A beautiful 'period' sports/racer in excellent condition having undergone an essentially concours quality restoration.
Perfectly documented history and provenance, EVERY bill of sale through this car's history from the importer in Ithaca NY to the original dealer in Buffalo NY, each owner (six in total), through the last owner. who purchased the car in 1968 and owned it 'till now.
Last race at Elkhart Lake in 1966, owner since 1968 did a thorough disassembly, restoration including powered coated chassis, new internal aluminum panels, rebuilt suspension and brake, beautifully restored body. Original Climax FWA engine (yes, numbers match from new) was disassembled and examined, reassembled with new gaskets. Runs great. And yes, we drove it around our neighborhood....everything worked fine. Even the headlights work!
DeDion rear suspension with inboard drum brakes, huge front finned drum, wire wheels, 'LeMans' style headrest, front brake air ducting, original chassis plate, an easy to drive and race vintage race suitable for ANY race group in the US or Canada (or anywhere else for that matter).
Of course, needs updating to be used for competition, all work we are amply familiar in doing. A quick list might include: new racing belts, battery cut off switch, new Dunlop vintage race tires, plexi windshiled, mirrors. For a higher degree of safety, adding a better roll bar, converting the original alloy fuel tank to a foam filled fuel cell, maybe an Accusump oiling system, on and on. All relatively small things to bring it up to 2012 tech and use standards.
But the rest of the work has all been done. And the photos show this better than I could ever describe.
Considering the current going price of Lotus XIs of similar specification, Climax engine, DeDion suspension, etc, this car will sell for half the price. Or less.
Call for details
Inventory Number: NE-1959-22
$38500
1959 Lotus 7 Series 1
...super competitive, race prepared 7.
READY TO RACE COMPETITIVELY............VARA/SVRA/VSCCA/HSR/CASC/VARAC eligible car....currently with VSCCA and CASC log books. Former Canadian (CASC) champion, winner of the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix, well placed at Lime Rock Vintage Festival events, two second place finishes at the Meadowbrook Historic races.
Restored in 1987, continuously updated and improved, never bent. Excellent tubular space frame chassis, polished alloy body with cycle fenders and polished alloy tonneau.
Two races on virtual state of the art 948 BMC engine, bored to 1027cc, forged high compression pistons, 1300 rods, steel billet crank, aluminum flywheel, full race cam, expensively ported and polished big valve 1275 head, race prepared (bored and polished) H1 SUs, headers, balanced, baffled sump, rim flow valves, 1275 competition clutch, 100 REAL horsepower with a very wide torque band. NOT a peaky race engine.
Straight cut, close ratio trans, 4.22 and 4.55 diffs (for long or short courses), special racing hardened axle shafts, updated roll bar, fuel cell, dual master brake cylinders, new racing harnesses, etc. etc.....
Wire wheels (60 spoke) with Dunlop vintage race tires
Optical ignition system, oil cooler, quick disconnect battery plug, elec cooling fan, Spax adjustable shocks at all four corners, straight pipe and muffler (for Lime Rock muffled events)..........the list of specifications goes on and on.
WHAT A CAR! Believe me, I know. Having owned a sister car for thirty years.
Add a windshield, charging system, and some road tires and have either another road sports car in your collection OR use the public highways for some 'free race testing.' Hey, at the cost of a test day at Lime Rock, saving two track days pays for all of the road equipment!
Years ago, I actually drove my 7 to Lime Rock (a 80 mile trip), took of the windshield, ran and event (and won!) and drove home. Something you simply cannot do with a pure race car ("no, officer, I must have left the fenders, lights, and windshield for my Caldwell D9 Formula Ford...at home")...and a modest prepared road car that has some race equipment isn't gonna go as fast as this well prepared 7.
ONE OF ONLY 242 built...a real piece of history. Yet one easily serviced and maintained (hard to believe...a rusted out early Sprite would be able to provide, for this car, a rebuildable engine, trans, back axle, carbs, starter, generator, gauges, electrics, hydraulics, etc....AND you could sell the hood, trunk, seats, windshield, etc. to recoupe your investment...I know, I once did exactly that for my own 7). Amazing, isn't it?
This is a rare opportunity for someone in racing...to go faster. Or for someone to start being involved in this wonderful hobby. Safe, fast, road capable (this car even has current road registration), and simply beautiful.
Inventory Number: NE-1959-2
1954 Hudson Metropolitan
$8500
What an odd car BUT what an adorable car. Odd and adorable.
Conceived by The Nash Motor Company in 1950 as a small 'round town "woman's" car for errands, back and forth to school or work, and an attempt to offer American drivers an economical alternative to the huge cars of its era.
Finding it less expensive to contract the construction to an outside supplier, BMC in England was given the task. An early example of an American auto manufacturer having a 'captive import.' With the overall design to be aimed for (radical at the time) a family's "second car."
(I think I would have prefered one of its contemporaries like an MG TF, a TR2, a Healey 100-4 or...kind of obvious if you look at the rest of our inventory. However, none of them seat four.)
But this car DOES seat four, it is rather cute, it runs and drives quite nicely, and it certainly draws a crowd. While most of the Metropolitans were sold under the 'Nash' nameplate, some were sold as 'Hudsons' and others under their exclusive and generic 'Metropolitan' name.
Our car: body passed the 'kitchen magnet' test for plastic filler, paint is either VERY old or original, has a few chips that could easily be touched up with a brush and looks quite good.......its original 1200cc Austin A40 engine doesn't miss a beat. Oil pressure light goes out immediately and doesn't come back on, even on a hot day at low idle. No smoke when starting or running, and performance? Lets just say all 42 of its English horses are running nicely.
Tranmission, three on the column, works well, clutch does not slip, brakes work well, can see new front and rear shocks, exhaust is quiet, top is okay, tonneau is home made and could use replacement, interior is also okay and certainly usable, all original trim, chrome, details are very well preserved.
Wha to do? I think if I was going to retain this car in my collection, I would install a new matching set of white walls, have a new tonneau made, touch up the paint, add seat belts, and not much else. For the money, what else can one buy that is SO unusual, SO adorable and SO weird?
An odd bird in an odd world of collector's cars and just about ideal for a rare classic that seats four, the top goes down, is in pretty good overall condition, DOESN'T need paint or any mechanical work, and is the perfect car to drive to the beach. And suitable for low key shows....you decide...a foreign or domestic car? Sort of a bit of both.
Conceived by The Nash Motor Company in 1950 as a small 'round town "woman's" car for errands, back and forth to school or work, and an attempt to offer American drivers an economical alternative to the huge cars of its era.
Finding it less expensive to contract the construction to an outside supplier, BMC in England was given the task. An early example of an American auto manufacturer having a 'captive import.' With the overall design to be aimed for (radical at the time) a family's "second car."
(I think I would have prefered one of its contemporaries like an MG TF, a TR2, a Healey 100-4 or...kind of obvious if you look at the rest of our inventory. However, none of them seat four.)
But this car DOES seat four, it is rather cute, it runs and drives quite nicely, and it certainly draws a crowd. While most of the Metropolitans were sold under the 'Nash' nameplate, some were sold as 'Hudsons' and others under their exclusive and generic 'Metropolitan' name.
Our car: body passed the 'kitchen magnet' test for plastic filler, paint is either VERY old or original, has a few chips that could easily be touched up with a brush and looks quite good.......its original 1200cc Austin A40 engine doesn't miss a beat. Oil pressure light goes out immediately and doesn't come back on, even on a hot day at low idle. No smoke when starting or running, and performance? Lets just say all 42 of its English horses are running nicely.
Tranmission, three on the column, works well, clutch does not slip, brakes work well, can see new front and rear shocks, exhaust is quiet, top is okay, tonneau is home made and could use replacement, interior is also okay and certainly usable, all original trim, chrome, details are very well preserved.
Wha to do? I think if I was going to retain this car in my collection, I would install a new matching set of white walls, have a new tonneau made, touch up the paint, add seat belts, and not much else. For the money, what else can one buy that is SO unusual, SO adorable and SO weird?
An odd bird in an odd world of collector's cars and just about ideal for a rare classic that seats four, the top goes down, is in pretty good overall condition, DOESN'T need paint or any mechanical work, and is the perfect car to drive to the beach. And suitable for low key shows....you decide...a foreign or domestic car? Sort of a bit of both.
Inventory Number: NE-1954-11
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