One of the most fascinating parts of running our business is acquiring a new project. It’s like finding treasure that has been hidden in history. We stumble across so many lifeless metal shells, crying out for a bit of TLC, ready and waiting to be bought back to life. We travel far and wide, finding the rare, the weird and the wonderful.
We thought we’d share some of our most recent finds with you.
Just before Christmas, we flew over to Jersey after receiving a call to view a 1935 SS90 (Pictured below). It’s not the first time we’ve been called to Jersey and every time the beauty of the island surprises me. It almost felt like a holiday, we made the most of it and stayed a few days to look around; but didn’t see many Jersey cows! (I just can’t help myself, once a farmer, always a farmer!) Remember I told you it can be like finding hidden treasure, well this time, we found it in Jersey. We purchased the car and it is now back at base. The car drives like a dream and comes with a great history, it has even been featured in ‘SS1 & SS2 Cars’ by Alan Crouch – pages 116 and 117 – as a great example of the SS90. As with every vehicle that passes through our hands, we needed to make a few small improvements, just to get it up to Davenport standards and make it a definite show stopper.
Next in the queue for a Davenport Cars revamp and ready for a full restoration is a 1937 2.5 litre SS100 recently purchased from Suffolk Sportscars (www.suffolksportscars.com). This is certainly a vehicle that needs a lot of care, it’s in a very original but very tired state, there aren’t too many 100’s left like this to find, a sure diamond in the rough. With matching numbers and nothing missing, when we’re finished with the full overhaul it will most definitely be a head turner. Most cars of the same model have been restored or are in bits, so we’re lucky to have found one in its original form to work our magic on. We’re in the process of planning a total restoration on this car, but first it needs to be completely stripped before a nut and bold rebuild can take place. We are taking it back to it’s original colours, a black body with a red interior, just as it was when it left the factory almost 82 years ago. Nothing leaves our workshop without having the typical Davenport Cars concourse standard treatment and this SS100 won’t be any different.(Pictured below.)
We’re also delighted to welcome a beautiful 2.5 litre SS100 recently purchased by a customer from the RM Sotherby’s auction in Monaco, (click HERE to find out more). It’s in with our team for a check over and to sort any problems we may find along the way. We’re reinstating anything unoriginal back to its original condition, it’s what we do best! Once we’ve finished with it, this car will be ready for strong road and rally use. Here it is, pictured below, midway through a Davenport Cars check over.
Next up, not the prettiest of pictures, but certainly an exciting one for us – a recent discovery of SS1 and OHV SS parts found in Shropshire. We’ve not yet had a chance to sort through them, but it’s a job the whole team want to do – it’s a like treasure trove for these guys! I know I’ve said it before but one of the best parts of our job is finding an old shed or a barn, opening a door that’s been closed for decades and blowing the cobwebs off historical mechanics from a golden era.
Our job is renovating pieces of history and sending them on their way with a new lease of life – their next chapter awaits them. We will keep you updated on all the cars mentioned above (and more!) right here on our blog.
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Very impressed and envious because an SS 100 has always been top of my wants list, but always out of reach. Intrigued by your new hoard from Shropshire. Do you ever sell a 3.5 litre engine (pushrod, not XK) un-restored or in bits?