The mighty Metropolitan has now received its all singing and dancing 1860cc engine, a new intake, stiffer springs front and rear and a custom anti-roll bar. Testing will continue this afternoon.
Metropolitan readied for second test
Preparation for Goodwood Revival
The next major event in this years calendar is of course Goodwood Revival. In the workshop we are busy getting the cars ready for the St Mary’s Trophy. Other than our own Nash Metropolitan we are currently working on Dave Griffith’s Standard Vanguard, the Turners Ford Zodiac, Roger Wills Gaz Volga, Julius Thurgood’s MG ZA Magnette and Bonham’s Riley 1.5. We’ve got engines being built, suspension setups and a little tarting up all going on. If you are attending this years Revival please pop down to the St Mary’s paddock and say hello.
Testing the Nash Metropolitan
The day finally came to roll the long awaited Nash Metropolitan out of the workshop for it’s first outing. First stop was to meet our friends from Retro Cars Magazine for a photo shoot, then on to Brands Hatch for a shake down. I can report that the little Nash performed impeccably whilst attracting a lot of attention in the paddocks. Shaun stepped out of the car with a very large grin exclaiming “it’s bonkers!’. For out of the box performance we were all very impressed. We’ve taken some notes and will be making some adjustments before the next test at Goodwood. This car will be well dialled in and thoroughly shaken down before Revival. I’d like to say a big thank you to Simon Jackson at Retro Cars Magazine for letting us tag along on their track session and to all the readers of Retro Cars who attended Brands Hatch yesterday and graciously let us share their time on track.
Austin J40 Restoration
Our J40 has now got a lovely coat of Austin’s Berkshire Green paint. Ian Goodwright has carried out the restoration of the bodywork from start to finish. A small amount of welding was necessary but the shell was largely sound. Now to build it. You will be able to see our J40 along with the Nash Metropolitan at Goodwood Revival this September.
Goodwood Revival Photos
I’ve just added a page to the site which documents our history at the Goodwood Revival. In the 6 years between 2005 and 2010 we’ve had 3 podium finishes and a best presented team award. For 2012 we will be looking after no less than 4 cars. All photos by Jeff Bloxham.
