Anyone own my old Grantura?
Discussion
BIG DEVELOPMENT FOLKS!!
I have been keeping an eye out for leads and dropped a few hints in the hope it might bring some new info. To my utter surprise I received an email from America initially asking for my help in identifying a car which he believed might have been known in the UK as the 'Coffee Bean'. It was evident immediately that it was not Coffee Bean but my old car LSN950, the ex Norman Barclay car.
At that time his father had acquired in with something else and was undecided what to do with the little TVR. I gather it was a little outside their main interests. I gave him some information and asked him to get back to me if they ever decided to sell it.
He has now done just that!
The car is now in California (so it has done more miles on trailers in the USA than it ever did on the road in the UK!). And it appears there is a Climax engine with it, they seem to have bought it with the Climax engine included. But the photos I have seen so far suggest no restoration has been done and it is pretty much still as it left the UK. He has suggested $32,000.
There is no way I can afford that but I chat with one of the TVR club officers suggested it might be 'on' for a works lightweight with history. I would love to see it come back and restored and preferably even used in vintage competition. If there was someone out there who would be interested in taking this on I would love to play a part in doing so. But my pension will only run to the one TVR I have at present!
I have written back to him to say I would be very interested indeed, and he has given me first refusal. I have also made clear I would need to go into 'partnership' with someone else to acquire and repatriate it.
For obvious reasons I do not want to post more info on an open forum at present but I am hoping someone with serious intent will contact me direct.
I have been keeping an eye out for leads and dropped a few hints in the hope it might bring some new info. To my utter surprise I received an email from America initially asking for my help in identifying a car which he believed might have been known in the UK as the 'Coffee Bean'. It was evident immediately that it was not Coffee Bean but my old car LSN950, the ex Norman Barclay car.
At that time his father had acquired in with something else and was undecided what to do with the little TVR. I gather it was a little outside their main interests. I gave him some information and asked him to get back to me if they ever decided to sell it.
He has now done just that!
The car is now in California (so it has done more miles on trailers in the USA than it ever did on the road in the UK!). And it appears there is a Climax engine with it, they seem to have bought it with the Climax engine included. But the photos I have seen so far suggest no restoration has been done and it is pretty much still as it left the UK. He has suggested $32,000.
There is no way I can afford that but I chat with one of the TVR club officers suggested it might be 'on' for a works lightweight with history. I would love to see it come back and restored and preferably even used in vintage competition. If there was someone out there who would be interested in taking this on I would love to play a part in doing so. But my pension will only run to the one TVR I have at present!
I have written back to him to say I would be very interested indeed, and he has given me first refusal. I have also made clear I would need to go into 'partnership' with someone else to acquire and repatriate it.
For obvious reasons I do not want to post more info on an open forum at present but I am hoping someone with serious intent will contact me direct.
https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/cars-for-sale...
No affiliation...mystery solved?
1960 TVR Grantura Mk 1 lightweight, Registered in June 1960 as LSN 950, this special car left the TVR factory as just one of very few factory lightweights intended for competition. There were three types of lightweight options. 1) Lightweight chassis using thinner tubes for the chassis and all gussets drilled. 2) Lightweight body, including bonnet, using minimum fiberglass thickness and Perspex windows in doors with no winding mechanism. 3) Both option one and two, which was only supplied on rare occasions for all out racing. LSN 950 received this last lightweight option.
Phil McNeil, lead craftsman for race cars at TVR, completed this special lightweight TVR in 1959 and the car was installed with a race ready 1475cc Coventry Climax.
This is no normal Grantura, being a racing car, it seems to have been built with many unique lightweight features that are not common, giving this car a rich and interesting history. Unique options for this car, serial number 7/C/192, include wobbly web wheels, concave driver sill to accept a side exhaust, larger finned aluminum drum brakes, special rack and pinion steering rack, light alloy hubs and uprights, close ratio gearbox, a lightweight radiator and lightweight dashboard.
LSN 950 was ready for racing, and in 1960 Norman Barclay entered the car at Charterhall where it raced with race number 51 and Rest And Be Thankful with race number 40. The car is believed to have also raced at Oulton Park, Aintree and others that year.
I don't have any history for the car from 1961 to 1968 and in 1969 the next known owner, modified the rear tail lights and masterfully added a boot lid, to make the car more convenient for daily transport. In 1978 the car was imported to the US, where it now resides.
Known ownership of LSN 950 is as follows:
1960 TVR/Norman Barclay
1969 Richard Jarvis
1978 Graham MacKreth
1978 Brian Classic of Knutsford
1978 Gary Billiter of Portsmouth Ohio
1980 Keith Brown, Onsted Michigan
1983 Albert Way, New Jersey
1996 Stu French Wyckoff, New Jersey
2011 Frank Mascaro, Pennsylvania
2013 Said Marouf, San Diego
LSN 950 is currently in need of restoration and offers a great opportunity to revive a unique race car from the early days of TVR. The car is complete, and the Coventry Climax motor turns freely. Additional photos can be viewed by clicking on the following link:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/8acd3o315y0j90a/AABvaAY...
Price: $29,500 obo
No affiliation...mystery solved?
1960 TVR Grantura Mk 1 lightweight, Registered in June 1960 as LSN 950, this special car left the TVR factory as just one of very few factory lightweights intended for competition. There were three types of lightweight options. 1) Lightweight chassis using thinner tubes for the chassis and all gussets drilled. 2) Lightweight body, including bonnet, using minimum fiberglass thickness and Perspex windows in doors with no winding mechanism. 3) Both option one and two, which was only supplied on rare occasions for all out racing. LSN 950 received this last lightweight option.
Phil McNeil, lead craftsman for race cars at TVR, completed this special lightweight TVR in 1959 and the car was installed with a race ready 1475cc Coventry Climax.
This is no normal Grantura, being a racing car, it seems to have been built with many unique lightweight features that are not common, giving this car a rich and interesting history. Unique options for this car, serial number 7/C/192, include wobbly web wheels, concave driver sill to accept a side exhaust, larger finned aluminum drum brakes, special rack and pinion steering rack, light alloy hubs and uprights, close ratio gearbox, a lightweight radiator and lightweight dashboard.
LSN 950 was ready for racing, and in 1960 Norman Barclay entered the car at Charterhall where it raced with race number 51 and Rest And Be Thankful with race number 40. The car is believed to have also raced at Oulton Park, Aintree and others that year.
I don't have any history for the car from 1961 to 1968 and in 1969 the next known owner, modified the rear tail lights and masterfully added a boot lid, to make the car more convenient for daily transport. In 1978 the car was imported to the US, where it now resides.
Known ownership of LSN 950 is as follows:
1960 TVR/Norman Barclay
1969 Richard Jarvis
1978 Graham MacKreth
1978 Brian Classic of Knutsford
1978 Gary Billiter of Portsmouth Ohio
1980 Keith Brown, Onsted Michigan
1983 Albert Way, New Jersey
1996 Stu French Wyckoff, New Jersey
2011 Frank Mascaro, Pennsylvania
2013 Said Marouf, San Diego
LSN 950 is currently in need of restoration and offers a great opportunity to revive a unique race car from the early days of TVR. The car is complete, and the Coventry Climax motor turns freely. Additional photos can be viewed by clicking on the following link:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/8acd3o315y0j90a/AABvaAY...
Price: $29,500 obo
Amazing! Thank you for that.
Yes that is definitely my old car. Someone has added a bit of research but it all fits in (even mentions me!). I have copies of a couple of the documents referred to.
I knew that a Climax engine had been sourced 2 years ago but it wasn't fitted at the time and the car still had the 1.5 Riley engine that I bought with the car. Not sure where the Riley engine is now but clearly the Climax is more important.
There is no doubt it is the same car, the body mods are very distinctive! (I see he has been quite kind about them!) as is the bodywork mod for the offside exhaust which was a factory mod.
There have been some changes inside with the aluminium panelling.
I am pleased to see the wheels and finned brakes are still there, rare items.
The bulge in the bonnet appears to have been reduced, compare to the Rest and Be Thankful picture
It would be great if someone could bring this back to the UK. Do you know if anyone is going for it?
Would love to see it back in use. As far as I can tell it has seen very few miles on its own wheels since I had it but has toured America on trailers!! If anyone wants info I would be very happy to help.
Yes that is definitely my old car. Someone has added a bit of research but it all fits in (even mentions me!). I have copies of a couple of the documents referred to.
I knew that a Climax engine had been sourced 2 years ago but it wasn't fitted at the time and the car still had the 1.5 Riley engine that I bought with the car. Not sure where the Riley engine is now but clearly the Climax is more important.
There is no doubt it is the same car, the body mods are very distinctive! (I see he has been quite kind about them!) as is the bodywork mod for the offside exhaust which was a factory mod.
There have been some changes inside with the aluminium panelling.
I am pleased to see the wheels and finned brakes are still there, rare items.
The bulge in the bonnet appears to have been reduced, compare to the Rest and Be Thankful picture
It would be great if someone could bring this back to the UK. Do you know if anyone is going for it?
Would love to see it back in use. As far as I can tell it has seen very few miles on its own wheels since I had it but has toured America on trailers!! If anyone wants info I would be very happy to help.
iv been told the engine was removed prior to sale by Norman Barclay back in the day
but its got a Climax in it at the moment the chap who is selling has no pink slip or title because it was not Reg for the USA roads just for racing out there
iv had a quote for shipping to my door because its a none runner at mo £2500 Pluss £1200 TAX
and trying to get more quotes
but its got a Climax in it at the moment the chap who is selling has no pink slip or title because it was not Reg for the USA roads just for racing out there
iv had a quote for shipping to my door because its a none runner at mo £2500 Pluss £1200 TAX
and trying to get more quotes
Correct, the Climax engine was removed by Norman Barclay and I bought it with a Riley 1.5, uncommissioned, he had put in for sale. He removed the Climax for his next hill climb project. The Riley engine was still in 2 years ago but a Climax had been acquired (I dont know where from). It does not appear to have had ANY road use since leaving the UK and I was not aware it had actually been on the track in America, it certainly doesnt look prepared for racing now and it wasnt with the 1.5 Riley in either.
Not sure where the tax comes from if it is still a UK registered car, not informed on that one.
That quote sound right for a single car but if you are not in a rush there are apparently firms who will hold it until they can fill a container and the costs come down considerably.
Although not road registered, can it be made a runner for loading? I do accept there might be a cost for trailering if the vendor cannot deliver to the shipping agent.
I now have a direct email address for the owner if that is of help. Happy to make an approach on the basis he did actually offer me first refusal (but I couldn't afford it on my pension!). PM me if you want us to cooperate in some way.
Not sure where the tax comes from if it is still a UK registered car, not informed on that one.
That quote sound right for a single car but if you are not in a rush there are apparently firms who will hold it until they can fill a container and the costs come down considerably.
Although not road registered, can it be made a runner for loading? I do accept there might be a cost for trailering if the vendor cannot deliver to the shipping agent.
I now have a direct email address for the owner if that is of help. Happy to make an approach on the basis he did actually offer me first refusal (but I couldn't afford it on my pension!). PM me if you want us to cooperate in some way.
Tonymg said:
iv been told the engine was removed prior to sale by Norman Barclay back in the day
but its got a Climax in it at the moment the chap who is selling has no pink slip or title because it was not Reg for the USA roads just for racing out there
iv had a quote for shipping to my door because its a none runner at mo £2500 Pluss £1200 TAX
and trying to get more quotes
Quote does not seem unreasonable. I would pay the extra and have it put in its own 20 foot container and insured.but its got a Climax in it at the moment the chap who is selling has no pink slip or title because it was not Reg for the USA roads just for racing out there
iv had a quote for shipping to my door because its a none runner at mo £2500 Pluss £1200 TAX
and trying to get more quotes
You will need to check with the DVLA and I am not the oracle on this.
But if the car has never been titled in the US you may have a problem shipping it out anyway and the DVLA might not give you a V5 for the car.
The seller in the US might have to title the car first before you pay him any money. Don't take my word but just look into it
Edited by SRT Hellcat on Thursday 27th February 08:17
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