Ou do love the 'seriously slammed' look don't you ;-)

:pound: Sorry about the "Bling" rims, they are left over from my B*ntl*y replica and were the only wheels I had at home to mock up with. The Ford Pop chassis will be here later this week so I can do a more "period" mock up.

Dimensions for the shell, as is, are 59" wide at wheel arches (both ends), 12' 4" long, and about 24" high at the ride height shown!

Having now had time to study the lines of the shell I am thinking that, with some clever mould making, it will be possible to offer the shell in various length/wheelbase options, from 83-84" up to 99-100". This will allow fitment to multiple base cars without the need for modifications after the shell comes out of the mould.

http://i1046.photobucket.com/albums/...ps072beab6.jpg

Thanks Nick. Oh and thanks again regarding matrimony. I had to look back myself to remind me when I started - October 2010 apparently. That is essentially why the website exists - to remind myself.

Funnily enough, I read every page on your build thread last night and reached the same conclusion - fascinating. :first:

Hi Tim

Great Blog, you must be almost ready for some Spring driving.

Quite a delicate shape. The cockpit is quite, er compact!

Thanks - plan is to make an appearance at Stoneleigh and then a first race at Snetterton later in May.

The cockpit is untrimmed on my shell, so yes it looks a little "compact".

You can see on this body how it has been trimmed and a return added to the edge.

http://i1046.photobucket.com/albums/...e/IMG_2082.jpg

There seems to be enough room for "The King" in these pictures :usa:

http://i1046.photobucket.com/albums/...visinwater.jpg

Pop chassis being delivered tomorrow Nick, complete with original plywood floor panels, lovely old seats, and 1 and a 1/4" copper exhaust pipe (I kid you not!) :dizzy:

Are yu doing a copy of the above? Is it in one of his films? Must be some more footage.

Elvis / "Pop" Chassis! <snigger>

A bit more info ...an American was researching the history of the Cobra that Presley drove in the film 'Speedway' from which this still was taken. The Mistral stood in for this shot:

'The body design, penned by Bill Ashton, started out as a product of Microplas, a company formed to build fiberglass bodies for Austin Sevens in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire. The Mistral was Microplas’s second body design, released in 1955 and intended for the Ford Ten. At various points in time, Buckler, Fairthorpe and TVR all used the Mistral body on their chassis, as did Bob Blackburn down in Christchurch, New Zealand, who intended to go into full production with a Graeme Dennison-designed chassis, but couldn’t source enough Ford Prefect parts and so sold the body and chassis as a kit.

In 1956, Californian Bud Goodwin licensed the body from Microplas and sold it in the United States through his company Sports Car Engineering. (Geoff believes there may have been an East Coast company that licensed the body design as well.) Goodwin, who later went on to start Fiberfab, only sold the Mistral for a couple of years before selling Sports Car Engineering to a company called Du Crest Fiberglass.

Who mounted a Mistral body to an Austin-Healey chassis and raced it in the early 1960's so far remains a mystery.

The stunt double car – not the hero car – is on display at the Hollywood Casino in Tunica, Mississippi'

The above info from 'Hemmings Daily' blog.

(Beginning to appreciate that the Watford/Rickmansworth/Chalfont area was something of a mecca for fibre glass cars builders in the 50's and 60's..)

Thank you for that potted history Nike.

Pop chassis was delivered today, so we chucked the Mistral body on to check width, not one of our best car builds!

http://i1046.photobucket.com/albums/...e/IMG_2125.jpg

http://i1046.photobucket.com/albums/...e/IMG_2124.jpg

Feel the power!!! :laugh:

http://i1046.photobucket.com/albums/...e/IMG_2127.jpg

The plan is to mould the shell and offer it a as a "budget" body with flip front that the builder can bond to the chassis of their choice.

I would build the one in the film, i like the skinny wheels... do you use them?
Excellent work Trib, on all your projects.

Bugger me i saw this on ebay and thought to myself "that'd be great on a modern shell if it wasnt so rare"

Im so glad its you thats bought it, i'd bloody love one of those.

I sound like a record on repeat but if you could hard top one of those somewhere down the line i'd mortgage my soul to buy one.

You never fail to amaze!

Try as I might, I can't identify the chassis in the background.....:smow:

Hardly surprising really, it's 1953 Chevy pick up chassis with 1999 Jag XJR axles and E Type wheels!! :usa2:

Did you spot that the Pop chassis has cable brakes! :icon_eek:

I stand in your shadow!:pout:

Brakes! Suppose they will be easy to bleed!
I suppose you have it finished by now...does it run? (Does it turn over?)

I like it, if it would fit a cut down MX5 it would be ideal, close to my dream car

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y20...oney/BODRC.jpg