700 Euros for a pair of rear lights. There must be a similar style unit from other cars of that era for a tiny fraction of that.
Some of the old school crafts men can do wonders with a sheet of ali! Luckily the parts I need to make only have slight curves and mostly just in one direction.

Some stunning work in that last photo, not sure about the highly polished finish.
I've seen the Cobra based one and watched the progress. As a one off its got the looks but it does look really wide. The Giordanengo body is as close as you will get for a true size and shape For me this sort of car is all about capturing the likeness of the original. The chassis is important but it shouldn't compromise the shape of the car.

It's hard to tell for me but it is probably a bit wider. I can understand not wanting to section and widen your body! Maybe a custom made parallel round tube chassis like the original car is the way to go. I suppose the power plant and rear axle choice will dictate everything.

In the uk things are getting very tight to register a customs built chassis car hence the choice of a previously registered chassis

Not much progress over the last week or so. I have sold my restored 1949 Triumph Roadster so I've been clearing the garage and making space for the 250 TR. The priority now will be to find a suitable "7" car.

Was It hard to let the triumph go?

It was a really long time in the making, nearly 4 years but it was a total rebuild from scratch. It is a fantastic car but it was the right time for someone else to enjoy it! The TR project is a one off, once in a life time find and to be honest I never thought I would ever own one.

Well that can’t be bad getting a dream car ...few of us will ever achieve that

Lucky by name for sure

Well, the Triumph Roadster has now been collected so I've the space I need ( and some cash !) to get moving on this project.
I have measured the approx. wheelbase of the body and it is as I thought, much closer to the original 250 Testarossa at around 2300mm, than that of the long wheelbase Boano, the original donor.
Following a wanted ad in my local paper I have found an extremely well built, MOT'd and SVA'd Locost 7 with Ford running gear and very low mileage. I'm going to try and do a deal this week with the seller.

Good luck with the donor and look forward to seeing the build commence.

Fantastic, best of luck on the Locost.

Sounds good to me ...let you dream begin

The deal is done with the Locost 7, one of the best examples I have seen. I'll be taking delivery in 10 days or so. I've got my eye on a set of wire wheels, hub adaptors and spinners. I'm going with the original look of skinny front and rear tyres, 165/80-15 and 185/80-15.

Great! The fun begins...

Excellent looking project!

I managed to get my hands on two sets of wire wheels yesterday. One set is "as new" which came from an Austin Healey and are 5 1/2" - 15". The second set are 6" -15" with a deeper dish and look more like the original fitment. They will need a refurb as there is some light surface corrosion and flakey paint. I'll be able to offer them up later this week as I will have the donor car in the garage all being well.

I'm undecided about the level of finish I'm going for at the moment. Part of me is saying go for the mint showroom look, on the other hand I could go with the old racing car or barn find look. At the moment I'm thinking the latter. Either way I'm going with the dark Rossa Barchetta red paint or perhaps leave in bare aluminium.

I like the barn find idea or old battered race car ?

All the hard work on your dream car, gotta go for mint.

Colour choice is spot on ....... I'd go for the nicest you can personally , as Jiggy says , its your dream car...

Maybe a subtle, no bling example like this ? Some look too overly restored, I don't want that, keep it period and simple.

Mine is Barchetta red, strange that in every photo it looks a lot brighter red than in real life

Hoped to have had my "7" car by now but the weather has put a stop to that. With any luck it will be here by next weekend.

Progress so far has included some prep to the rear end. The last of the paint and a little filler here and there has been removed and all good so far.

The front end still needs the new bonnet and scuttle making but the wings and nose are shown here as a mock up , loosely tacked together.

Two sets of wheels to choose from. I want to go with the deep dish set but it will depend on the width of the axle, adaptors etc etc.

Make those deep dish wheels work even if you have to do whatever it takes. They look so right!

It is amazing the difference some decent photos make to highlight what you have bought. :cool:

http://www.madabout-kitcars.com/foru...9&d=1520113480

http://www.madabout-kitcars.com/foru...0&d=1520113480

There are a few builders on here who have used that darker red and it does look good.

http://www.madabout-kitcars.com/foru...2&d=1519669295

Good luck, Paul. :)

They will look a whole lot better I know. Until I offer them up on the rolling chassis its hard to tell. I'm not sure how much is added when the adaptors are fitted, I've got to go and collect them. If I'm lucky they will bolt on and be a perfect fit !!

Fingers crossed!

Thanks for putting up those photo's Paul, I still can't do it !

The red car above is the look I'm after. I've decided to go with a fully finished, fully painted and trimmed as close to the original as possible. It will be void of any bling, the dark red and silver/grey wheels will look better than bright red with chrome wires you might find on some "restored" examples.

Totally agree! Dark Red with the silver/grey wheels..

The donor car is here now, only delayed thanks to the weather last week. Yes I know its far too good to mess around with but I wanted a well built example to build from.
I've offered up the wire wheels with the adaptors and luckily the wide, deep dish set I bought will fit under the TR arches and look just right !

Having a good base is the main thing. Nobody is going to miss it.

Starting with a well built base car has halfed the project time, as that will be staying the same apart from new lights and the frame to take the bodyshell I think you have gone the right way about it

Agree with all so far . Really looking to see how develops

Dave

http://www.madabout-kitcars.com/foru...0&d=1520704277

Lucky – I am also a firm believer in buying the best donor car you can and paid over the odds for my Spitfire 1500.

However, I had very little to do on my rolling chassis and by the time I’d sold the surplus parts it was a bargain.
( Which reminds me that I must get around to selling the last bits I have in boxes. :rolleyes: )

Good luck, Paul. :)

My thoughts exactly! I could have bought a cheap example, there are plenty out there, but they come with problems. This is the best example I could find.

The "7" is now stripped down with all the exterior parts removed. Not a massive job but it has taken most of the day. No surprises other than a little damage to a lower chassis rail, an easy fix.
I've had the deep dish wire wheels reconditioned and two fitted with narrow 165/80-15 tyres for the front. I want to go with 185's on the back but I need to check clearances first.
I'll have the rear body section offered up in the week so I'll be able to work out mounting points. The plan is to have the front and rear easily removable as two sections so they will be bolted onto the chassis.

Here are a couple of recent photos. First one shows the largely stripped down "7".
The second shows the rear TR body section very roughly sitting in place.
The driving position is very short just like the real thing. I might need to shorten the steering column 2 or 3 inches to make it more manageable but I'll decide that when I have the front section offered up.
The rear wheel is just mocked up but it looks like I can go to 185 section tyres as planned, this is the 165/80-15 tyre intended for the front.

Great start. Good look so far

Dave

Looking fantastic! Lots left to do.
Best!

Managed to offer up the front end tonight. The doors are simply taped into position and the wheels are just resting against the hubs.
It looks like the whole concept is going to work and my original measurements were really close.
I hope the progress will continue over the next few weeks to a point where it should all be bolted on ready for paint but I'll be taking my time to get everything right.