Engine Punk

Here's what an Allegro Equipe should look like. If you see one, take a look. They are incredibly rare.( Photo : Neal Carpenter) This is a heart warming tale. Since I posted about the Allegro Equipe restoration project that appeared on Ebay back in late 2008 (VT No.23.1), this car has been restored to full working order. I didn't think it would happen but Neal Carpenter stepped up to the plate and did the deed. "I bought it on eBay with a £800.00 starting price. I got it from a classic car journalist from Hayling Island near Portsmouth. It’s only a 3 owner car with 60k miles on the clock and good history with it. The last owner owned a garage and it was ready for the paint shop with new wings and rear quarters fitted then it stood for 15 years under cover I can only think that the owner died as I cannot find any more out. "Me and my son Ryan (11 at the time) started stripping it down we took 2 months of sat/Sundays and ended up with just the she...

I f anyone asks me about a c ar or a bike or any sort of Vintage Thing (old or new) that I don't know, I au tomatically want to know more. When Gordon Johnston got in touch about his Gilbern T11 he had my full attention. (Photo : Gordon Johnston) When I started the Vintage Thing series on Engine Punk I intended to feature only those VTs that had physically crossed my path and been subject to the old Mk1 eyeball.  But as soon as I saw photos of Gordon's car I was hooked and had to know more. Gordon's opening gambit was that he found Engine Punk interesting but couldn't see anything on Gilberns.   I have a long standing interest in Gilberns. They were famous for being made in Wales and were robust sporting coupes that could seat almost four people at a pinch. Most of the ones I came across were powered by Ford's redoubtable Essex V6 and they had simple lines that avoided many of the awkward angles from which contemporary low production cars suffered during...

Schmoking! Must be something pretty competitive to get this far up Simms on the Exeter... This year Team Robert were entered in the 2013 Exeter Trial, a problem with the propshaft had been sorted and we were all ready to go when Binky got the snots. He got the snots real bad. So did Mrs Binky. I'd had the snots about 3 weeks earlier and could certainly sympathise so when we came to confer about arrangements on the Thursday before the trial it was clear that Binky was in no fit state to get wet in Dartmoor's liquid sunshine. It was a difficult decision but I couldn't see him enjoying driving the Allard all that way and I wouldn't enjoy it if I felt he was enduring it on my behalf and suffering.  That can't be right! An X90 almost cleaning Simms? Nick and Liz Deacon from Stroud show that it is - almost - possible. Maybe next year? So we were a non starter and I went to watch at Simms instead. These guys breezed up on their heavy metal trials irons ...