mod@tech

In the next installment of “Project RAMPART” we take a deep dive into what the team went through to get our Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat to this point. We talk Direct Connection, Dodge Power Brokers, and adding more power. The team then addresses how the aftermarket parts would remain secure when the time came to unleash the Hellcat’s 710 horsepower and 650 pound-feet of torque.

Project Rampart Part 4 Trailer | Cargo Glide System, Roof Rack, and Lights

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You’ve made our day by checking in on this week’s Hemmings Auctions Roundup. Sixty new vehicle listings launched between Sunday, October 16, and Saturday, October 22, and 37 of them sold, including 12 post-auction Make Offer listings. This equates to a sell-through rate of 62 percent. You can stay on top of the latest consignments by subscribing to the daily Hemmings Auctions email newsletter.

1955 GMC 100-8

Reserve: $36,000

Selling Price: $38,850

Recent Market Range: $34,110-$49,450

“Speed-line styling with passenger car comfort” was how GMC advertised its 1955 truck lineup, and its car-like design helped win it many fans, among them the more than 12,600 people who viewed this example and put down 22 bids. The winner got a reportedly rust-free California pickup wearing an undated restoration with custom touches that was holding up nicely; the paint was called “very good,” the varnished wood bed floor complemented by custom side rails, and the interior looked tidy. The recently rebuilt, Pontiac-derived 288-cu.in. V-8 and Hydra-Matic looked and performed as they should. Two-inch spacers backed aftermarket wheels wearing 13-year-old tires. This stylish truck sold well.

1964 Porsche 356 C

Reserve: $90,000

Selling Price: $94,500

Recent Market Range: $87,150-$115,350

The folding roof of this 356 C cabriolet made it among the rarest of the final-series 356 Porsches, and it was coming out of 40-year ownership by a marque specialist mechanic, who custom-restored the car to his personal taste. Modifications from as-built included an interior color change from red to black and the fitting of a more powerful 912 flat-four engine; a period 75-hp 1600 C unit went with the car. Extensive metalwork was done with the promise of “no rust.” While evidence of errors fitting the top was noted, recent paint appeared excellent, and the undercarriage was dry. A Porsche Certificate of Authenticity was included, and this 356 sold post-auction as a Make Offer listing.

1969 Plymouth Road Runner

Reserve: $65,000

Selling Price: $105,000

Recent Market Range: $60,110-$79,550

Some might consider this 23,017-mile Road Runner hardtop the holy grail of B-body muscle Plymouths, thanks to the factory-installed 426-cu.in. “Coyote Duster” V-8 and four-speed manual gearbox under its sheetmetal. Wearing a 1980s respray of the factory Frost Green, this Hemi-powered car presented honestly with some chips and bubbles in the finish and surface rust on the trunk floor. The bucket seat/console-equipped interior looked good overall, although a loose headliner, cracked steering wheel, and malfunctioning tach were divulged. The driveline leaked but everything worked; the tires were more than 30 years old and needed replacing. Unsurprisingly, this car’s selling price exceeded its reserve.

2005 Harley-Davidson FXSTS Springer Softail

Reserve: $7,500

Selling Price: $11,813

Recent Market Range: $5,500-$10,500

Classic looks with modern performance was the brief of Harley-Davidson’s 2005 FXSTS Springer Softail, and this one showed what a winning combination that offered the Harley faithful. A mere 5,011 miles were racked up by its air-cooled, fuel-injected 88.6-cu.in. V-twin engine and five-speed transmission, and both promised trouble-free operation. The independent suspension and disc brakes were unmodified and noted to inspire confidence. This bike’s black paint was unblemished and it sported a black leather seat and factory saddlebags; a buddy seat setup was included, along with original documentation. With such a clean presentation, it was no surprise the bike easily eclipsed top value.

1962 Austin-Healey 3000 Mk II

Reserve: None

Selling Price: $36,750

Recent Market Range: $25,120-$37,350

The triple-carbureted Mk II version of Austin-Healey’s venerable 3000 left MG’s Abingdon factory in both two-seater and 2+2 forms, the latter being what this no-reserve car represented. Sporting a rare factory hard top, the BT7-series 3000 was in mixed condition, with silver paint and chrome trim the seller described as being excellent, alongside an unusual custom cloth-upholstered interior that had seen better days. A video showed the replacement straight-six engine running smoothly, and the four-speed was enhanced with overdrive. The seller suggested the car needed brakes and tires. Despite its needs, bidders found the 3000 irresistible and bid it up near the top of its value range.

1963 Chevrolet Corvette

Reserve: $120,000

Selling Price: $126,000

Recent Market Range: $115,130-$142,450

The split-window Corvette is an icon among icons, and this attractively presented ’63 was restored to a high standard. The white paint had a few chips on the nose, but otherwise appeared glossy and crisp, complementing the bright-red vinyl interior with its Bluetooth-capable radio. It’s believed the coupe’s four-barrel 327-cu.in. V-8 was factory-installed, but was restamped when it was rebuilt with high-performance components. The four-speed manual and Positraction axle were claimed original and fault-free. Also recently serviced was the suspension, which was said to operate well along with the four-wheel drum brakes. It took an impressive 24 bids to find this ’Vette a new home.

The Porsche Boxster just sped past the quarter-century mark, still making good on promises dating back to its 1997 introduction: balanced handling, wind-in-your-hair motoring, and affordability. The Boxster was also the car that traditional Porsche enthusiasts loved to hate in the late 1990s and early 2000s, but the little mid-engine two-seater stood the test of time, built a following of its own, and even spawned a popular stablemate—the Cayman coupe.

The earliest first-generation 986-series Boxsters are old enough to be considered collector cars, but average prices remain in used-car territory. Nice examples are available in the $10,000-$20,000 range while high-mileage Boxsters trade for less than $10,000.

A low-mileage Boxster S with its more powerful 3.2-liter six, particularly from the upgraded 2003-’04 model years, could be a safe bet to buy and hold—popular price guides add a $2,000-$4,000 premium for S models as of this writing. The limited-production 2004 Boxster S550 Spyder, of which 1,953 were made to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 550 Spyder race cars, is another potential keeper.

History of the Boxster

Anyone new to the cult of Porsche likely sees the company as a powerhouse, with a lineup that includes a pair of popular SUVs, a four-door sedan, an all-new electric vehicle, the 911, and the two aforementioned mid-engine sports cars. In the 1990s, however, Porsche was circling the drain in part due to a strong German Mark (trading for 1.5 U.S. dollars) but also because the automaker had been building a line of technically different sports cars: the 911, the 944-replacement 968, and the 928. These were all good vehicles, but all were expensive, particularly when compared to a fun, wildly successful sports car that had emerged from Japan—the Mazda Miata. Porsche also suffered because its production methods had grown outdated and inefficient, resulting in far fewer cars being built.

To stay solvent and competitive, Porsche determined that, alongside a modern new liquid-cooled 911, it would build a mid-engine roadster (also as a tribute to the first 356 roadster as well as the 550 and 718 race cars—all of which were midship designs). It would be priced below the 911 to appeal to a younger generation of buyers and make use of shared parts as a way to reduce production and inventory costs.

When it arrived, Porsche took flak from 911 traditionalists, who didn’t like that this entry-level, sports car bore such an unmistakable resemblance to the new 996-series 911—including the “fried-egg” headlamps, which were polarizing on both cars. But the commonalities between the two new Porsches allowed the company to turn a profit and strong sales of both new water-cooled machines helped keep the automaker afloat.

The 986-series Boxster is an important car in that it is widely recognized as one of the vehicles that helped rescue the company and has made Porsche ownership possible for enthusiasts priced out of 911s. The Boxster isn’t a consolation prize, either. Though Porsche has ensured that it never outguns the 911, its excellent road manners, good looks, and comfortable interiors can rival its legendary sibling.

If you’re in the market for a 1997-’04 first-generation Boxster, you’ll find plenty to choose from. There were several running changes made throughout the 986-series, but the 2003-’04 cars tend to be valued highest due to improvements like a glass rear window, a slight boost in horsepower for both the base car and the S, reworked front and rear bumper covers, as well as the welcomed addition of a glovebox. Low-mileage examples are out there—especially in the snowbelt where many Boxsters are stowed for the winter months—but a higher-mileage car with a detailed maintenance history can be a good deal. Here are some points to keep in mind while shopping for a Boxster to call your own.

​Engine

For 1997-’99 the Boxster was powered by a liquid-cooled, horizontally opposed, 201- hp, 2.5-liter flat six. In 2000, displacement increased to 2.7 liters and horsepower was upped to 217. The Boxster S, which made its debut in 2000, arrived with a 250-hp 3.2 liter engine. For 2003, Porsche’s Variocam variable cam timing system was added to the Boxsters’ engines and the exhaust system was revised, helping boost output to 225 hp on the base car and 258 hp on the S.

The engines used in the Boxster are the same design as the 3.4-liter/(non-turbo) 3.6-liter, flat-sixes in the 996-series 911 so, while they’re generally reliable, many of the same concerns apply. These are dual overhead cam engines and the cam chains are driven via an intermediate shaft that’s driven by the crank. This intermediate shaft runs through the block driving one set of cams at the front of the engine and the other set at the rear. This shaft spins on bearings: in the front it’s a journal bearing fed lubrication by the oil pump, but in the rear it’s a sealed ball bearing lubricated by grease that was packed in before it was installed in the engine. The problem is that the grease can seep out of the sealed bearing, the bearing can starve for lubrication, and then it fails, sending shrapnel through the engine. It’s possible too that a failed intermediate shaft bearing (IMS) can cause the cam timing to run amok, which in turn allows pistons to collide with valves. Porsche changed the design of these bearings during production of the ’97-’04 engines. The first iteration was a dual-row bearing but, in 2000, it was changed to a single-row bearing.

The earlier dual-row bearing is thicker and is said to be more reliable than the thinner single-row bearing. Plenty has been written about this and where you stand on the IMS is a matter of your risk tolerance or your knowledge of the issue. Many of these engines have their original bearings and are running fine, but no one can predict with 100-percent certainty when and if one will fail. Boxsters with a verifiable IMS replacement are a safe bet. If you buy a car with the factory bearing, you can drive it while keeping an eye on the engine oil looking for metal shavings (maybe have it professionally analyzed, too), cut the filter open after oil changes looking for metal, or have the bearing replaced.

Rear main seal leaks are another issue on 986 Boxsters and can be a recurring problem. The IMS seal on the rear of the engine is also a common leaker as are the valve cover gaskets and the spark plug tube seals. It’s important too, that the Boxster’s water pump is replaced—some sources say at four-year or 40,000-mile intervals. If the pump bearing fails, the pump’s plastic impeller can become damaged, sending bits of plastic through the engine coolant passages where they can become lodged. This can lead to overheating and, potentially, cylinder head damage.

​Transmission and Differential

The base transaxle in the 986 Boxster was a five-speed manual while the Boxster S came with a six-speed manual. The five-speed Tiptronic automatic was available across the board. Transmission problems aren’t awfully common, especially if the fluid has been changed and the car hasn’t been abused. Transaxle mount wear is common, though. The original mounts use a fluid-filled hydraulic damper that can eventually leak, which weakens the mount. Clunking sounds, hard shifting, and excessive engine rocking can be caused by failed transaxle (and also engine) mounts. Limited slip was an option on Boxsters but not via a mechanical limited-slip differential. Instead, the Boxster used its traction control or Porsche Stability Management (on 2001 and later) to keep one wheel from spinning. Constant velocity joints and half shafts drove the rear wheels; beefier units shared with the 911 were used on the Boxster S. Be sure to check the condition of the CV joint boots and ask what parts of the drive axles, if any, have been serviced or replaced.

​Chassis and Brakes

The mid-engine Boxster rides on a rigid unit-body chassis with built-in rollover protection. Independent front and rear suspension, with MacPherson struts, keeps the wheels on the pavement. The front suspension used aluminum arms and wheel carriers shared with the 911. The rear suspension of the Boxster shared its components with the car’s front suspension and added a set of longitudinal links, tying the lower control arms to the chassis. The Boxster S used stiffer rear springs, as well as thicker front and rear anti-sway bars, than the standard Boxster. Sport Suspension was an extra-cost option on the Boxster and Boxster S that delivered stiffer front and rear springs as well as thicker front and rear anti-sway bars. Beginning in 2001, Porsche Stability Management was offered as an option. When engaged, it used information derived from brake, steering, and rotational sensors to apply brakes or operate the throttle to correct excessive understeer or oversteer, as well as maintain traction in a straight line. Four-wheel disc brakes with vacuum-boosted assist were standard issue on the Boxster. Monoblock four-piston calipers developed with Brembo were used on the Boxster and the Boxster S, but the S used larger crossed-drilled rotors and bigger calipers borrowed from the 996-series 911. The calipers on the S were red from the factory while the base Boxster’s calipers were black. While shopping, you might find worn anti-sway bar bushings on cars that are regularly driven. Higher-mileage Boxsters might be in need of tie rod ends, control arm bushings or ball joints.

​Body and Interior

The 986 was built with an all-steel body and substructure that made heavy use of zinc coating to prevent corrosion. The windshield frame and rollover bars behind the seats were formed out of Boron steel for added strength. It’s unusual to find rust on a Boxster—especially since they’re often three-season cars in cold climates— but be on the lookout for signs of accident damage: mismatched paint, waves in body panels that might indicate body filler, and damaged or repaired bumper covers, for instance.

All Boxsters came equipped with a power folding top; prior to 2003 they had plastic rear windows, but a glass rear window became standard along with an updated exterior for 2003. An optional removable hardtop was also available for the 986-series Boxster.

The Boxster’s cockpit isn’t a bad place to while away the miles and it’s minimalist by modern standards. There isn’t an abundance of storage space inside the car, and the factory cup holders that pop out of the center stack on the dash aren’t very practical. The quality of interior materials suffered a little in these cars due to Porsche’s efforts to curtail costs back then. Some of the plastic pieces can feel flimsy and the seat upholstery in higher mileage cars may show excessive wear, among other things. There are kits available to repair worn seats, carpeting, etc., and many used interior trim pieces are available online.

​What to pay

Boxster

1997: Low-$7,000; Avg.-$10,000; High-$14,000

1998: Low-$7,000; Avg.-$10,000; High-$15,000

1999: Low-$7,000; Avg.-$10,000; High-$15,000

Boxster/Boxster S

2000: Low-$8,000/$9,000; Avg.-$10,000/$12,000; High-$15,000/$18,000

2001: Low-$8,000/$9,000; Avg.-$11,000/$12,000; High-$16,000/$18,000

2002: Low-$8,000/$9,000; Avg.-$11,000/$13,000; High-$16,000/$19,000

2003: Low-$8,000/$11,000; Avg.-$14,000/$18,000; High-$20,000/$25,000

2004: Low-$8,000/$11,000; Avg.-$14,000/$18,000; High-$20,000/$25,000

Parts prices

Brake rotor: $72

Brake pads (front): $80

Bumper cover (1997-’02): $590

Clutch kit: $350

Headlamp assembly: $450

IMS Bearing update kit: $190

Rear main seal: $32

Upholstery kit (leather): $1,500

Water pump: $134

For more than a quarter-century now—half my life—there have been blue cars in my driveway with my name on the title. Rarely have I sought them out, but always they have come. Now, I have come to believe that blue is the only good and right color on any car, particularly one that I’m paying my own money for.

Why blue? I should start by bemoaning the general lack of color in any new car these days. For decades now, solidly 75 percent or more of all new cars sold in America are black, white, silver, grey, or some combination thereof. There’s nothing from my childhood demanding this. Dad’s ’85 S10 Blazer was as much silver as it was blue (and I certainly don’t pine away for one today); nearly everything else my parents drove for the last 35 years was white/black/silver/grey/yawn.

Photo by Jeff Koch

My blue run started with my poor old ’70 Montego, a West Coast ex-rental two-door hardtop that was Pastel Blue (but which had turned chalky and near-enough to white) with a blue bench-seat interior. I wasn’t about to start changing out the interior, beyond bucket seats supplanting the bench or replace the dashpad with a Cyclone Spoiler pad with the gauges arranged inside, so I needed something to match my blue interior. Black? A pain to photograph. White? Not very visually arresting. And so the search was on for the best shade of blue I could find. Competition Blue, an available color, was fine, but I wanted something more modern, something with a little more razmatazz. It came in the form of a then-new Ram pickup color that had dazzled me in the L.A. sunlight, Intense Blue Pearl. It worked. I was thrilled.

Photo by Jeff Koch

When it came time for me to buy my first new car with my own money, I also felt hamstrung, but for a different reason. In 2002, the WRX was available in a whopping five paint colors: white, black, silver (none of which were moving me), a sort of cinnamon red, and WR Blue, the dare-I-say cliche Subaru color used on their world-championship rally cars. (The special limited yellow one wasn’t available at the time.) Interiors were black with a bit of blue infused into the seat cloth, which suggested blue. The red looked oddly sedate to me. The blue really popped; inside I quietly groaned at the growing cliche of a hot blue Subaru, but I’ve overcome my initial reticence and driven it 210,000 miles and climbing.

Photo by Jeff Koch

In 2007, in between baby duty and my growing photo needs at Hemmings, I bought my in-laws’ 2001 Dodge Grand Caravan. The dealer wasn’t going to give them a reasonable trade-in, so I bought it for the same money. It was grey, so I list this one with an asterisk, but the interior was blue and durable. (And uncomfortable.) One of the last not-black-or-grey new-car interiors I’d had the chance to sit in.

Photo by Jeff Koch

In 2012, having taken it over the 200,000 mile mark, I sent the Grand Caravan on its way and honed in on a vehicle bought new by a friend in the Pacific Northwest and which was now surplus to requirements–an 88,000-mile 2006 Mazda5, which plunked a van body on a Mazda3 chassis. It was even a five-speed stick, and was the closest thing I’ve ever owned to a perfect daily-driver vehicle. (Nothing another 50 horsepower couldn’t cure, anyway.) Was it Phantom Blue or Strato Blue? Hell if I know. This one I bought for what it was, and the color was entirely accidental if not displeasing.

Photo by Jeff Koch

In 2016, I had been nosing around to find myself a Nissan S-Cargo, a funky Japan-spec van built in the late ‘80s. They were all done in pastel colors like pale pink or orangey-yellow, but most of them were just white, in keeping with their inner-city delivery-van function. It was roomy, despite using the chassis and powertrain from a first-generation Nissan Sentra, and just the sort of thing I wanted for my side hustle of selling Japanese diecast cars. My thought was, why not have a Japanese car—a real JDM-spec oddball—that looked like a toy? I wouldn’t even need to paint a business name on the side. I was pointed toward someone on the East Coast who had four or five of them available; the one I ended up with was chosen for me and, wouldn’t you know it, it was blue. Never regretted it for a second. The white-painted dash was a glare-full nightmare, however.

At the end of 2017 the Mazda had north of 200,000 miles on its odometer, and although it was perfect for me and my needs, Mazda no longer made a 5, and I was (shall we say) encouraged to get something new. NEW new, no used cars. In the Venn diagram of budget and space and the ability to haul either people or stuff, or sometimes both, Dodge’s Grand Caravan was square in my sights. Which leads to the inevitable question: color. Seven choices were on the paint chart that year; Bright White, Brilliant Black Pearl, Billet Metallic, and Granite Crystal Metallic were all out. That left Velvet Red Pearl, Jazz Blue Pearl, and Midnight Blue Pearl, which was described as “Contusion Blue” (its name when applied to the Challenger) on the dealer website. I might have gone red, except the mother-in-law’s last two or three Mopar vans were this same color, and there’s no way I’m getting my crate confused with hers. That left two blues, and because I want nothing to do with jazz in any form, even in name on my van, Midnight Blue Pearl won the day.

Photo by Jeff Koch

Others in the fleet have been other colors. My bought-new ’92 Nissan NX2000 was white for the laziest of reasons—I was pressed for time, Freehold Nissan in New Jersey only had two, both were white, and one had the five-speed. (Black and red were the only other colors that year; a pretty blue hue came into the paint chart for 1993…alas.) My wife’s Fiesta ST is Molten Orange, but only because she couldn’t find an ST in that funky lime green when we were shopping. The dark blue they offered, like the one I wrote about for Hemmings Muscle Machines all those years ago, was a little too dark for my liking. Our ’31 Model A coupe is Earl Scheib green, and has been since before it entered my wife’s family in 1969; it’s unlikely that it will change. My ’64 Dart convertible was bright red from the factory, which suited its optimistic post-war nature. My R32-generation Nissan Skyline GT-R is … well, I looked for a blue one but they’re exceedingly rare, and the NISMO version I lucked into were all painted grey from the factory. As it’s tripled in value in the time I’ve owned it, I’m not about to spray it–hell, I’m scared to drive it. But its sibling, wearing its best-known racing livery, and twice Group A touring-car world champion during the GT-R’s unprecedented and undefeated run at the track? Sponsored by Calsonic, whose white letters and wheels look dynamite when contrasted on a field of … well, you can guess the rest.

After swapping a Chevelle’s factory front discs with aftermarket spindles and 12-inch rotors derived from an early ’90s Camaro with the 1LE option, we benefitted from improved handling and shortened stopping distances. But we felt we were still leaving something on the table, and not taking full advantage of the increased rotor diameter.

The aftermarket spindles retained the Chevelle’s original cast-iron D52 brake calipers, which are adequate in most situations and have been deployed in countless GM applications since 1969. To their credit, they are rock-solid reliable, and in the unlikely event of failure, are an inexpensive, easy-to-replace, parts-store item. But optimum performance has never been the goal of any OEM design, especially when the bean counters get involved. Our goal now was to further improve the Chevelle’s brake performance.

A bit of online research turned up Wilwood’s two-piston, billet aluminum, bolt-on D52 replacements. There are several benefits to consider with the Wilwoods, not the least of which is more evenly distributed brake pad clamping for improved stopping power. They are compatible with original rotors and brake pads, offer a more rigid design to reduce caliper flex, are significantly lighter (reducing unsprung weight), and will clear most 15-inch wheels — and even 14-inchers in some cases. Generally, if the wheels fit the OE D52 caliper, they will clear the Wilwoods, too.

We placed our order with Summit Racing, which offered budget-friendly pricing and free, immediate shipping that had the parts on the doorstep in two days. We also ordered the appropriate braided stainless flex line kit that allowed us to mate the calipers to the factory hard lines to complete the installation.

The project only took two hours from start to finish, and after following the appropriate pad-bedding procedure, we did some parking lot testing. Granted, our stops were conducted from only 30 mph, but the improvement was significant, nevertheless. We repeatedly measured an approximate 10-12 feet shorter distance after six attempts, plus noted a firmer pedal and improved modulation before lockup.

So far, there’s been only one problem with the brake swap: The improvements have us considering converting the rear drums to discs now as well. But that’s another story for another time.

Upgrade for GM Calipers

Upgrade for GM Calipers

Upgrade for GM Calipers

Upgrade for GM Calipers

Upgrade for GM Calipers

Upgrade for GM Calipers

Upgrade for GM Calipers

Upgrade for GM Calipers

SOURCES

Summit Racing • 800-230-3030 • summitracing.com

Wilwood Engineering • 805-388-1188 • wilwood.com

I’m not saying every listing for a car needs to show it catching air under full throttle, but if you’ve got it, flaunt it, and this 1969 Brabham BT30 Formula 2 car listed for sale on Hemmings.com sure seems to have it. In this case, “it” includes a near-comprehensive history of the car and every race it competed in when new and in its more recent vintage racing career, extensive servicing and certifications to keep it reliably on the track, and a full complement of spares – including another BT30 chassis – to encourage the new owner to go ahead and top that next rise at full throttle without hesitation. From the seller’s description:

This example is chassis #3 of 26 BT30s constructed for the 1969 and 1970 racing seasons. Delivered new to Peter Westbury, the racing history for 1969 includes numerous entries including Westbury driving this very car in the 1969 German Grand Prix – Deutschland Trophae. BT30/3 is documented with a copy of the 1969 F2 register listing Peter Westbury in the drivers table of contents and further listing each of the many races from the 1969 season, beginning with the inaugural race April 7, 1969, at Thruxton. Subsequent races continue in the listing through the full 1969 European F2 season.

In these listings. Westbury shares the starting grid at Monza, Hockenheim, and Zolder going shoulder to shoulder in this car against legendary drivers Jackie Stewart, Graham Hill, Derek Bell, and Jochen Rindt to name just a few. Westbury would achieve a First-Place finish at Neubiberg driving this car in October 1969 in addition to his Grand Prix start in this car at the 1969 German Grand Prix. As a highly regarded driver, during his career Westbury held two British Hillclimb Championship titles, became a highly successful Formula 3 racer, and gave future sports car great Derek Bell his break in international motorsports.

After Westbury’s ownership, BT30/3 was sold to John Wingfield who used the car in Formula Libre and selected F2 events for 1970 and 1971. The next owner was Jim Charnock (Liverpool, UK) who raced it extensively in Formula Libre, completing the end of the 1975 season. Races and ownership history from 1975-1984 have yet to be uncovered, but in 1984 the car was advertised for sale by Brian Classic. In 1985 the car was sold to Chris Mann (UK) and then sold through Frank Snyder to Ray Delaney (Melbourne, Australia) in 1987. Delaney would go on to race the car for the next six years in east coast Australian historic events including races at Calder Raceway (Victoria), Sandown Park (Victoria), Oran Park (New South Wales), Amaroo Park (New South Wales), Winton Raceway (Victoria), and participate in support races at the Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide, South Australia in 1988 and 1989. Dick James purchased the car in 1993, followed by Mike Carmody in 2003 who then sold it to the current owner, a highly regarded North American-based vintage race car enthusiast and collector, in 2005. The current owner restored the car to a very high standard from 2005-2006, returning it to the original Westbury livery as shown today.

Supported by logbooks dating back to 1987 and service invoices including copious restoration invoices dating back to 2005, the past 17 years of ownership have been devoted to preparing the car for historic events and maintaining the highest level of both mechanical and cosmetic preparation possible for a car of both historic and performance merit. Over a hundred individual detailed invoices outlining itemized expenses and mechanical services performed by race car experts at J&L Fabrication, Puyallup, WA who are highly regarded in the industry for building fast cars, bolstered by a top-tier team of professionals specifically skilled at prepping race cars. The invoices convey the level of detail the owner and the professional race-prep team at J&L Fabrication have lavished on this historically important BT30. The owner estimates that the engine and gearbox currently installed in the car have approximately four hours of run time.

Recently invoiced J&L Fabrication mechanical preparation from 2021 and 2020 include servicing the manual fire bottle, new battery, repair and re-install the exhaust header, and check/top fluid levels. Further recent work on the car includes services in 2018 when a fresh set of front and rear Avon tires were installed, Indy gears installed, and a lifeline zero 1.5kg fire system was installed. Also at this time, a complete nut and bolt for suspension and brakes was performed, transmission, and motor mounts were installed, brake and clutch lines flushed, fuel drained and filled, and complete race prep performed. In late 2016 and 2017 the engine and gearbox were removed, the engine refurbished with new gaskets, cleaning, repairing threads, servicing the cooling system, and dyno testing the chassis. Additional work included mirror polishing the header and tail pipes, fitting new seat belts, installing and aligning the clutch, and installing hydraulic lines. In 2011 the suspension and brakes were rebuilt including steering, calipers, control arms, new brake and suspension hardware installed, and a new oil tank was fabricated. Records from the restoration performed in 2005 alone total $169,000.00 including the freshly prepared Harris FVA engine installed that year. The chassis for this BT30 is certified with an Original FIA Genuine (USA6091) historic sticker adhered to the chassis tube. A copy of the FIA Historic Technical Pass issued July 18, 2006, is also included with the car, bearing the number USA5041, which matches the historic sticker adhered to the chassis tube of the accompanying spare chassis.

Today this BT30 presents with excellent cosmetics and proper mechanical preparation consistent with regular care devoted to the car over the current 17 years of ownership. The quality of the paint is excellent with smooth coverage on the various removable body sections and excellent graphics accurately representing the original livery from the first competitive racing season in 1969. The dramatic low stance, staggered width Avon tires and magnesium wheels, the beautifully polished exposed suspension and mechanical features contribute to the dynamic visual presentation and reveal the light construction inherent in the purposeful engineering.

The cockpit is efficient and very well laid out with excellent instrumentation, nicely polished features, and a decorated roll bar featuring recent vintage race event participation stickers affixed to the bar. A Willans racing harness, polished gear shift handle, and BT30/3 chassis plate mounted to the dash cowl are a few of the notable features in the cockpit. Visual inspection of the various suspension components, Girling hydraulic brakes and Hewland gearbox show that ample attention has been afforded to this car to maintain excellent cosmetic appearance, including beautifully polished hardware and suspension components, polished half-shafts, handmade headers, top-of-the-line hardware, fasteners, and hydraulic lines. Removing the rear engine body work reveals a purposefully detailed Ford Cosworth FVA dry sump engine outfitted with Lucas mechanical fuel-injection and Hewland FT200-283 cam-and-pawl transaxle all of which have been prepared with distinct artistry and mechanical sincerity befitting the original construction. According to the owner, the engine and gearbox currently in the car have approximately four hours of run time. One of three engines specifically built for this car, this FVA Jason Harris engine was purchased from Vegher and rebuilt by VDS. The engine was fitted with a new Richardson head and parts and dyno tested returning 228hp@9700/129trq@8000. As noted below, two other engines are included with the car, all of which are supported by detailed documentation for the build, dyno sheets, and specifications for each of the three engines.

The car is accompanied by copious documentation covering the 2005-2006 restoration, regular service invoices for track preparation, logbooks, FIA paperwork, and a copy of the 1969 F2 register with Peter Westbury named in the drivers table of contents and listing the documented races from the 1969 season. The following mechanical spares are included with the car. -A spare set of four Brabham stamped magnesium wheels and tires -Two spare engines of similar configuration #231006 and #FVA02017 -BT30 frame with the matching FIA passport #USA5041 affixed to the frame -A fiberglass tooling mold for the nose cone and nose cone part -The spare aero wing and support struts wrapped in protective material -Spare seat (possibly the original unit to the car) -Misc. trackside spares in a storage box

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119 Years and Counting for Family-owned Veteran Car Run Entrant

In 1903, Sir George White, a Bristol-based businessman and future founder of England’s Bristol Aeroplane Company, purchased a new Panhard-Levassor for his son Stanley White. Now, Stanley’s grandson, also named George White, is ready to bring the same Panhard-Levassor to this year’s London to Brighton Veteran Car Run. Given to Stanley for his 21st birthday, the 2.4-litre four-cylinder car was a four-seater tonneau by Labourdette. Registered as AE10, it was originally painted white with red detailing, only to be changed to a dark green and black exterior when it was brought home from Paris to England.

“That was the last time it was painted—1904.” Said George who inherited the car from his grandfather in 1964 and kept it in the same condition.

Other changes Stanley made to the car include a plate glass windshield and a lightweight racing body.

George White and his son Phillip will bring the family-owned 1903 Panhard-Levassor to this year’s London to Brighton Run.Photo via London to Brighton Veteran Car Run

George figures that this year will be the 20th year the car takes part in the London to Brighton run, with its first entry being in the 1950s with Alec Croydon, head of Bristol Aeroplane’s engine division entering the car.

George said the prior 10 entries which he was a part of were met with minimal issues. “Somebody said to me once, that the fun of the Run is that you know you’re going to break down, but you don’t know where or when. I think that’s true,” he admits. “The extraordinary thing about the Panhard is that if we prepare it properly, and if everything goes as you hope it’s going to go, you just drive to Brighton. It’s actually really rather disappointing if you haven’t had a real battle to get there.”

The Panhard-Levassor will make the run from Hyde Park in London to Brighton this November 6. For more about the event and AE 10, visit veterancarrun.com.

Photo courtesy Jaguar Land Rover Classic

C-Type “70-Edition” Revealed

Jaguar Classic announced it will make two C-Type cars that give a wink to the car’s achievements in 1953, when Jaguars dominated the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Finishing first, second, fourth, and ninth, the C-Types were the first cars to win the race at an average speed of more than 100mph. The two new “70-Edition” cars will both be built for a limited run at Jaguar’s Classic Works facility in Coventry, England.

Matthew Bailey, Senior Manager for Strategy and Business Development, Jaguar Land Rover Classic, said: “Each C-type Continuation is a rare and special vehicle to grace any collection, but we are delighted to reveal these two exquisite editions to commemorate a landmark year for Jaguar and motorsport. In 1953, the introduction of the disc brake combined with C-type’s clever design and engineering, meant that the vehicle was dominant at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The C-type is a historically significant car with Jaguar pioneering disc-brake technology seventy years ago, and we often take for granted the fact that the disc-brake remains the industry standard.”

Mimicking the 1953 Works C-Types, both will be powered by a 3.4-litre straight six with triple Weber carbs. Outside will include a one-off Verbier Silver with Cranberry Red leather interior as well as British Racing Green livery with a suede green leather interior. Each will include handcrafted badging, stitching, embroidery, and painted roundels adorned with the number 70. Production is underway with an estimated 3,000 hours of specialized construction devoted to each car.

For more details and information about Jaguar Classic, visit jaguar.com/classic.