Not a Ginetta, but need your help please!

Not a Ginetta, but need your help please!

Author
Discussion

911hillclimber

Original Poster:

486 posts

209 months

Thursday 10th April 2008
quotequote all
I have 'found' a Nike sports racer chassis, stripped of body /eng/trans but with all suspension, about 19670's and in the way of a G22 (etc).

Might be a good hillclimb car base.

It is rare as I simply cannot find any info on this mid engined 2 seater car I hope is similar to a G22 in latout.

Do any of you know/can find info on this chassis/car manufacturer?
I know they made single seater chassis and I think they are from the USA.

Hope you can help.

Graham.

Foolish Dave

2,101 posts

270 months

Friday 11th April 2008
quotequote all
The only Nike sports car I have heard of are concept cars that make it into video games (IIRC GranTurismo4 on the PS2 had a Nike car), but nothing of the vintage you are looking at.

Maybe call up the C&SC office for help in finding more details if nothing else comes up? They seem to like very rare odd stuff like this.

g32turbo

365 posts

243 months

Friday 11th April 2008
quotequote all
Found this,

A Nike chassis Formla Ford c.1969

Nike

If you go to the main page of this site www.race-cars.com there is a link to a forum that may give you a new lead on the cars history

Edited by g32turbo on Friday 11th April 12:57

911hillclimber

Original Poster:

486 posts

209 months

Friday 11th April 2008
quotequote all
Thanks for the responses.
I've searched those before, and can only find the single seater reference too.
Not even 23 pages of google has revealed anything.

The seller says it is a Nike, but maybe it is something else?

Broomsticklady

1,095 posts

219 months

Saturday 12th April 2008
quotequote all
Nike did a few varied things - there was a 'Nike Imp' special saloon well know in West Country hillclimbing a few years ago, and a rather strange looking Nike Clubmans car with a V8 in the front (yes really!) appeared on Ebay recently.

I remember that the chap we bought the G17 from in St Austell many years ago told us that his co-driver 'had bought a Nike sports car' but we never saw it.....

911hillclimber

Original Poster:

486 posts

209 months

Saturday 12th April 2008
quotequote all
The Internet is great isn't it!

The chassis I have found used to be an Imp Special Saloon!
That fibre glass shell has long gone, but I'm told the chassis is otherwise complete less engine and box. I'm hoping to go and see it next weekend. I know the company selling the V8 engined 'Lotus 7 esc' car, a current hillclimb car.
Unbelievably, the company that made them still exists making space frame chassis! Found that out late last night searching.
If you have any details on the hillclimb Imp it would help me!

This is the only site where I get responses from on these things.

Very much appreciated.

G4Addicted

425 posts

232 months

Monday 14th April 2008
quotequote all
911hillclimber said:
The Internet is great isn't it!

The chassis I have found used to be an Imp Special Saloon!
That fibre glass shell has long gone, but I'm told the chassis is otherwise complete less engine and box. I'm hoping to go and see it next weekend.
Found a quote on the Intwernet afdter a search on 'Nike Imp' from Oddicombe hill climb in 1987: "Mike Lee collected the trophy in class 4 (special saloons up to 1300cc), the division attracting just 3 entries plus a couple of cars which were transferred from the day's opening class. Mike's well-known and unique Nike Imp screamed its way up the hill, completing the 850 yard climb in just under 40 secs, a good opening to the season for the Saltash driver."

And another from 2002 showed this in the results from Loton Park: "Des Stephenson - Nike Imp".


911hillclimber

Original Poster:

486 posts

209 months

Monday 14th April 2008
quotequote all
Thank you for the info.

That all fits in, especially as Loton Park is my motor clubs own hillclimb track!
Cannot recall the car though and I've been hillclimbing since 1991.
This all helps build a picture, and if this chassis is the right one to build a hillclimber from.

Graham.

911hillclimber

Original Poster:

486 posts

209 months

Monday 14th April 2008
quotequote all
Spoke to the man who made this chassis this moring. Most illuminating.
NIKE Mk 12, 3 made and sounds just the ticket.
The Mk 12 was made especially for fibre glass Imps!

Foolish Dave

2,101 posts

270 months

Tuesday 15th April 2008
quotequote all
911hillclimber said:
Spoke to the man who made this chassis this moring. Most illuminating.
NIKE Mk 12, 3 made and sounds just the ticket.
The Mk 12 was made especially for fibre glass Imps!
Wow! I alsways find it really impressive with very rare UK cars how, if you can find them, you can speak to the actual person that hand crafted the exact chassis, body, drivechain, etc you are looking at and then quiz them on all the quirks they found with the cars smile

Congratulations, sounds like you've found yourself a very rare chassis to build a car from smile

911hillclimber

Original Poster:

486 posts

209 months

Tuesday 15th April 2008
quotequote all
Hoping to see it this weekend.
I then have 3 things to fix:
Getting the wife to allow me to buy it
Choosing it over a full Lola rolling chassis for 6 x the cost of the 'find'
Making the decision....

I'm put off the G22 because it has a glass fibre tub with steel tube subframes front and rear. Give that a good bump on a hillclimb and the car is scrap.
A tube chassis has every chance of being fixed simply.

Thanks to all for the help. No other Forum has helped this much.

Foolish Dave

2,101 posts

270 months

Tuesday 15th April 2008
quotequote all
911hillclimber said:
Hoping to see it this weekend.
I then have 3 things to fix:
Getting the wife to allow me to buy it
Choosing it over a full Lola rolling chassis for 6 x the cost of the 'find'
Making the decision....

I'm put off the G22 because it has a glass fibre tub with steel tube subframes front and rear. Give that a good bump on a hillclimb and the car is scrap.
A tube chassis has every chance of being fixed simply.

Thanks to all for the help. No other Forum has helped this much.
Wow, tough choice! Sorry I was of no help, but nice to know I pop in and see helpful people wink

Foolish Dave

2,101 posts

270 months

Thursday 1st May 2008
quotequote all
How's it going with this?

911hillclimber

Original Poster:

486 posts

209 months

Thursday 1st May 2008
quotequote all
Bit of a merry-go-round!

Actually finally tracked the seller down and went to see the chassis.
However, with the wrong phone number and wrong address given, it was hard to see it!
However: got some pics of it finally.

The chassis is a rather simple square tube affair with flat alloy panels rivited to the floor/sides/bulkheads, but also it has all the suspension there inc drilled front discs/coil-overs etc but all very 'slight' of build. Certainly i would be nervous of fitting a 400 bhp engine in the middle.
The front uses Triumph Herald parts with custom wishbones, and the rear is similar but using Hillman Imp parts in places.

Nike did a 'Nike Imp' chassis and i think this is one of them (one of 3 built). I have passed after all this on the chassis as it is too slight for my purposes.
To build the chassis as a competition car would need some serious cash as it is very bare.
The Lolas I have looked at have all been sold (instantly). I am left so far high and dry, but still looking.
Graham.