My old fun car

Birchall

Birchall

Dick Chown Award 2016
While going through my old pictures I came across a couple that showed my fun car. Of all of the modified cars I have built and owned this one used to make me smile more than any other.

It was a tiny Daihatsu pick up, rusty and standard looking. BUT it had a mid mounted Rover V8 and Jag IRS axle (from an E Type).

It just looked so small and it was much lighter than an A2.

Pull away hard and the front wheels lifted off.

The mid mounted light V8 meant that it actually handled really well.

The pictures show it at the York drag strip, back then I had a two car transporter so I took it along with my (street legal) Drag racer, a 10 second quarter mile and 0 to 60 in 2 seconds and it was a Ford Escort mark 1 (also with a Rover V8 and two nitrous oxide kits!)

In between the racing, a few cars were let on to the track. I was lined up with a really nice (and quick) race car. I managed to leave it for dead and the crowd loved it!!

Those were the days!!

Warming the tyres
Ed Turners pick up burn out.jpg

The tin box hides the V8
Ed Turners pick up.jpg

The race against the drag racer (it came second)
Ed Turners pick up race.jpg



My Race car just about to launch
ed lined up.jpg
 
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And the other transporter!!

Two Fords, both street legal, 16 cylinders between them.

ed race car and tow car.jpg




And the taxi (had to include this 8.2 litres of muscle!!!)
(Zipnjeff stance!)

Taxi in Windsor.jpg
 
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Ile second that and i imagine it was a right beast, by any chance was it road legal...

hears a pic of a X7 powered go cart me and a buddy built in our teens and was great fun ripping around the old runways and fields around my way.

X7 beast.jpg

now that taxi looks impresive , did you get any fares or i should say did anyone dare get in it
 
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JIGSAW said:
now that taxi looks impresive , did you get any fares or i should say did anyone dare get in it
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There wasn't much room left in the back anyway. The wheel tubs had to be widened to take the 18" WIDE wheels within the bodywork.

Copy of taxi 011.JPG

But a few people tried to get in and failed (that is why I removed the handles and fitted remote openers!!!)

rick%20026.jpg
 
Crickey i bet that was a ride and a half for the one fair paying passenger lmfao "laughing my fecking bottom off "

well all i can say is she looks absolutly stunning and exceptionaly detailed as looks amazing to us mear mortals

very much respect Gary
 
Some more pictures


The engine !!!! 502 ci (8.2 litre) 450 BHP and 500lb ft torque!
DSCF0439.JPG


The dash board (as you can see I always prefer white dials)
DSCF0514.JPG



The fake Taxi License on the back (strangely I never received a ticket for using bus lanes in the taxi.) ;)
But the reg plate was genuine!!!
Uxbridge rear bmp.jpg


Steve B
 
Steve I must say I'm very disappointed by these pictures......... I was hoping for another of that 70's mustache :)

Do you still have the taxi?
 
A2Steve said:
Steve I must say I'm very disappointed by these pictures......... I was hoping for another of that 70's mustache :)

Do you still have the taxi?
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Unfortunately not, I sold it a couple of years ago to a guy in Austria.

I sold it for one sixth of the cost, but I had many years of pleasure from it.


One of the pictures above is it parked outside a souvenir shop in the centre of Windsor.

I used to stand on the other side of the street and operate the hydraulics remotely from a key fob in my pocket and the look on peoples faces when it just dropped to the ground or started to dance!!! I still smile when I think of that.

Steve B
 
And for those that haven't seen it before, this is the showroom I set up back in the late 80's specialising in unusual cars.

The name "Ed Turners" just came to me. We used to get lots of people ringing up and asking to speak to Ed.

Ed Turners.jpg

One of the scariest cars we built was a 4 wheel drive Fiat 126 (a tiny car, much smaller than the A2) with a mid mounted V8

Horrible front end panelling (already done when we bought it) and the V8 was inside the rear of the car (just missing the windows) mounted to a Range Rover gearbox and 4 wheel drive set up.

I drove it around the block when it was finished and decided to never drive it again, it was SCARILY quick.

ed V8 126.jpg

Steve B
 
And the Escort drag car (street legal as I said) warming its tyres at Santa Pod.

ed Escort burnout side.jpg
ed burnout.jpg

Steve B
 
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Sounds like you had some fun times back then Steve, I loved the custom car scene when in my teens, brings back fond memories of custom car shows!
Cheers Jeff
 
Jeffers66 said:
Sounds like you had some fun times back then Steve, I loved the custom car scene when in my teens, brings back fond memories of custom car shows!
Cheers Jeff
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Yes Jeff, happy times indeed.

I wish I had the cars back, I also wish I had all of the money back that I had spent on cars!!!

But I would rather have the cars I think!

Steve B
 
Philip said:
Cool! Are you still involved with the hot rod/street rod thing at all?
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No, not any more unfortunately. I lost the car showroom thanks to Maggie Thatcher and the recession.

We were selling 12 cars a month too and that is a lot for cars of that type. But the rent rocketed, costs spiralled and customers could not afford a fun car.

I carried on drag racing for a few years and built several modified cars and only recently decided that I can no longer do my own work on cars. The taxi was the last one and it is quite a compliment to the A2 that it is my last ever project.

Steve B
 
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