Would love to say "yes please" to that but I've got a Daytona bodykit to sort out first and its a long term project. I just wish I had unlimited space and funds to do all the builds I want. The AF is such a good looking car though, it deserves to make a come back.

John

Know how you feel but pennies are tight.
Got to sort out the Sammio Spyder moulds first, followed by the A1 Alpha moulds, then may-be the AF Sports :eusa_liar:

Still waiting for the Pilot/Spyder moulds to be dispatched from the old Ribble HQ so in the mean time the A1 Alpha has been moved forward.

Last week I delivered a Spitfire to Chris and Dan @ Tribute Automotive to be used as a dummy for the A1 Alpha.

To my surprize they email me today with a whole bunch of photos.

I wanted it to be built in the same way as there A352 for several reasons
1, it's a quick simple build
2, it uses most of the cars original body work so less effort required by the builder.
3, as the new body is placed over the top of the original body/floor pan so every thing should line up better.
4, all the original seats, wiring, clocks ect are left undisturbed and all fit as they should.
5, at no time during the build is the car disabled, so it can be driven in and out of the garage while it's being built.

Here's a few photos

The original Spitfire ( keep your eye off the "D" type in the back ground it's mine)
http://i1329.photobucket.com/albums/...ps92661522.jpg
The cut down body
http://i1329.photobucket.com/albums/...psfdfa63b9.jpg

Where the cuts where made
http://i1329.photobucket.com/albums/...ps715b85e9.jpg
http://i1329.photobucket.com/albums/...ps7209d418.jpg
The body in place
http://i1329.photobucket.com/albums/...ps2018b301.jpg
Where it fits
http://i1329.photobucket.com/albums/...ps68e381a3.jpg
http://i1329.photobucket.com/albums/...ps0d796830.jpg
http://i1329.photobucket.com/albums/...ps207ac6fc.jpg

Not a bad fit at all :nod:
Looks pretty good in my opinion.

http://i1329.photobucket.com/albums/...ps062676e1.jpg
http://i1329.photobucket.com/albums/...ps75dd54aa.jpg

This is what Chris had to say about it.


First batch of pics attached. The A1 looks the dogs doodahs on the
spitfire!! The front edge of the bonnet opening will need enlarging to
access rad and raising to clear six pot, but everything else fits a
treat. Have moved the petrol tank down and back to get the rear end
down. The seating position vs the side depth of body means you are sat
right down inside, not sat on top like the Sammio's. I almost want one
myself, but maybe on a Reliant SS1, with a bigger engine.....

Regards Chris.

Note it's built to run with 14" wire wheels running 175/70/14" tyres right from the start so no nasty surprizes later.

All-in-all we think it's coming along nicely :flame: :flame:

Mike – I’ve always liked the Tribute A352 build approach. :cool:
So I think the Alpha A1 will make a great addition to your Sammio range.
I am convinced that the “easier” the build, the wider the potential market will be.
Good luck, Paul. :)

Looking very nice!
I have to ask what that Red/Purple kit in the background is? As i notice that the bulkhead is already bonded in place! Is that an A352 body with a Sammio bonnet?

Dave the Red body in the background is the original Navigator MKII Buck, although after speaking to Mike I think it must have been stored on its corner as its twisted like a pretzel :-(

Mac

It's been a while but I finally spent some time (well several days) with Chris and Dan at TRIBUTE HQ working on the A1 Alpha.

It the past the body was stretched and widened to fit the Spitfire chassis so It was just a case of continuing the work already started.
http://i1329.photobucket.com/albums/...psidsxuv9k.jpg

You will notice the rear baulk head is tall and round this is to make the seating position look lower and give room for the fuel tank which has been mover forward in front of the rear axle. It actually bolts on to the original rear cockpit frame.

http://i1329.photobucket.com/albums/...ps4nemxnlm.jpg

There are some wheel arch issues but we'll sort then later. This one is how I would like them all to look
http://i1329.photobucket.com/albums/...pshk3wctus.jpg

The rear end fits well and it makes sense to make a boot. The boot lid is an original MGA lid found by Chris.
http://i1329.photobucket.com/albums/...ps497l0hcv.jpg
The boot is now bigger than the original Spitfire boot.
http://i1329.photobucket.com/albums/...psypwnj7wf.jpg

We wanted to make the fitting of the body as easy as possible so used the front sills and original bonnet shut line as a reference points.
http://i1329.photobucket.com/albums/...psqq0igur4.jpg
http://i1329.photobucket.com/albums/...psjxxgt8te.jpg
http://i1329.photobucket.com/albums/...psw6mha7rj.jpg
The finished mould will have a flange designed to sit over and butt-up against these points thus making the task of lining-up the body easier.

There was always going to be a flip front but Chris decided to make it a little rounder
.http://i1329.photobucket.com/albums/...psdwx2m6w1.jpg
http://i1329.photobucket.com/albums/...psqq0igur4.jpg
http://i1329.photobucket.com/albums/...pskgezavxo.jpg
http://i1329.photobucket.com/albums/...ps6ohutg5y.jpg
We think the curves make it look a softer fit.

After much work we rested :tea:

At some point after this thing went a crazy :scared:
I think it was to much posh chocolate, but the resulting changes really worked. :scared:
I'll post the photos tomorrow :attention:

Great work everyone. :cool:

I firmly believe that designing the kit to fit over a cut down down body shell is a great idea.

If the donor car was a runner, it could remain one throughout and that is one less thing to worry about.

I'm looking forward to seeing what this ends up looking like.

Good luck, Paul. :)

Keeping the donor running and driving is one of the "magic" things with this build :dance:
Apart from the obvious things like the bonnet doors etc., the only "technical" thing the builder needs to do is disconnect the front and rear lights, even the fuel tank can be moved with-out disturbing the pipes. :laugh:
If every thing goes right it should be possible to drive the donor into the your garage at 8 am on a Saturday morning and drive out an Alpha at 4pm Sunday afternoon. :icon_rolleyes:

I feel a time lapse video coming on :icon_wink:

Looking good :thumb:

I like it very much!

What is the size of the wheels at the foto,s?They fit very nice.
Was the Spit lowered?

Keep on posting these nice pictures.

Rob

The wheels are 14" with 14x185 tyres.
Spitfire is not lowered the bigger wheels fill the arch nicely :icon_biggrin:

So here,s what happened!!

The old SAMMIO Spyder front was removed to help fit the recessed light buckets
http://i1329.photobucket.com/albums/...ps22fbb23f.jpg

And it never got put back on.
http://i1329.photobucket.com/albums/...ps5p45im4d.jpg
http://i1329.photobucket.com/albums/...pssmnzfqmk.jpg
http://i1329.photobucket.com/albums/...psvs7lkjkx.jpg

We think it's the right move :icon_wink:

I think it looks stunning :love:
Put any badge on the front of that bonnet from a BMW to a LANCIA and it will look like it belongs. But with the new SAMMIO badge. :roll:

The wings will need a little shaping to accommodate the lighting buckets but apart from that what you see will be what you get the all new A1 ALPHA :horn::bounce::nod:

With time, effort and a little luck this beauty will be ready the end of July for you all to see, try and buy :first::first:

As I keep saying watch this space :pop2:

Micky1Mo - It is great to see the new design evolving so quickly. :cool:

Good luck, Paul. :)

I knew that grille opening reminded me of something else. :cool:

http://wallpapers111.com/wp-content/...llpapers-9.jpg

That front end is starting to look really great now. I like the way you decided to keep the clam bonnet as well!!

I was down with Chris today and had a look round the work in progress.

The original car was a pretty little thing.

The new car has a much more purposeful look about it, the proportions are spot on.
I like it a lot.

Im sure it will win lots of admirers and create some new owners.

Are you tempted, Mickey?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Kouga-Monz...item2ee367f65f

Sorry to say I have no "spare" pennies.
Nice kit and it looks a bit like the G-46 from the front :eusa_think:

Spent more time with Chris and Dan at Tribute HQ.
This is the results (sorry about the two "groupie's" in the back ground)
http://i1329.photobucket.com/albums/...psncxgiqp0.jpg

http://i1329.photobucket.com/albums/...psyfpyr7bt.jpg

http://i1329.photobucket.com/albums/...ps0xdvtn10.jpg

http://i1329.photobucket.com/albums/...psj30n6jze.jpg

It's all coming along nicely :dance:

The whole thing is designed to fit the standard Triumph Spitfire but if you want to fit a larger engine like the 6 pot then a "extended" scoop will be available .:sing:

With a bit of luck we will be able to start taking orders in a few weeks.:rockon: The final price will depend on the total development costs but it'll still be the cheapest kit on the market .:rockon::rockon:

Sammio prices + Tribute quality should make a nice combination :eusa_clap: