Built by Alan Werrell, friend of Peter Narancic, in the early to mid 80s. This HB Viva was featured in Street Machine during their series of Swap Shops (Rover V8s into anything!). A basic '68 SL HB was the donor shell. The engine was SD1 mated to a 5 speed gearbox. The engine was fitted with a 214 cam and a 390 cfm Holley on a Offenhauser inlet manifold. I imagine the gearbox has had the stick assembly shortened so it doesn't come out in the rear of the car. The rear axle was a shortened Jag S type so the 8.5" x 14" Keystone Vortex wheels were keep under the original wheels arches. To keep everything level rather than 'super jacked up', the front suspension bed was blocked off the chassis. Many say it looks jacked up, but I like to call it a subtle stance, an ideal cruising stance. (Anyway I always like it!).

Alan was trying to keep things as standard as possible so the SD1 prop-shaft therefore indicated where the engine would sit. Therefore the engine is well set back, aiding handling and allowing lots of room for a radiator! The steering is Marina and Triumph and partly Cortina. It is moved over to the right by about 1". The usual problem existed with finding a suitable exhaust manifold for the o/s. The n/s used a P6 manifold, but the o/s finally used a P5 one. With the engine this far back meant there was no problems with the starter fouling the sub-frame. Being this far back means the heater system is un-useable. So a mini heater system is under the passengers dash. The handbrake finally became a Marina one using a shortened Jag cable. The top of the bulkhead was covered in piece of shaped stainless steel to add some sparkle to the engine bay. This was TIG welded into place.
The pedal assembly looks as though it could be 100E, although it states viva pedals are retained? Anyway, the front brakes were up-rated using Victor 10" items (Thicker than Magnums) and it's associated calipers. The Rover Remote servo lives on the o/s inner wing. Cooling is by a standard 3.5 radiator, which was marginal with only one electric fan. Body wise, a GT bonnet was nailed on along with a GT grill and badges. The dash was also Viva GT. Then the car was bare metal re-sprayed in Triumph Emerald Green with simple graphic stripes running along the bottoms of the doors and squaring up and above the rear wheel arches. By the late 80s and early 90s the car was then owned by Kevin Moorhen, who took the car to a few shows, hence Street Machine and I found it. From them on is a rather grey area. The car moved from Reading to the Midlands, where the owner chopped the roof. Plus the paint-work had gone to grey primer. This conversion was never finished and the car was again for sale, this time in the Nerdy mag. A chap purchased it and cut another roof from a scrap HB and installed it back on the car. So now the roof was back to where it started, at the correct height. The car was then sprayed powder blue and was again for sale. Being light blue in colour changed the cars appearance totally, nearly to the stage of not recognising it. I saw the car in this state at an NSRA bash at Billing Aquadrone in the early to mid 90s. Since then it has never been seen since, unless someone out there can throw any light on the subject.

Guy