This mean machine turned up at the very first Santa Pod bash I organised for the Nerdy Club in1991. Pictures do not it justice, when you inspect the amount of work that went into the bodywork. The car was featured in 1991 April Edition of Street Machine. The car was built by Dave Kimberley and based on a 1970 HB 2 door. The project took him 3 years and the cost was well into 5 figures. The heart of the conversion is a stunning 4.5 litre engine by the TVR Engine Division. This includes gas flowed heads, Cosworth pistons, a Kent cam and 4 Dellortos. The claimed output is 335bhp and runs a 12.9 sec quarter at 108 mph. Fuel consumption is a respectable 20 mpg. The radiator is a re-cored P6 one and the gearbox I suspect is a 5 speed Rover item as the rear axle is only a 3.9:1 ratio. The rear axle is a Ford (Why?) item. A standard Viva GT one would been easier!
All the coils are up-rated by 35% so the car has a certain stance and this then allows for the 15" Rimstar wheels. The steering column is Triumph 2000 and mated up to the standard rack, probably HC though. The brakes are said to be standard! Magnum at least at the front we hope. The dash is all Viva GT with an E-Type Jaguar steering wheel finishing it off. The interior is a functional black in colour along with a roll cage.
And now onto the important bodywork. The rear spoiler is a cut down M3 BMW item, but the front one could be scratch built. The front one does look more like a snowplough, but will scoop the air to cool the radiator. All four wings are flared out. This was done by cutting at the front and rear of each wing, then pulling the centre section out from the bodyline. Steel was then welded back into the areas, which were now gaping holes. It was a very neat, subtle and clever way of flaring the whole wing. Dave had Pete Brookes to help him with this work. The pictures do not show this up very well, only the swage line wavering gives an indication of the job being done at all. Then the whole car was painted two pack green, this included the bumpers, grill, rear light surrounds and even the door handles. Shortly after the Street Machine had done the pictures and article, the car was stolen and the wheels and stereo nicked! The wheels were only 4" PCD so would only fit another Viva, but they were never found. The car has come up for sale a couple of times in the last 14 years, supporting different wheels of course!, but its actual whereabouts are not known.