Ian Allen checks out our race Imp build.

Ian was here last year, he built one of our Cape Cutter 19 kits down in New Zealand.

The car is now the right way up and on its Yokahama race tyres fitted to wide 13" Supalite alloy rims. At this time the car is in a 20ft container and on its way back to Scotland where it was built.

Roy

The Reliant Scimitar in South Africa

My ownership of a GTE SE5a was for around eleven years, one of the most reliable cars I ever owned.

This is not my car, its a club members and I lifted it from their web site.

The Reliant Sabre & Scimitar owners club logo.

A great club which is very international, they do a super monthly magazine named Slice, simply one of the better car club magazines! I am still contacted each year as a support member for the club.

Roy

The Hillman Imp Oil Pump

Pictures tell the story so here is three, all from Ebay.

Re built and with a new rotor

Brand new

The skew gear is used, the pump has a new pump set.

Roy

The link with Coventy Climax

Seen here is Erics re sprayed Hillman Imp Mk2, I had the Coventry Climax stickers made to special order.

The stickers were never on any Rootes Imp as far as I know but its nice to keep the name alive.

Roy

1. Hillman Imp to the Beaulieu motor museum. The first Imp photo was sent over by Les in 2009. He was lucky enough to acquire a collection of paperwork relating to the Canterbury Motor Company, a firm that traded in cars from 1904 through to the 1970s. In the 1960s they were a Rootes dealership, and amongst the many albums and files that Les has found, was this photo, showing a handover to Lord Montagu of Beaulieu of a Hillman Imp saloon, registration 1400 SC.

The photograph isn't dated, but their attire looks like it is late 1970s. The car's registration suggests an early example - a check on the National Motor Museum site confirms that 1400 SC is believed to be the first production Imp, of 1963. The Imp was restored by the Canterbury Motor Company, and presented to the museum on completion, presumably at the time of Les' photograph above. A date sometime in the '70s or very early '80s therefore would make sense.

Roys Rover V8 sport

This was one of those cars that just made sense at the time, around 1976 the petrol prices were on the rise (again) the cost to run a V8 was starting to make no sense? Some lady from Cape Towns Sea Point area traded her five year old Rover 3.5 litre V 8 sport for a small Ford at Grosvenor Ford.

 CA 8645 Rover V8 sport

Not the best of scans, its from a slide, the car was really one of the best cars I have owned, with its super smooth all alloy engine, automatic drive, leather seats and alloy bonnet and boot lid, it was a good buy for me at the time.

I did very little milage at the time, I lived and worked in the city, so fuel costs were not an issue. Thats my mother back in more youthfull days.

Roy

My loan car in the USA

Having helped as a watch captain on the trip down the Chesapeke Bay run from Annapolis to Norfolk. Which was  a 25 hour trip and more than interesting as we got out of the way of barges. On arrival I was stuck with no real place to go.

Nice farms in Virginia, USA.

One of the co crew offered a place to stay for a few days while I sorted myself out. While he went to work during the day I was free to use his BMW car, what an offer!

Roy