Tag Archives: Convertible

Today’s post features an on going restoration by Wayne who you may remember restored the Terraplane Six Cab Pickup Express that I featured a couple of weeks ago.

Wayne tracked this never wrecked or rusted car, built in 1934 with just 50,000 miles on the clock, for 25 years before he got the opportunity to purchase it two years ago. A new reproduction wiring harness is being installed with a 12 volt alternator built inside a generator case to keep the stock look so that Wayne can both see the road and be visible when using his pride and joy on the road as intended, he has no plans to turn this car into a trailer queen or a supercharged hemi powered hot rod.

The car is fitted with an original recently refurbished 80 hp 3474 cc / 212 cui flat head six cylinder motor and original smooth oil filled original cork clutch and transmission. Wayne has purchased low back axle gear ratio’s manufactured by The Railton Owners Club in the UK for more comfortable touring.

Since acquiring the car Wayne has taken it apart, and fitted factory optional 16 inch wheels with black wall tyres, and has plans to fit a new correct black fabric hood and replace the heavy duty vinyl seat upholstery with leather using the correct stitching patterns.

When Wayne bought the car it had red pinstripes which have all been removed and replaced by wheat ones ones laid by an old school friend known professionally as “Old Bob Sign”.

The ’34 Special K sits on a chassis with a 112″ wheel base, weighs 2590 lbs, with a no cost option independent ‘Axle-Flex’ suspension, cost US$ 695 when new. This is one of just 20,000 ’34 Special K Terraplanes, all bodies, built and one of less than 10 original Detroit built ’34 Special K Convertibles known to still exist.

As can be seen from the faces of Wayne’s lady Sandra on the left and her friend Mary Barbra after their first ever ride sitting in the dickie / rumble seat, this is one fun automobile even when only taken for a quick spin around the ranch. Here is wishing Wayne many happy hours motoring and keeping the Robert Johnson’s Terraplane Blues at bay.

My thanks to Wayne Graefen for his photo’s and sharing the story of this rare remarkable survivor.

Thanks for joining me on this ‘Hot Diggity Dog’ edition of ‘Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres’, I hope you’ll join me for Ferrari Friday tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

3 Graces – Ford Zephyr MK2

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In 1954 Colin Neale lead a team that styled the Ford Consul, Zephyr and Zodiac Mk2 that all shared the same body, by the end of the year prototype cars were being tested across Europe and in 1955 further prototypes were being tested against the back drop of the Mau Mau uprising in Kenya.

In February 1956 the ‘3 Graces’, as the models became unofficially known, were launched on the market the Consul with a 4 cylinder 1703 cc / 104 cui motor and the Zephyr and Zodiac with 6 cylinder 2553 cc / 156 cui motors.

Versions of the ‘3 Graces’ can be seen above, 410VRE is a 1958 Zephyr Farnham, a model which was selected by five police forces to became Britain’s first Motorway Patrol Cars in 1959. The Convertible 527FGY is a ’62 Consul, less than 30 ‘3 Grace’ Convertibles are thought to exist because the soft top conversion took so much strength out of the unitary chassis. 707JDV following the Consul is a 1961 top of the range Zodiac Farnham estate / station wagon.

The 1959 Zephyr Mk2 is seen above at Mallory Park being prepared by Ian Kellet Racing for Barrie ‘Whizzo’ Williams, seen standing to the right of the photo above, to drive in last year Goodwood Revival meeting.

Between 1956 and 1962 294,506 3 Grace models were built alongside 6,911 Convertibles. Some of all three variants were built in Fords Geelong factory south of Melbourne.

Thanks for joining me on this 3 Graces edition of ‘Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres’ I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

‘It should be a convertible !’ – Bristol 407 Viotti Convertible

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Among the many tales in Bristol Cars folklore several are connected with the actor Peter Sellers who one day after filming at Shepperton Studio’s approached Tony Crook, Bristol Cars sole retailer, with a Buick asking if some improvements could be made to the handling, when Tony replied that he couldn’t do much with the Buick Peter said ‘Well I’m going to leave it here.’

Eventually Peter Sellers bought a Bristol 407 coupé but he soon returned to Tony with it saying ‘It should be a convertible !’. Tony went to some lengths to explain that Bristol Cars did not make any convertibles, though in fact he was preparing one with coach work by Viotti for his daughter Carol.

Legend has it that Carol Crook was part of the London ‘in’ crowd and counted among her friends Britt Ekland, who posed with the Viotti 407 at Earls Court. Peter some how found out about this car and persuaded Tony to let him become the Viotti 407’s first owner.

Tony Crook says that Peter, notorious for regularly acquiring new cars and leaving them with Tony who had two mechanics and a service bay dedicated to maintaining Sellers cars, ‘drove it a bit – not an awful lot – and then we sold him other cars and we took the Viotti back’. All of this appears to have occurred before Peter Sellers had met the model who posed with the Viotti 407 at Earls Court his future wife Britt Ekland.

The unique Viotti 407 was very much a prototype, the suspension had not been modified to cope with the extra weight of the all steel body, the 88 other 407’s had lighter aluminium bodies, when Peter Sellers had the car, however when Tony Crook got it back the suspension and brakes were upgraded to later Bristol 410 specification, and his daughter Carol owned it for many years when it was seen with the registration number ‘AC 1’.

From what I can work out Tony Vaughan, seen in the Viotti 407 here at last weeks Bristol Owners Club Concours held at Greenwich, is the fourth owner of this car.

The one off styling exercise Viotti 407 appears to have strongly influenced future Bristol designs from the 408, 409, 410 and the early series 411.

Thanks for joining me on this Viotti edition of ‘Gettin’ a lil’ psycho on tyres’, I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

My Word Is My Bond – Ferrari 250 GT Boano Convertible

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Today’s uniquely bodied Ferrari images come straight from the Carmel By The Sea Concours on the Avenue which was held on Tuesday courtesy of GALPOTS regular contributor Geoffrey Horton.

In 1955 a New Yorker Robert Lee set off on a Safari stopping over in Rome for a week on the outward journey. While in Italy Mr Lee went to Modena and visited Enzo Ferrari who suggested that if Mr Lee should ever want to buy a Ferrari he should buy one direct from the factory in Italy.

Mr Lee responded that he did not think a Ferrari would be up to running on the streets of New York, to which Enzo replied “If you buy a Ferrari, I guarantee it will run in New York City”.

In 1956 Mr Lee saw this 250 GT Convertible on the Ferrari stand at the New York Auto Show, when Mr Lee enquired about the possibility of purchasing it he was informed by Luigi Chinetti, Ferrari’s New York representative, that the car was not for sale and would be returned to Modena after the show.

Mr Lee then sent Enzo a Telegram reminding him of their meeting and offering $ 9,500 dollars, all he had, for the Convertible.

Soon after on the instructions of Mr Ferrari, Mr Chinetti asked Mr Lee to bring him a cashiers cheque for $9,500 and the worlds only 250 GT Boano Convertible, which is alleged to have cost $20,000 to build, would be his.

55 years and two restorations later this unique car still belongs to Mr Lee, possibly making it the worlds oldest Ferrari in continuous original ownership.

My thanks again to Geoffrey Horton, seen above with his sister Vanessa and XK140, for today’s photographs, I hope you will join me in congratulating Geoffrey on winning second place at the Carmel By The Sea Councours on The Avenue.

Hope you have enjoyed this Boano Convertible edition of ‘Gettin’ a lil’ psycho on tyres’ and that you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at a large Bristol. Don’t forget to come back now !

Gettin' A Li'l Psycho On Tyres

Art Tidesco blogs on all things motoring

Tag Archives: Convertible

Power & Roadholding – Bond Equipe 2 Litre Convertible

Hot Diggity Dog, Terraplane K Special Convertible

3 Graces – Ford Zephyr MK2

‘It should be a convertible !’ – Bristol 407 Viotti Convertible

My Word Is My Bond – Ferrari 250 GT Boano Convertible