SPRINT CHASSIS??

[DAVE944]

Hi guys a friend and I recently got a very early sprint and it is now being restored from ground up as it badly needs it.
the car is m Reg, and chassis no VA 69 DL. Nimosa of course although its green a present the nimosa will return on her when done.
Question is ?? How many cars are Known to us below say the first 100 made that are still around and anyone here have a chassis number near this one ..???
I read before a long time ago that the first 100 or so sprints were all used to promote the cars and were put out into showrooms to take the orders for them and first 20 went to Geneva.. if this is correct then this 69 must be one of them anyone else got one of these such cars..

[Toledo Man]

VA1 is in the Coventry Transport Museum and VA6 belongs to Paul & Polly B. They're the 2 oldest surviving Sprints.

[DAVE944]

is there any more very early ones around under say 500 vin ??

[xvivalve]

41 was scrapped a while ago, I owned 122 for a while and I believe it still exists a couple of owners on but is off road, Paul Geering owns 124, Len Hughes owns 369 (?) 488 rings a bell and Saj tells me this evening he has 489 to name but a few.

Mike Barker probably knows more than most about early survivors...

[Toledo Man]

VA41 belonged to Julian (tinweevil) and I knew the previous owner. I think VA28 is owned by somebody on this forum (it might be Steve28). Alun, VA488 also rings a bell with me and of course, Mike's own Sprint is VA969. He also had a couple of Sprint autos of the same vintage. Ian (fellow mod) owned VA154 back inthe 90s.

[Steve28]

VA41 belonged to Julian (tinweevil) and I knew the previous owner. I think VA28 is owned by somebody on this forum (it might be Steve28). Alun, VA488 also rings a bell with me and of course, Mike's own Sprint is VA969. He also had a couple of Sprint autos of the same vintage. Ian (fellow mod) owned VA154 back inthe 90s.

I wish i had VA28 but no my L reg is VA4**

[simonhorton]

Hi,
There cannot be many early 1973 Sprints left now
I'm currently restoring mine , chassis number ( I think ) is below VA 60
Need to find my log book and VIN plate , as I took them off over 10 years ago

Regards Simon

[Steve28]

Hi,
There cannot be many early 1973 Sprints left now
I'm currently restoring mine , chassis number ( I think ) is below VA 60
Need to find my log book and VIN plate , as I took them off over 10 years ago

Regards Simon

I dont know what the release date was or the earliest registered survivors are but mine was registered on 1/7/73

steve

[simonhorton]

Hi,
If you get a British motor heritage certificate , it will give the BUILT date for your car


Mine was REGISTERED on 23/7/73. , but I am overseas

Simon

[soe8m]

In Holland there's a mimosa early one but do not know the vin. I thought it was in the 200's.

Jeroen

[Hobo]

41 was scrapped a while ago, I owned 122 for a while and I believe it still exists a couple of owners on but is off road, Paul Geering owns 124, Len Hughes owns 369 (?) 488 rings a bell and Saj tells me this evening he has 489 to name but a few.

Mike Barker probably knows more than most about early survivors...

Yes, VA 489 is mine. VA 488 belongs to EDINDUNDEE'S brother.

Saj

[HF4WD]

41 was scrapped a while ago, I owned 122 for a while and I believe it still exists a couple of owners on but is off road, Paul Geering owns 124, Len Hughes owns 369 (?) 488 rings a bell and Saj tells me this evening he has 489 to name but a few.

Mike Barker probably knows more than most about early survivors...

Yes, VA 489 is mine. VA 488 belongs to EDINDUNDEE'S brother.

Saj

You forgot to mention your other 3 that are under 1000 chassis range Saj

By the way - had a few emails over the past few days. Martin has now got the NOS Jack shaft and NOS Vand Crank shells, he Will drop them off to you during Friday at some point. That Cam is also sat there if you want it, it's again NOS.

Bill said that he was having problems trying to locate the roof lining but has found it now.
The Vinyl roof kit along with the roof lining will be available to collect from the workshop when you are ready
You should have most of the parts now


Did you buy that Sprint today? Debbie told me you were out looking at it this evening. - are you getting rid of Mr Tahiti 79???. If you are, Andy555 would be interested in it as he has just written off POR on Bank holiday. Lost it round an 'S' bend when the LSD locked up . Jed reckons that the Romanian guy who put the axle together didn't know his arse from his elbow and that's why it broke up. I don't know for sure myself, but will find out on Saturday when he emails me after it gets recovered back to his home.
A Banana looks more straight than the shell from the picture that I saw. It went sideways into a tree when he was going pretty much flat out round the bend.

[Hobo]

41 was scrapped a while ago, I owned 122 for a while and I believe it still exists a couple of owners on but is off road, Paul Geering owns 124, Len Hughes owns 369 (?) 488 rings a bell and Saj tells me this evening he has 489 to name but a few.

Mike Barker probably knows more than most about early survivors...

Yes, VA 489 is mine. VA 488 belongs to EDINDUNDEE'S brother.

Saj

You forgot to mention your other 3 that are under 1000 chassis range Saj

No one asked me



By the way - had a few emails over the past few days. Martin has now got the NOS Jack shaft and NOS Vand Crank shells, he Will drop them off to you during Friday at some point. That Cam is also sat there if you want it, it's again NOS.

Spot on, will have the Cam also.....

Bill said that he was having problems trying to locate the roof lining but has found it now.
The Vinyl roof kit along with the roof lining will be available to collect from the workshop when you are ready
You should have most of the parts now

I'm going up there this evening to pick it all up. I'm almost complete on the rear of the car, just need to get the roof finished.


Did you buy that Sprint today? Debbie told me you were out looking at it this evening. - are you getting rid of Mr Tahiti 79???. If you are, Andy555 would be interested in it as he has just written off POR on Bank holiday. Lost it round an 'S' bend when the LSD locked up . Jed reckons that the Romanian guy who put the axle together didn't know his arse from his elbow and that's why it broke up. I don't know for sure myself, but will find out on Saturday when he emails me after it gets recovered back to his home.
A Banana looks more straight than the shell from the picture that I saw. It went sideways into a tree when he was going pretty much flat out round the bend.

Poor bloke , the money that went into that car......
I got a text from him this morning telling me what had happened, I reckon he can salvage a majority of the car if he breaks it, it's just the nearside centre that has gone in. The shell is destined for new Baked bean tins now.
The axle guy isn't the best of mechanics, the Capri 280 Gearbox rebuild in Uxbridge says it all!!!!!!.

The 79 Tahiti is Dad's now, so it won't be going anywhere for the moment.
And yes, I made a deal on the Sprint......

[Toledo Man]

Mike, Steve28 doesn't own VA28 (I thought he might've) but he does own an early Sprint. The previous owner of VA41 before Julian was a local guy called Neil who ebayed it which is how it came into Julian's custodianship. What were the VA numbers for the 2 autos that passed through your hands? There was the Mimosa one ("OEL" IIRC) which you broke and the French blue one which was on the cusp of being restored.

[DAVE944]

Yes We definitely have SYD 530 M ,, Chassis no 69.
SHE IS IN NORTHERN IRELAND.
and at present being totally stripped for a full ground up restoration.