Raiders of the lost ArkMGT

[D.Berry]

Chris, Again, VERY COOL... Is there enough to make claim as a complete car? Or has the orignal number plate been assigned to another tub at some point... I think you indeed have found the holy grail for the GT40 community.
Good Luck with the project... One of these days, I'm gonna get one... probably will have to be a replica... but one of these days...

mardyn

 

[Rick Muck- Mark IV]

Chris,

I gotta remember to take you with me next time I wanna buy something! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

So how long will it take you to have this together and running? Two, three days? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

Dang, I wish I was still traveling to the UK on business, so many cars I would like to see.......

Rick /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Steve Toner]

Lemon drops, eh? Reminds me of a song...

[ QUOTE ]
Somewhere over the rainbow
Skies are blue,
And the dreams that you dare to dream
Really do come true.

Someday I'll wish upon a star
And wake up where the clouds are far
Behind me.
Where troubles melt like lemon drops
Away above the dumpster tops
That's where you'll find me.



[/ QUOTE ]
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Jim Rosenthal]

Chris, good on ya', as they say down under. For your detective work you deserve to strike gold. I would like to see it next time I am over there. More to the point, I want a ride in it....

 

Lemon drops!!! He drove a hard bargin! Well done Chris and Roy. Hope to see the final result some day.

Cheers, Brian.

 

Hi Jim and Brian

I look forward to your visit to the UK and hope by then I will have the car built. I found out today that Alan Mann is still with us and owns a company near London.
I hope to get some build info from him soon, I bet even he will be surprised that this body has surfaced after all these years.
Regards
Chris.

 

3/4 shot

 

Rear shot

 

And the Gurney Weslake engine?

 

Hi Dave
The engine is at Mathwell engineering they build just about all the GT40 Gurney Weslake engines in the UK.
Roy and I hope to go see it on Wednesday along with a bit more "Tomb raiding"!!!!

Regards
Chris.

 

[Pete McCluskey.]

Congratulations Chris and Roy what an exciting find.
I am sure that all in this forum would love to know the full
story of how you found it.
Did it take a lot of detective work, or did you get a tip?
Did the guy you paid the lemon drops too take a lot of convincing to let you have it?
Well done /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

I can think of no one better to have found the holy grail - fantastic!

It looks in good condition - is there much work to be done?

 

[Jos]

Amazing discovery - as Pete just said the full story is anticpated - presumably the rebuild / reconstruction was started and then stalled - going back to Mardyn's point was a chassis number ever allocated or can we have a competition to give it one ! Seriously there is a precedent so should it become AM-GT2-b ?

 

This forum is amazing! To find the original body of AMGT-2 is one thing, but you got an original tub to sweeten the deal. I bet the Kirkham Brothers (that make the aluminum Cobras) would love to check out the body for their GT40 replica they are working on.

 

OK, enlighten me. What is the story of AMGT-2?

 

[Jos]

Read the books starting with Ronnie Spain !

 

[Mark Clapp]

The non-scooped sides have really been throwing me although I know it was a different design. Chris, you asked for pics of the car in red and gold. I ran across these which show the side scoop difference and the paint scheme I think you are thinking of.

 

[Fran Hall RCR]

Very cool Mark.
I have calipers for you ready to ship .....so look out!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

Hi all

Well, today Roy and I went to Gomps panel shop, they had originally built the alloy body for AMGT-2, Frank Gomp will be restoring the alloy body back to how it was when his father Morris built it.
In Franks office was a letter from John Wyre thanking his father Morris Gomp for the work that he did for him for the 1968 and 1969 LeMans.
Frank also showed use a scrap book with all the cars that his farther had worked on for Alan Mann.
Frank is one of the old school and said that he was really looking forward to working on the body that his father had made as the GT40 had always been his favourite cars.

After we left Gomps body shop we went to Mathwells to see the engine, when we arrived Stewart Mathwell came out to look at the car and told us how he had worked for Alan Mann Racing as the engine builder. He then showed us the recond Gurney Weslake Heads with new valves and springs and a new four bolt engine block and new crank to give a total displacement of 330 cu in. The Weber IDA sump and other parts all sat waiting for assembly. Stewart said that the new motor should be good for 450bhp.he said that with the light weight alloy body the car will be a real handful when assembled.
I am getting really excited about finding the original Alan Mann body works and engine builder to work on this car.
It was also interesting to listen to Frank Gomp tell us of how in the building next door to his body shop was the offices of Len Bailey, John Horsman, John Wyre, and Graham Hill and all the comings and going's that went on there.
Our final visit was to Kerry Adams to let him check a few dimensions on Jim Rosenthal's chassis, I am pleased to say that it checked out perfectly and have to say that David Brown has done a really impressive and accurate job.

It will live with me for some time the look of delight and almost disbelief on the faces of Frank, Stewart and Kerry when they saw my new baby, almost like time had stood still or some kind of temporal rift had just opened and swallowed them
PS thanks for the pics Mark, This looks like the sister car AMGT-1 because it has the white strpies.
Regards
Chris.

 

[Pete McCluskey.]

Terrific story Chris, when the car is completed you will be able to write a book. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif