many years ago i bought a ratty wreck of a coupe, but the floor was so rotten it just eventually got shoved to one side and left - that and the problem was the previous owner had sprayed everything with a 1/2" coat of rubberised mastic made it weigh a ton and impossible to scrape off to remove nuts and bolts!

ive spent the last 6 months looking for a mini based kit car, my only requirements been that it had to be a) mini based - not just an a series engine, and b) correctly registered with a proper plate - i just dont like 'q' plates.

i spotted this coupe on a forum, and after seen some pictures sent the seller a deposit - i finally collected it last week.

its a 85 kit, registered on a 73 plate, with the proper gtm chassis number and what not, what is amazing is that its only ever done about 500 miles, so the tub is like brand new - it needs some work to one rear arch, but thats no big deal.

im going to strip it, repaint and refurb the frames, then build a nice 1071 motor for it (which is, by coincidence, what the original builder fitted to it)

it came with a file with every mot, the build manual, all the blueprints, tons of recipts, etc


the only thing i dont like is the huge back lights, which i may change - they just make the back end look a bit squashed

Welcome


Nice coupe, and nice choice of engine so much nicer than a 998.

You never know you may grow to like the lights I have on mine quite a few coupes have had them changed but I have yet to see something that tickles my taste buds 100% some have been close but no cigar.

Neil

It's that one from Tunstall again.........

i got it from a guy in crewe, but its had a few owners since the original owner sold it in 2006.

up to 2006 it had only done about 500 miles - which is why i guess the tub is so good.

i dont think its ever been on the road since, its just been passed around with and without engines since

For an old pic on google streetview: (Clicky then wait a min.)

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&q=Tunstall,+Stoke-on-Trent+ST6,+United+Kingdom&ie=UTF8&ei=nR4rTIjKN5m60gTI5tjiAg&ved=0CA0Q_AU&cd=2&geocode=FdmeKQMdKkXe_w&split=0&sll=53.767678,-0.020961&sspn=0.013191,0.032015&hq=&hnear=Tunstall,+Stoke-on-Trent,+United+Kingdom&ll=53.05488,-2.206213&spn=0.001357,0.003422&z=18&layer=c&cbll=53.054779,-2.206218&panoid=cWAB-C3Zx2hRgrrj2FfAbw&cbp=12,275.01,,2,9.36

my GTM is now stripped, and ive wire brushed the inside and outside.

not found any horrors yet!







hope to crack on with repairing the damaged back arch next week, and ive been looking at alternative rear lights - ive bought a set of round ones but still am not 100%

few photos of my progress

side is all repaired now







inner pillers made







am sorting all the little lumps and bumps out everywhere out - then paint!

Making good progress keep it up

Neil

Where's the pics of the new baby then?

there is progess!







camera is playing up, hence the fog!

Very Nice


Any reason its red apart from it being red before

just because its always been red and it does suit the shape of the gtm, it was the red gtm on the cover of the kitcar mag in 1984 that persuded the first owner to buy the gtm as a project so its got a nice history behind it.

various mates nagged me to change the colour and i nearly did it dark blue, but if it chips the gelcoat is red so will look rubbish.


red is also faster, every one knows that!

Yep Blue ones are slow

Neil

I'll try and remember this once TC has the BBC up on it's feet properly

Hi, The paint colour match looks prety good to the coupe gel coat original red. Can you tell us what paint type and shade of red you used please?.
Malc Jones, Thanks