Restoration Case Study:
Mechanical transformation leads to complete cosmetic CapeSport upgrade
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This later Mk III BJ8 was rather tired but thankfully it was owned by a customer with a real passion for these great cars having owned this particular car for more than 15 years. As is often the case with enthusiasts he had ‘tinkered’ with the car himself and employed a number of local tradesmen in an effort to get the car on the road.
We would never criticize this approach but more and more owners are concluding that what we can complete in a few weeks, they will spend months over and with this car already booked on a trip to Le Mans it was decided to leave it to the specialists.
Phase One: We started by mechanically overhauling the car, looking at suspension, handling, brakes, cooling … the works. The day we delivered the car, our customer drove it to ‘Le Mans’ completing over 1,500 miles without a hitch (except that the French summer was 35+ degrees so the co-driver was a little frazzled!)
Phase Two: On his return, there were more discussions resulting in us embarking on a complete cosmetic CapeSport upgrade including adjustments to the doors, installing aluminium vented wings, CapeSport oil cooler slots, repainting in Old English white over back (the customer’s choice and we have to admit a stroke of genius) and the fitting of a CapeSport hardtop.
During the time we have spent working on this particular car, the customer has returned time after time with further requests based purely on his developing enjoyment of the car. Starting with mechanics, bodywork and styling, we are about to add rear disc brakes and a limited slip differential making this probably the most CapeSport of CapeSports so far!
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summary
This customer now has a car he can drive with confidence. With classic two-tone Healey styling and a purposeful Grand Touring stance, this car has already completed 7000 miles and packs a real punch that’s perfect for his regular blasts to Le Mans and back.