Discussion
I have a name of the previous owner of the black motorshow car at home, I think the reg was D180 ***, it had grey leather and burgundy carpet - will have to dig it out and let you know, as for NAS7Y - I think this was just a private plate that they managed to get hold of rather than the car being registered from new with it on..
2 sheds said:
According to the Sprint SEAC special, John Walkers black D180 *** was the original Show car.. doesn't say which show but I assume that meant Motor Show from when the car was released..
86' Motor show
Tim
Aha.. cheers for clearing that up Tim, I did suddenly think which year.. incidentally - looking at the photo his still has a separate rear bumper..
Just been doing some homework...
I have a huge road test here from Performance Car 1987 of NAS7Y, which is a black 420SEAC. The car in question has the more modern interior in grey with walnut panels. The back bumper is of the more typical SEAC style and is integral to the body, not bolted on. Same goes for the sills. The wheels are the 5-spoke, split rim style. The bonnet vents are blended in rather than having a line around them. There’s a small picture of the engine which all seems pretty much normal, although there is no cast writing on the plenum chamber. I thought the more modern/powerful cars had 3.9 etc etc cast into them.
On page 38 of the Muscles and Curves book, there’s a picture of what must be an SEAC prototype. Its still in the workshop being "designed", and looks to be a 350/390 car which has had the SEAC panels grafted onto it. You can see that the bonnet, doors, back panels etc are of a dark colour, and the SEAC panels like the front, sills, flared wheel arches are white. The car also has its windscreen attached which suggests it was a finished 350/390 which is now being revamped! Only noticed it because the sills are bolt on type, and look very much like 420SE sills in shape, although they have had the recess which runs along the outside filled in. It maybe that this car eventually became Jeff's racer, but who knows!
Probably no use to this discussion, but just food for thought. I'm sure that contacting the original owners may be the way forward, and perhaps contact the TVR dealerships around where the car was sold - a car like an SEAC would probably have been serviced at an official dealership, so perhaps paperwork still exists. Afterall, there aren't many dealerships in the UK and there would have been even fewer during the late 80's/early 90's. If we assume now that the original SEAC body was replaced at some stage, it must have been done by someone who knew these cars quite well. I can't imagine it being done in someones single garage over night!
Just one other thought - on the back of all my door panels, transmission tunnel cover, boot panels etc, TVR have written the colour and chassis number, or the last 3 digits of it at least. Perhaps this has only been done on my car because it was a factory/press car and was it bits a lot, but it may be worth taking a door panel off (2 screws) just to see if it tallys up. If the body was replaced, perhaps the interior panels were too and the "donor" cars details are written on them.
Just one last thing - the easiest way to see the engine number is to duck down and look into the front wheel arch just behind the wheel. Shine a torch in and there it will be right near the oil dipstick hole.
Incidentally, has anyone got NCK 154 in their car?
I have a huge road test here from Performance Car 1987 of NAS7Y, which is a black 420SEAC. The car in question has the more modern interior in grey with walnut panels. The back bumper is of the more typical SEAC style and is integral to the body, not bolted on. Same goes for the sills. The wheels are the 5-spoke, split rim style. The bonnet vents are blended in rather than having a line around them. There’s a small picture of the engine which all seems pretty much normal, although there is no cast writing on the plenum chamber. I thought the more modern/powerful cars had 3.9 etc etc cast into them.
On page 38 of the Muscles and Curves book, there’s a picture of what must be an SEAC prototype. Its still in the workshop being "designed", and looks to be a 350/390 car which has had the SEAC panels grafted onto it. You can see that the bonnet, doors, back panels etc are of a dark colour, and the SEAC panels like the front, sills, flared wheel arches are white. The car also has its windscreen attached which suggests it was a finished 350/390 which is now being revamped! Only noticed it because the sills are bolt on type, and look very much like 420SE sills in shape, although they have had the recess which runs along the outside filled in. It maybe that this car eventually became Jeff's racer, but who knows!
Probably no use to this discussion, but just food for thought. I'm sure that contacting the original owners may be the way forward, and perhaps contact the TVR dealerships around where the car was sold - a car like an SEAC would probably have been serviced at an official dealership, so perhaps paperwork still exists. Afterall, there aren't many dealerships in the UK and there would have been even fewer during the late 80's/early 90's. If we assume now that the original SEAC body was replaced at some stage, it must have been done by someone who knew these cars quite well. I can't imagine it being done in someones single garage over night!
Just one other thought - on the back of all my door panels, transmission tunnel cover, boot panels etc, TVR have written the colour and chassis number, or the last 3 digits of it at least. Perhaps this has only been done on my car because it was a factory/press car and was it bits a lot, but it may be worth taking a door panel off (2 screws) just to see if it tallys up. If the body was replaced, perhaps the interior panels were too and the "donor" cars details are written on them.
Just one last thing - the easiest way to see the engine number is to duck down and look into the front wheel arch just behind the wheel. Shine a torch in and there it will be right near the oil dipstick hole.
Incidentally, has anyone got NCK 154 in their car?
I am fairly sure that NAS7Y was used on a black SEAC, I remember seeing it a long time ago, I could be wrong but I think that it was on a demonstrator from the Barrow dealership at the time, if it was their car or a factory car on loan for a while I don't know.
Searching through the car club database I can find no reference of that number plate but who knows with dealers, they change reg plates round on a whim.
What I do remember was that NASTY was a great reg and suited the car well.
edited to add;
Ops I just finished reading the thread and got to digga's post, I am pleased he has confirmed my memory, the Barrow dealership did a lot of work on wedges including the SX supercharger conversions, maybe there is some connection with your car and them?
>> Edited by richard sails on Saturday 2nd October 00:31
Searching through the car club database I can find no reference of that number plate but who knows with dealers, they change reg plates round on a whim.
What I do remember was that NASTY was a great reg and suited the car well.
edited to add;
Ops I just finished reading the thread and got to digga's post, I am pleased he has confirmed my memory, the Barrow dealership did a lot of work on wedges including the SX supercharger conversions, maybe there is some connection with your car and them?
>> Edited by richard sails on Saturday 2nd October 00:31
Gazboy said:
It may have already been suggested, but it sounds like Firefox was a mule for SEAC development, then sold as a SEAC in it's own right.
Good idea but what would they be developing? FF's car does not have the rose jointed SEAC chassis, does not have the SEAC body and does not have a development engine (NCK010 is quite late for a development SEAC engines). The only anomoly that you can be sure about is the modified windscreen aperture; try to follow that up.
firefox1712 said:
Johnathan -
I begin to wonder whether you know more than you are letting on. Is this a case of 'Deep Throat' talking to Woodward and Bernstein?
Trying to lead us, or point the way, but not telling us exactly.
firefox
With your other car and this comment
is there something you need to tell us Johnathan 
I've come to the conclusion JJ that it is a re-bodied SEAC, the date it was registered and Reg no indicate that it was registered the same time as the other early pre-production SEACS (Aug-sept 86) we know that there were at least 4 somebody mentioned 6 of these early cars, they all had the regular 350/390 chassis no rosejoints & 350 interior, not all can be accounted for.
The development SEAC was C reg, i presume an early 86 car, white and is still about.
The first 10 cars were pure Kevlar and some were very rippled and looked quite rough so this may be the reason the body was changed. ???????
Tim
The development SEAC was C reg, i presume an early 86 car, white and is still about.
The first 10 cars were pure Kevlar and some were very rippled and looked quite rough so this may be the reason the body was changed. ???????
Tim
Thanks Tim -
That is a theory that some of us think is a possibility. But there are a few who don't even like that idea.
It could be that it is the most likely explanation, but perhaps the current search for facts concerning the car's origins and background remains a useful excercise.
firefox
That is a theory that some of us think is a possibility. But there are a few who don't even like that idea.
It could be that it is the most likely explanation, but perhaps the current search for facts concerning the car's origins and background remains a useful excercise.
firefox
firefox1712 said:
Thanks Tim -
That is a theory that some of us think is a possibility. But there are a few who don't even like that idea.
It could be that it is the most likely explanation, but perhaps the current search for facts concerning the car's origins and background remains a useful excercise.
firefox
I will be seeing Chris in two weeks,i will see if he can find out more.
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