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MG Midget and Sprite General - Lenham for sale in the Netherlands

http://link.marktplaats.nl/470150966

For those interested
1965
1275 engine
€3200,-
some (dutch) MOT left

If I had the space I'd buy it.
But with a GT midget and MMM we are a bit full.

If any one is interested I am willing to aid in the contact.
Onno Könemann

it's rhd too. doesn't seem expensive if it's sound.
Gary & Gaps

looks like a complete and utter BARGAIN
Satan get thee behind me....
David Smith

They call it a restoration project with lot's of new parts but the price seems reasonable even if it is only for the parts.

David if you need help I have a friend livving near it...
Onno Könemann

Sure I need help - but of a different kind; I have 3 race cars plus my Lenham rebuild project and 2 other Midgets tucked away in various states of disrepair. Anybody know of a rich widow who might help me into early retirement?
David Smith

If I knew one I would only have posted to say i bought it ;p
Onno Könemann

There's also this....

http://link.marktplaats.nl/472091071

Wonder if it's original, I doubt it honestly.
Alex G Matla

And he want's a lot of money for it
Onno Könemann

Onno,
Do you still have the D type?
Did Mike from Florida ever get back to you? He told me he knew of your car, but I don't think he's on line mush
Phil
Phil Burke

<<Wonder if it's original, I doubt it honestly. >>

It says 'original, never mounted'. Are we to believe it is NOS? Is it aluminium?
Dave O'Neill 2

It's Fibreglass
Gary & Gaps

Phil
Like i ever will get rid of it (only for 6 cylinder MMM fun)
He e-mailed me once i think but I was a bit bussy so it got snowed under in my mail box.
Must dig that up some time
Onno Könemann

Anyone live near Helmond. The Renault and I will be visiting the weekend of 17/18th September ;0)
Gary & Gaps

Nop and I'll be in France then ;)
If you are ever near Leiden you are welcome for food and drinks just not that weekend
Onno Könemann

*ears prick up*

Anywhere near me? I'll be at the Circuit des Remparts at Angouleme that weekend - will you be there or anywhere near?

If so, I'll buy you a beer.

Beerly,

OSM.
OrangeSpyderMan

Careful OSM, there will be not only Onno but some other mates as well. And when they start, well anything could happen.
I appologise in advance for their rude behavior... ;^P
Maybe you've heard from the dutch behavior at Silverstone?

But always lots of laughs, too bad I can't come.
Alex G Matla

Is that why they call him "Oh no!" ? :)
OrangeSpyderMan

Ha ha, no not really...
It's "the other guys" I was referring to.
Alex G Matla

Yep at le circuit de remparts all weekend look for the guys in white overals with red MG logo (i am the short one with the beard)
You can't miss us as we are bringing a bright orange MG P type special!
Onno Könemann

Good stuff - I'll be down there, might catch you. If at some point you see me wearing my "I am OrangeSpyderMan t-shirt" you'll know it's me. Seriously :)
OrangeSpyderMan

"original" GRP Speedwell Monza front - depends what you mean by original. If you mean as sold by Speedwell in period, quite possibly yes if it was originally acquired in the sixties...

Frank Costin designed the Monza front for Speedwell. Costin was Lotus' favourite designer at the time and he had worked closely with W&P who were then Lotus' sole bodywork producers on lots of projects - plus W&P were the main innovators in GRP at the time. Costin used W&P for 16 of his car designs over the years and would have used them for the original alloy Speedwell Monza front, only at the time rumour was Colin Chapman was not happy with them taking on too much non-Lotus work, so he went to Classic Motor Craft instead.

Although CMC made the initial alloy Monza fronts, W&P made the alloy moulds for the official production of the GRP Monza bonnet in the early 60s and produced a lot of GRP material for CMC on a contract basis (including the Monza bonnet and bermuda hardtops).

Both Mr Williams and Mr Pritchard of W&P were shareholders in Speedwell, and by the mid 60s had somehow acquired full manufacturing rights and were manufacturing the Monza bonnets directly for Speedwell, cutting out CMC. For example, I have a copy of an invoice to Speedwell for Monza fronts from 1969. They also bodied the record breaking Speedwell Streamliner sprite (in alloy).

The original Monza front moulds transferred from W&P to Fibresports in 1973 when W&P sold their GRP business to them, and this was the only mould which Fibresports were not prepared to sell in the mid 00's (when I first spoke with them) as "it was the original Speedwell one" and they couldn't bear to part with it. Sadly it was destroyed in a factory fire in 2008, although of course lots of other suppliers have taken new moulds from original CMC alloy Monza fronts over the years and supplied replicas of this front. This explains why there are slightly different GRP Monza fronts out there.

All of this is documented in great detail in the old W&P company archive (share certificates, invoices, photos, court papers). Article coming up in October's MASCOT about the Speedwell Streamliner including photos...

So really its down to the provenance of the date when it was originally acquired as to whether it is an "original" period W&P manufactured Speedwell sold GRP Monza front, or a later Monza replica GRP front made from a mould taken from an original CMC alloy front (if that makes sense!).

I know Tom Coulthard is a real expert on the Speedwell side so if I've got anything wrong re CMC I'm sure he'll comment in due course.
Mothy - '65 GAN3 and '65 HAN8

The more I look at this one the more that I think that it might be later. The early ones seem to have no mouldings for the indicators but this one seems to have inset (Frenched in style) holes for the indicators. I know that it is quite old but we'll just have to see.
Should I expect any tell tell signs on the inside?
Gary & Gaps

Will email you Gary - wouldn't want to provide any info enable people to fake an original!
Mothy - '65 GAN3 and '65 HAN8

Gary, enjoy your Dutch-tour!

Im very curious to see where you leave a spridget flip front in a renault so dont forget to show us a picture! :)
Arie de Best

It may fit in the back but I've also got a roof rack if it's needed.
I'm taking the 8.20 Eurotunnel £68 return. Driving to Helmund.
Gary & Gaps

Buying the front?!
Onno Könemann

Onno, aren't you in Angouleme?
Alex G Matla

Yes Onno, just the front.
Gary & Gaps

Yes I am in France.
Modern technology hey ;)
Onno Könemann

And by the wonders of modern technology, here I am sitting in a restaurant in Helmond, Holland collecting the bonnet in the morning.
Gary & Gaps

Hot off the press.
Having now seen it and also some of the information that I've been given, I now believe this to be an original Speedwell bonnet but I'm happy to be corrected if this isn't the case.

Gary & Gaps

And the lenham, which is on a very solid, complete and rust free shell.

Gary & Gaps

Price is now €2000! for the mg midget lenham 1275
J.W. Vlaanderen

Gary, did the speedwellbonnet improve the airodynamics of the Renault? :)

The Lenham doesnt look bad, nice project.
Is it frogeye based, and did you got the original nr for your frogeye register?
Love the wheels!!!

Btw, did the police stop you over and strip searched you including the "clove-treatment" on the hard shoulder?
I did gave them your discription last week thursday... LOL!!!!
Arie de Best

It's a really clean car from what I saw, no rust, almost no welding. looks like it has Sprite Mk11/Midget Mk1 front chassis legs and it now has a good condition gearbox (my old one). The doors look like Mk1 Midget ones. You can see where the metal side trim holes have been filled on the doors.

The bonnet certainly didn't help the aerodynamics of the car but driving back on cruise control at 60mph certainly helped.

Great roads in France, rubbish roads in Belgium (but they only have about 17 cars in total) great roads in Holland however Dutch cyclist have no idea how to avoid London drivers. Lucky the car is already red.

Yes I was stripped searched although I really did have to ask quite a few times.
The rubber gloves bit was slightly confusing as although I could tell it was happening, he did have both hands on my shoulders at the time. I still haven't worked that one out yet!

I reckon that's it's a bargain at €2000 but I had the impression that he was going to keep it. Angelo seems to like doing cars up but isn't really interested in driving them afterwards. It's the rebuilding of them that he likes.
Gary & Gaps

LOL!!!

Dutch cyclists are more protected by law then any pandabear.
Hit one with your car and you do twice the time then somebody who killed an old woman for some little money.
Thats why dutch cyclist cycle as if there are no cars and so do I if im on my bike instead of my car, funny how your view changes as soon as you change vehicles. :)


"he did have both hands on my shoulders at the time. I still haven't worked that one out yet!"
I know, either his left or right big too! ;)

Never heard of Angelo, good to hear he is likely to finish the car!

Looking forward seeing the bonnet painted and well on gaps.

Arie de Best

May I ask how much you forked over for it?
Alex G Matla

300 Euros and gave him my old rib case gearbox which was working fine when it was taken out of the car about 7 years ago.
Gary & Gaps

Argh. Next time I will first check myself :)
Alex G Matla

arrg why can't I buy an onther car!!!!
Onno Könemann

"arrg why can't I buy an onther car!!!!"

Maybe because you already have 3 MG's in a household of 2 persons?
LOL!!!!!
Arie de Best

Just got some more info on the car.
The polyester is good.
Engine is rebuilt with a fastroad camshaft 1.5 years ago.
Has some mot left.
But the steel is bad and would need a reshel of lots of welding to make it good again.

price is fixed

This gives me some peace of mind as I have no time for an other big project.
Onno Könemann

Gary do you have any other pictures of the front? I'd like to compare it to mine, they look much alike but still not.
Alexander Sorby Wigstrom

I'll be takng some on Saturday and post them here then.
Gary & Gaps

I can't see anything which would lead me to believe that this was made by W&P more likely one produced later by Fibresports. The frenched in indicator holes look much nicer than any of the other versions which I've seen though I do prefer the look of the fronts with the additional air intakes either side of the main one.

Here are the images including a couple of the Lenham.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/30855945@N00/sets/72157627616175579/
Gary & Gaps

thats a nice speedwell bonnet gary!!!! (did you paint it allready?)

but i love the lenham to (im still working on it)

i even found a boss for the woodrim steeringwheel!!


angelo

awe rijt

This thread was discussed between 25/08/2011 and 21/01/2012

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