra .
Alot of mixed feeling on the styling once the Fiat 8V body was grafted on.
I always loved it as a Kid - would have it in a hearth beat - co ist is a Hollman and Moody tuned 427 but different and I just like it.
The Willment/Ghia 427 Coupe
The Savonuzzi designed, Ghia built body was originally fitted to a Fiat 8V chassis. John Willment found the discarded body in a junkyard and married it to a leftover 427 Cobra competition chassis. A Holman-Moody 427 with twin four barrels was fitted for propulsion. Willment lost interest before the project was completed and sold it. The car has bounced around since then and has never been fully sorted out. It is the only Cobra coupe that has never seen a racetrack. This may be a good thing.
So few pictures of it!
Will Google some more later.
The guy who now owns the Willment Ghia also own this very original 1962 260 Cobra .
L100NYY said:
Willment Cobra ran very well at Goodwood Revival last year in the hands of Desire Wilson,
[i]"In 1964 the Willment team decided to build their own version of the Daytona Coupe. Willment had approached Shelby about a Daytona Coupe but was turned down flat. John Olsen, who had been badly burned in the first Coupe’s outing at Daytona, had returned to England and as luck would have it was working at Willment.
A set of Daytona Coupe plans was sent to England and with John Ohlsen’s first hand experience a new body buck was constructed. Frank Gardner did the re- engineering of the new version, which had slightly less frontal area, the result of a “chopped top”. Geoff Gilbert and Frank Shattock built the car. Their car was visually similar to the Daytona Coupe, the primary difference being a nearly horizontal rear window, which resulted in a larger truncation at the rear end. The Willment Coupe was not ready in time for Le Mans, but it eventually went on to a long and successful career."[/i]
here`s a phot of the Willment Cobra at the Goodwood Revival last year .[i]"In 1964 the Willment team decided to build their own version of the Daytona Coupe. Willment had approached Shelby about a Daytona Coupe but was turned down flat. John Olsen, who had been badly burned in the first Coupe’s outing at Daytona, had returned to England and as luck would have it was working at Willment.
A set of Daytona Coupe plans was sent to England and with John Ohlsen’s first hand experience a new body buck was constructed. Frank Gardner did the re- engineering of the new version, which had slightly less frontal area, the result of a “chopped top”. Geoff Gilbert and Frank Shattock built the car. Their car was visually similar to the Daytona Coupe, the primary difference being a nearly horizontal rear window, which resulted in a larger truncation at the rear end. The Willment Coupe was not ready in time for Le Mans, but it eventually went on to a long and successful career."[/i]
Edited by L100NYY on Thursday 3rd January 09:46
hurricaneharold said:
jellison said:
No dod not think that was it - I'll look for it and post a pic.
They only made one - pure one off on a 427 chassis / engine - NUTZ!
Jon, while we are on the subject of Willment Cobra`s ,They only made one - pure one off on a 427 chassis / engine - NUTZ!
What other car did the John Willment race team build that was never finished
The Ghia has a cage in it
Any idea who owns it now - would not take much to sort it.Looks better side on that the Ausy Brock job - wheelbase just too short for the Brock body.
jellison said:
hurricaneharold said:
jellison said:
No dod not think that was it - I'll look for it and post a pic.
They only made one - pure one off on a 427 chassis / engine - NUTZ!
Jon, while we are on the subject of Willment Cobra`s ,They only made one - pure one off on a 427 chassis / engine - NUTZ!
What other car did the John Willment race team build that was never finished
The Ghia has a cage in it
Any idea who owns it now - would not take much to sort it.Looks better side on that the Ausy Brock job - wheelbase just too short for the Brock body.
The guy who owns the Willment Ghia lives in Kent.
hurricaneharold said:
jellison said:
hurricaneharold said:
jellison said:
No dod not think that was it - I'll look for it and post a pic.
They only made one - pure one off on a 427 chassis / engine - NUTZ!
Jon, while we are on the subject of Willment Cobra`s ,They only made one - pure one off on a 427 chassis / engine - NUTZ!
What other car did the John Willment race team build that was never finished
The Ghia has a cage in it
Any idea who owns it now - would not take much to sort it.Looks better side on that the Ausy Brock job - wheelbase just too short for the Brock body.
The guy who owns the Willment Ghia lives in Kent.
Did it have a Capri body?
jellison said:
hurricaneharold said:
jellison said:
hurricaneharold said:
jellison said:
No dod not think that was it - I'll look for it and post a pic.
They only made one - pure one off on a 427 chassis / engine - NUTZ!
Jon, while we are on the subject of Willment Cobra`s ,They only made one - pure one off on a 427 chassis / engine - NUTZ!
What other car did the John Willment race team build that was never finished
The Ghia has a cage in it
Any idea who owns it now - would not take much to sort it.Looks better side on that the Ausy Brock job - wheelbase just too short for the Brock body.
The guy who owns the Willment Ghia lives in Kent.
Did it have a Capri body?
The owner has decided to keep the car unfinished, I told you I was mad about Cobra`s !!
AUSSIE BROCK JOB ???????????
Edited by hurricaneharold on Friday 4th January 13:45
jellison said:
Aha I did see that on one of the Googled sites.
Nuts not to finish it!!!!!!!!!!
Pete Brock who designed the Daytona Cobra and Super Coupe is not an aussie,I think you maybe thinking of the Aussie race driver Peter Brock who died bout a week after racing at the Goodwood Revival earlier this year.Nuts not to finish it!!!!!!!!!!
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