Discussion
This is a pic from when I first took ownership in September 2013.
It was for sale for about 8 months for an unrealistic amount of money, and perhaps unsurprisingly nobody had even been to view it before me. The ad bigged up its condition claiming "almost concourse" bodywork and that lots of money had been spent on it. It didn't have an MOT though as there was something wrong with the brakes. A drop in the price spurred me on to go take a look so a trailer was borrowed and I made my way to Croydon.
What greeted me was kinda what I expected - it looked good from a small distance but up close the paint was not at all "almost concourse" There were very few dents, the sills and arches were very good but the battery tray had been bodged with a steel sheet and fibreglass. Its common on these cars for the battery tray to rot out - its a ball ache to do properly but I was up for it. It had been resprayed cheaply at some point - nothing had been removed, just masked up so a decent paint job would be required too. I ummed and ahhed for a bit before a deal was done and I was on my way home with a new project
The bodged up battery tray.
To get it through the MOT it needed 4 tyres, a master cylinder and front flexy hoses - not bad considering it had sat for nearly 4 years.
Turns out that sitting around is what its done most in its 30 years of existence!
It was built in June 1992 and left the factory on the 17th. Exported to Malaysia it then sat around unused and unregistered for 6 years or so until it came to the UK where it had an SVA in February 1999. It was registered on March 1st 1999 then sold to its first owners on the 30th. They used it until some time in 2006 clocking up 53k miles then it was laid up - I reckon this was due to the battery tray collapsing because of corrosion. All that time in Malaysia was probably spent outdoors and the piss poor design of the battery tray means that unless the car is sat level the water can't drain out. The car was bought by the brother of the bloke I bought it from in 2010 - he did some work on it, got it MOT'd and then never used it. He then emigrated and left it with his brother - who didn't want it. So of its 21 years it only spent 6-7 of them on the road!
There were at least 3 cars that went for a holiday to Malaysia with mine - also on T plates - a green one and a black one, neither has such low mileage as this one. There may be others around, I've heard rumours of anywhere between 7 and 10 cars arriving at a dealership in South Wales where this one was registered.
To get it through the MOT it needed 4 tyres, a master cylinder and front flexy hoses - not bad considering it had sat for nearly 4 years.
Turns out that sitting around is what its done most in its 30 years of existence!
It was built in June 1992 and left the factory on the 17th. Exported to Malaysia it then sat around unused and unregistered for 6 years or so until it came to the UK where it had an SVA in February 1999. It was registered on March 1st 1999 then sold to its first owners on the 30th. They used it until some time in 2006 clocking up 53k miles then it was laid up - I reckon this was due to the battery tray collapsing because of corrosion. All that time in Malaysia was probably spent outdoors and the piss poor design of the battery tray means that unless the car is sat level the water can't drain out. The car was bought by the brother of the bloke I bought it from in 2010 - he did some work on it, got it MOT'd and then never used it. He then emigrated and left it with his brother - who didn't want it. So of its 21 years it only spent 6-7 of them on the road!
There were at least 3 cars that went for a holiday to Malaysia with mine - also on T plates - a green one and a black one, neither has such low mileage as this one. There may be others around, I've heard rumours of anywhere between 7 and 10 cars arriving at a dealership in South Wales where this one was registered.
Always loved these. Never got round to getting one and now the prices are on the up. French lad at uni had one in burgundy with bbs alloys and the want was huge for a young me.
Maybe the rectangular headlights and supercharger reminded me of the Golf Rallye (I was driving a Golf mk 2 Driver then) but I’d still have one now.
Maybe the rectangular headlights and supercharger reminded me of the Golf Rallye (I was driving a Golf mk 2 Driver then) but I’d still have one now.
Rallyes were surprisingly slow as I remember (7.5s to 60?) whilst the G40 was surprisingly quick. But the Rallye could go round corners which the G40 would not. Of course having never driven either (only lusted after) it could be just journalistic hearsay.
Both have left me with a deep need for a supercharged…..anything really.
Both have left me with a deep need for a supercharged…..anything really.
This car, as well as two other T registered G40s that I know about, had a peculiar spec when imported.
There are no grab handles above the doors, no cigarette lighter, metric clocks, and height adjustable passenger seat (not drivers side) so LHD seats!
The importer fitted a reduction gear to the speedo cable so that the metric clocks read in miles - that's right, it reads up to 240mph!
No options at all were specced other than metallic paint, tinted glass was a standard fitment for export to warm climates, but other than the paint its proper poverty spec. No sunroof, no fog lights no colour coding etc.
There are no grab handles above the doors, no cigarette lighter, metric clocks, and height adjustable passenger seat (not drivers side) so LHD seats!
The importer fitted a reduction gear to the speedo cable so that the metric clocks read in miles - that's right, it reads up to 240mph!
No options at all were specced other than metallic paint, tinted glass was a standard fitment for export to warm climates, but other than the paint its proper poverty spec. No sunroof, no fog lights no colour coding etc.
Blenkiboy said:
Rallyes were surprisingly slow as I remember (7.5s to 60?) whilst the G40 was surprisingly quick. But the Rallye could go round corners which the G40 would not. Of course having never driven either (only lusted after) it could be just journalistic hearsay.
Both have left me with a deep need for a supercharged…..anything really.
The handling of a standard G40 was years out of date when launched. The entire undercarriage can be fitted to a mk1 Polo from the seventies, all the mounting points are the same. The G40 did benefit from rose jointed wishbones and steering arms, as well as better springs and shocks, but it still relied on the anti roll bar as the locating link fron the wishbone to the chassis legs.Both have left me with a deep need for a supercharged…..anything really.
I have a modified G40 which sports a subframe with a rose jointed tie rod each side instead of using the ARB. The handling is much improved, but still not great compared to more modern FWD chassis.
Sleag40 said:
The handling of a standard G40 was years out of date when launched. The entire undercarriage can be fitted to a mk1 Polo from the seventies, all the mounting points are the same. The G40 did benefit from rose jointed wishbones and steering arms, as well as better springs and shocks, but it still relied on the anti roll bar as the locating link fron the wishbone to the chassis legs.
I have a modified G40 which sports a subframe with a rose jointed tie rod each side instead of using the ARB. The handling is much improved, but still not great compared to more modern FWD chassis.
with all my mods I remember a 13.2 second run a Santa pod, but heavy for a golf, found an old pic too.... I have a modified G40 which sports a subframe with a rose jointed tie rod each side instead of using the ARB. The handling is much improved, but still not great compared to more modern FWD chassis.
Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff