Brand New Everything Including Shell
Due to health issues I’m selling this almost finished Lenham LeMans. Bought 80% finished from a painstaking engineer builder, it was destined specifically for the Malta Classic, where I’d run other types of cars in previous years. The handicap system used would have favoured the Lenham, not only for a class place but a shot at the overall placings. Then the Pandemic came along and buggered that up, with the Malta Classic cancelled until this year. This build has had no compromises and as such there are receipts for over £20,000 and further work for another £10K+.
The Good:
Shell:
Built on a NOS Midget shell bought in the 1980’s for a hillclimb car but was never started and stored until purchase. CCK Historic supplied and bonded the Lenham fibreglass front and rear panels to the Midget shell and also installed a weld-in half roll cage and a harness cross member. Paint was done by Anglia Resprays in Earls Colne, where it was sprayed in Speedwell Blue including the underside after a coat of underseal. The windscreen frame was dismantled, polished and nickel plated.
Engine:
The engine is a 1398 fast road engine built by Mamba Motorsport to the specification below;
11 stud A+ block offset bored 74mm, screw plugged oil galleries.
Freshly reground A+ crank with flange for Midget flywheel.
MED two piece balanced damper kit. Kent MD276 camshaft with vernier pulley.
Steel strapped centre main bearing cap. Calver Special Tuning Rear Main Seal Kit.
EN24 competition head stud set & ARP rod bolts.
Mildly worked (Stage 2) standard big valve cylinder head with 1:3:1 roller rockers
Brand new Weber 45DCOE on polished Mangoletsi inlet manifold and sliding linkage.
Brand new 123 electronic distributor. High flow Metro oil pump.
Maniflow exhaust manifold and system – the manifold is Zirotec coated in Performance White and the rest of the system is ceramic coated grey.
Mamba Motorsport flywheel and clutch along with a new slave cylinder and remote clutch bleed kit.
Polished and rose jointed engine stabiliser.
Engine has been run in and dyno’ed at Aldon Automotive and produced 98BHP.
The engine has two breathers – one is in the front timing chain cover and the other is in the petrol blanking plate (it is baffled), there are also two in the rocker cover – all -8 fittings.
The block is fitted with a -6JIC take off on the water heater valve linked with the bottom hose on.
Setrab oil cooler, custom bracket and Goodridge 200 type hose and fittings.
Gearbox:
Gearbox was rebuilt by Heathrow Transmissions using a 1275 case and straight cut close ratio gearset.
Rear Axle:
The casing, backplates and handbrake linkage were sourced from California and as such are in remarkable totally rust free condition, and powder coated in black. The differential was also rebuilt by Heathrow Transmissions and has a 4:22 ratio. Drive shafts are Magic Midget 3 piece items.
The prop shaft was rebuilt and re-balanced by Bailey Morris.
Fuel System:
Everything in the fuel system is new, including a new tank, SU pump and braided stainless steel lines and clips. All the lines run inside the car and are in Goodridge 811 which is Teflon lined and complies with current MSA rules on running fuel lines through the car. On exiting the car the fuel lines revert to normal Goodridge type 200 series hose and fittings and are paired with an Aeromotive low pressure fuel regulator and glycerine filled pressure gauge. Aston type flip fuel cap.
Front Suspension:
The front suspension was totally rebuilt with new wishbones and kingpins re-bushed and reamed, along with a Frontline kit and Magic Midget 300lbs springs, a new uprated anti roll bar and poly bushed throughout. All metal components were shot blasted and powder coated black except the springs which are a fetching shade of green.
Rear Suspension:
Again all the components are new or reconditioned, the rear springs are reverse eye competition ones from Moss along with lowering blocks. The shocks are reconditioned and uprated and the drop link are new.
Brakes:
The front brakes are KAD 4 pot calipers along with 1144 pads as well as EBC grooved discs. Rear brake drums are non-spacer Minifin and have been fully polished (took ages!) along with new shoes and wheel cylinders. All brakes lines run inside the car and are all Goodridge type hose and fittings. The pedal box was modified for split circuit front and rear master cylinders along with a balance bar.
Electrics:
All electrical components are new along with an AES custom wiring loom, the switches are all mounted in a custom centre dash. The gauges are all SPA and consist of a dual Rev Counter/Speedo, Front & Rear Brake Pressures, Oil Pressure/Water Temperature, Fuel Level/Volts. All lights both back and front are new, the rears are glass Lucas items. The front indicators are NOT in the usual Lenham position, but instead are nice round items that fit inside the front lamp perspex covers.
Interior:
The rear window and side windows are in a bronze tint perspex bought from Performance 4 Plastics, they have all been bonded in. In addition they are secured by black M4 screws to the car by means of anodised internal frames. The front windows are custom made. There are a pair of new Cobra CS seats with side harness slots trimmed in black vinyl as well as a pair of Schroth 4 point harnesses. The steering wheel is a Motolita item mounted to a Lifeline quick release unit, the steering column was modified to allow this fitting and also modified to do away with the outer column. The dash is a Frogeye fibreglass replica, along both the Frogeye aluminium dash top trim and the normal Midget one. All door related items are new (handles, locks, striker plates etc) along with black vinyl door cards and metal inserts. Gear knob is a blue aluminium Speedwell type. There are no carpets or headlining.
Wheels:
Wheels are 5” x 13” Minilight style with black centres fitted with 175 60 13 Kumho Ecsta V70A medium compound tyres.
Fixings:
Every nut, bolt and washer is new as well as all seals and grommets.
The Bad:
As it’s a racing shell with very low mileage there are the inevitable localised stress cracks on the bonnet, rear panel and B pillars. It needs more miles to completely de-stress the body before remedial work. There is a wiper blade scratch on the passenger side of the windscreen. There’s one small stress crack on the edge of the rear screen
The Ugly:
The NOS air horns installed by the original builder are musical (La Cucaracha), however you can, of course, remove them if they are not to your taste.
. That is a health related matter.
