familiar?
December 2015 Classic&SportsCar 29Want to track down a lost love or lookingfor
historyon your currentclassic?Senddetails
and picturesto the p10 addressor e-mailyour
[email protected]LookLook
miliar?
Readerfind of the month
Sendin a200-word storyplus aselectionof photographs of your discoveries to the usual
C&SCaddressor [email protected] youcouldwin £100!
A rare car doesn’thave to be found
in a barncovered in guanoto qualify
forReaderfindofthemonth–it
couldjust be somethingthat it is a
delight(or shock)to see. Thatis
very muchthe casethis month,with
the Siata 1100 103 submittedby
MarkGeessinkof The Netherlands.
He wrote:“LookwhatI foundlast
monthin France–this beautifuland
originalFiat Siata.Only14 were
made,so this is a rare vehicle.The
paperwork shows only one owner,
who lived in Sardinia.His widow
storedthe car for almost60 years.”
Geessinksaid that he’s stilllookingfor moreinformationabout
the originalcolourand interior, but
that behindthe hinges,rubbersand
metaltrim the paintwork is also
blue.A friendof his who lives on
Sardiniabelieves that it couldbe
the originalcolour, becauseit was
a sign of luxuryin that time.”
Apparentlythe picturesflatter
to deceive and althoughthe coupé–
whichthe numberplatesshow to be
fromCagliari–is complete,the
interiorand engineare in a bad way.
The Siata’s Frenchowner soon
realisedthat the projectwas too
muchfor him and, havingbeenputin touchby a mutualfriend,
Geessinkwas on to it like a shot.
He added:“The car is now in
Holland,awaitinga complete
restoration.Thatwill be difficult
becauseof the lack of information,
but perhapsa mentioninC&SC
couldawaken someenthusiasts
who couldgive me somebackground.
“TheseItalianetceterinismake
me happy, especiallythis one with
its threeheadlights.It is trulya
remarkablecar, but couldit be the
last remainingone in the world?”
If you have any info aboutit,
[email protected]MICHAELWARE
Formercurator of the NationalMotor
Museum,Beaulieu.Sendsubmissions
to [email protected]We oftenhear aboutabandoned
cars in the MiddleEast,but this
mustsurelybe one of the rarest.
JaguarE-typeenthusiast
Steven Clark,who has been
livingin Abu Dhabifor the past
seven years, contactedus after
spottingthis rather sad Audi
quattroTreser Roadsterthat
appearsto have beenforgotten.
Fewer than 40 of these
unusualhandbuiltconversions
are thoughtto have beenmade.Discarded
inthedesert
TRACINGHISOLDTRIUMPH
RichardParker restoredthis
TriumphVitessein the early’80s,
but sold it a few years laterwhen
he moved to West Yorkshire.
Accordingto DVLA records,it
was taxed until a coupleof years
ago but is now on SORN.If you
know whereHPE 519Cis, contact
[email protected]A BRACEOFBRITISHICONS
We’ve had a doublecall-outfrom
C&SCsubscriberMike Gregory
with this pair of sportscars.
Whenhe boughthis Austin-
Healey a coupleof years ago, it
camewith a Heritagecertificate
and a load of history.“The only
thingsI’ve not beenable to
establish,” Gregorysaid,“are the
supplyingdealerand first owner.”
Last year he addeda ’62 E-type
to his stable:“It was suppliednew
by Jessopsto a Mr CE Booker in
Kentand thenin 1981sold to a
YT Choa(or Chad?)of Hendon.It
went to the thirdkeeper in ’82. I’d
be delightedto hear fromanyone
who knewthe car or thoseowners.”
If you can help,contacthim at
[email protected]£1 (^00) UP
FOR
GRABS
(^00) UP
PhilipWyllie,a memberof the
RileyRM ClubfromQueensland,
has threeof the cars,but was look-
ing for a project.He heardof a
1950 RMD(the 2½-litrecabriolet
version)for sale in SouthAustralia.
Thepicturesthathe was sent
wouldhaveput off mostrestorers,
but he decidedto buy it and so a
transportcompanywas contracted
to movethe car by container. From
MurrayBridgeit wastakento
Adelaide,whereit was put on the
trainto Brisbane,and thenby lorry
to his homein Maleny.
It is thoughtthat the first person
to own the car was a member of the
WallaceBishopfamily, which
runsa chainof jewellerystores.
No otherhistoryis knownuntil
1984,though,whenthe car was
garagednext to the BrisbaneRiver.
In thatyearthe city experienced
its worsefloodever, leavingthe
Rileysubmergedfor overa week.
The next ownertookit to Albert,
a seasidetownin SouthAustralia,
whereit languishedfor 30 years.In
2014 the car movedagainbut the
newkeeperkeptit onlya short
whilebeforepassingit to Wyllie.
It was foundto haveseizedwheel
bearingsand still had riverwaterin
the differential,but restorationis
nowwellunderway. Thecar is
promisedto one of Wyllie’s daugh-
ters for her wedding in April 2016.
UnloadingtheRiley uponarrivalin Maleny Neglected RMD was in very poorcondition
Rare dropheadDownUnder
Bodyandashframenow in bettershape
Prettyfastbackis oneof only 14 built A Fiat‘four’lurksbeneathcoupé’s bonnet Nicedetails,butinterioris in poorshape