20's/30's Bentley style replicas

[giblet]

Thank you for your reply and the photos. It’s a real stab in the dark but I’m trying to locate an owner of one who would be willing to either loan the car out for a day or offer their services as a chauffeur in return for payment.

To cut a long story short a close friend of mine happens to be a nephew of the person who designed/made the car originally and is trying to find one to be used as a wedding car for his big day. They hold a lot of sentimental value to him and it would mean a lot to somehow find an owner who could help out. I don’t suppose you know what happened to the one that was owned by RT?

[skwdenyer]

Probably won’t help the wedding quest, but thought this looked quite fun:

https://m.mobile.de/fahrzeuge/details.html?id=3188...

[giblet]

skwdenyer said:

Probably won’t help the wedding quest, but thought this looked quite fun:

https://m.mobile.de/fahrzeuge/details.html?id=3188...

If only there was a way to hire it, looks spot on!

[skwdenyer]

giblet said:

skwdenyer said:

Probably won’t help the wedding quest, but thought this looked quite fun:

https://m.mobile.de/fahrzeuge/details.html?id=3188...

If only there was a way to hire it, looks spot on!

You could always reach out. But given it is overseas, suspect the cost of doing so would be quite a lot more than you'd think was fair for a wedding car...

[S47]

I'm fairly certain that that car was built by RT mentioned above in the thread - he built 2 for Germans I met one of them several times, RT eventualy drove the car to Germany for the buyer! - RT was an avid Sherpley driver -They Sherpleys had to be registered in UK before German registration was possible IIRC.

[hidetheelephants]

S47 said:

Here's the pic taken last april - as you can see the car is a very poor copy of the bently speed6, and must have cost the owner all of a coupla quid to build, or put another way - you could say it was built to 1970's kitcar standards The wheels is particular look awful - RT had his 21" wires, and pukka headlights made specially for his car.
I also saw the wooden bodied car [mentioned above] several years ago, it was for sale at Tredegar park classic car show. AFAIK it didn't sell, but the wooden body looked awful IMO.
The car pictured above which i posted earlier in this thread was the best Bentley speed 6 replica [sherpley] i ever saw - It was owned by RT [now sadly deceased] - I drove it many times it was terrible to drive, but I suspect better than every other Sherpley, please note my review is coming from a 50+ year owner of a Lotus7, which aint the most user friendly of cars either
good luck finding the jigs etc. they may still exist
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Authentic WO Bentley experience then.

[S47]

Here's a few Sherpley photo's I come across recently which maybe of interest - all these cars were well built with good attention to detail, sadly the 'cream colored' car I saw last year [posted earlier in the thread] was poor in comparison
OOI one of the German cars got wrecked in the awful German floods of a few years ago, I remember the BBC news showing footage from the German floods - and there on screen in the carnage, was a Sherpley being washed away with all the mud, trees, and debris of the floods etc. I couldn't believe my eyes, wonder whether it was rebuilt - anyone know??
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Finally RT in his oils - literally - you were a great mate and a sad loss to the KIT car community - RIP
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[S47]

The Local sherpley made an appearance at a show recently-
RT is cringing in his grave
>
Sadly I'm not allowed to post a pic of it - mods appear to have prevented me doing so!!

[LLantrisant]

skwdenyer said:

giblet said:

skwdenyer said:

Probably won’t help the wedding quest, but thought this looked quite fun:

https://m.mobile.de/fahrzeuge/details.html?id=3188...

If only there was a way to hire it, looks spot on!

You could always reach out. But given it is overseas, suspect the cost of doing so would be quite a lot more than you'd think was fair for a wedding car...

the seller is a dealer, specialized into kitcars....and he always buys cheap, to sell expensive.
this car was definately not purpose-built for him, neither for the german-market.

its has an automatic-gearbox (very period!!!) and even the seller must admit that "The underbody has been partially painted and, like the engine compartment, is visually somewhat adventurous as far as the wiring etc. is concerned" " the speedometer does not work"

car is still on UK registration, German homologation (however this will be done legally) comes en-top......

the car was previously advertized by a private seller in the south of germany, stating:

"it comes with UK papers" "its now located at a friend " (the kitcar dealer in the north-west of germany) "he might help you with german homologation"

means for me: the former owner in Bavaria has imported it, but was unable to get the car homologated in germany.

and another deeper search on the web turns out that the car was alread advertized for 59k in an older advert....now for 39k....the person in bavaria advertized it for 37.5k

Confidence-inspiring is different.

Edited by LLantrisant on Wednesday 19th July 20:56

[skwdenyer]

LLantrisant said:

the seller is a dealer, specialized into kitcars....and he always buys cheap, to sell expensive.
this car was definately not purpose-built for him, neither for the german-market.

its has an automatic-gearbox (very period!!!) and even the seller must admit that "The underbody has been partially painted and, like the engine compartment, is visually somewhat adventurous as far as the wiring etc. is concerned" " the speedometer does not work"

car is still on UK registration, German homologation (however this will be done legally) comes en-top......

Lol - “adventurous” wiring. Seen plenty of that

[hidetheelephants]

Speaking of adventurous wiring.

[aidey2000]

S47 said:

the sec of the club that used to be south wales kit car club has one, it has a jag straight 6 in it, I saw the car at last years Coleford show in april - the SWKCC club allowed in tintops and all us keen kitcar guys were moved aside, sadly the club has all but disintigrated the tintop guys were into noisy exhaausts and 20" wheels you know the types,- Oh Well that's life
I'll try and find pic of the jag engined car from last year - watch this space

South Wales Kit and Specialist Car Club.
SWKASCC.

We actually do not have members with noisey exhausts or tintops.
Our members are mainly kit car owners with a few convertible classics.
We are an enthusiastic hands on club with a growing membership.

[Smith100-]

Moulder said:

Could anyone who has built one of these let me know what you used for wheels/tyres/hubs?

I am building something myself that will ideally have 21" wire wheels and the only cars I can find with these are early Bentleys. Looking at new reproduction Bentley parts it us coming in at around 8k for all four corners.

Would be good to know if there any alternatives.

Thanks.

Not sure if this is too late to help, but I know a little. The wheels on the typical kit Speed Six Sherpley appeared to be composite, centres from one type welded into rims from another; as the build list suggested wheels needed to be obtained for a Ford Transit, can only assume they were stripped out for the rims and centres from a Leyland or Rover Sherpa welded in. Tyres were 18 inch 10 ply light commercial to fit the steel rims, and the wheel nuts covered by either flat/conical hubcaps, or a curious spoked (open) hub cab that fastened under the (dummy) centre spinner. Recommended tyre pressure was 25 PSI.

I really do not recommend going down this line. When bought, mine had three good balanced wheels, one slightly wobbly wheel, and one horror that shook the whole car. it was possible to run with that one on the rear axle, scary at over thirty on the front. It made the tyre fitter cringe... It become the spare and was never used. The open hubcaps sometimes fell off when the spinner tops (M8 thread) unwound, though they once fooled an MOT inspector who failed the car on a broken spoke...(?)

Tyre pressure was kept low to improve the ride... The problem seemed to be that a 4.5 supercharged weighed nearly two tons, and the Sherpley only one. Too high a pressure felt like you were running on steel rims with solid tyres. On springs for a Sherpa van. The only problem seemed to be that the low pressure strained the tyre walls, but in theory ten ply could take it.

Will vouch for the ride being... interesting. They were meant to be a bit of fun, and should be treated as such. Orson Engineering built me hub adapters for splined wheels at 21 inch, a friend gave me an old set of 21 inch wheels from an original car. it looks taller, needs the axles lowering somehow, but it drives better, but the adapters spread the wheels and the wings needed pushing out even further. An expert advised me to fit narrower Jaguar axles with splined hubs, but couldn't find any on a budget.

At least the bigger wheels made the speedo read correctly...