In 1972/3 Herbert Radcliffe spent a lot of money on the car with Nigel Arnold Forster of Bassett Down Engineering.  The total bill was around £2,500 and the labour charge was at £2 per hour – I have the bills.  If inflated to £30 per hour the bill would be £37,500.  The work was fundamental body off repair work – spring shackles, king pins, gearbox bearings, engine rebuild etc but no cosmetics.  Shortly after all this work, the engine ran a big end, which was repaired, but the car was little used after that and was laid up until Herbert died and the car put up for sale.

The car was running when I bought it and passed the MOT test.  When warm the oil pressure dropped to an alarmingly low level (5lb psi at cruising speed).  With help from Phill Hill I discovered that whilst the oil pump plunger had been rebored etc, the oscillating part had not, and was very loose and therefore all the oil was leaking out of the side of the pump.  All this explained the big end problem.  Phil made me a new oscillating part and warm oil pressure improved enormously.  Whilst the sump was off Phil commented adversely on the original con rods so I commissioned a set of rods from Alastair Templeton with the intention of doing a minor engine rebuild at some convenient moment …….. Everything went reasonably well for a couple of years, regular use, a few VSCC trials and a mechanically uneventful 30-98 Centenary week of 1300 miles, although oil consumption or leakage was massive.  However coming back in a hurry (because of dynamo failure) from the 2003 Welsh Trial, a little end failed and no 2 con rod smashed its way through the block, mercifully causing only modest and repairable damage to the crankcase, but necessitating a replacement block and a complete rebuild.