Not Another 73 Sprint!

[Tony Burd]

Some of you may have seen this advertised recently on the forum, yet another Mimosa 73 Sprint. The 2nd owner bought it when it was 2 years old ran it for 7 years then put it into storage when he went to work abroad. So it has been in storage since 1982.
I viewed it a couple of weeks ago & did a deal with the owner, yesterday myself & a couple of the Southern members went to pick it up, we swapped the front wheels & pumped up the rear tyres, with good foresight the owner had not applied the handbrake all those years ago & it rolled out of the garage quite easily.
It has some very minor accident damage to the front offside wing and has suffered some corrosion, the worse being the nearside front jacking point & sill.
Now safely tucked away in a garage in Andover, once VA485 is finished, I will crack on with this one.

[Matt Cotton]

Well saved Tony! Plenty to keep yourself and us entertained for sometime to come.
Good luck with it.
BW. MC

[tangocharlie1]

A few more photos of a great day out despite the weather and the awful traffic, another early one saved.

[xvivalve]

That is excellent news Tony.

I conversed with the owner myself, offering to view and hoping to secure its future as I was fearful it would fall into the 'wrong hands', especially when he cancelled saying he'd accepted an offer so rapidly!

We'd been hoping it might be the star of the Club stand unwashed and 'as found' at the NEC Restoration Show later this month...

[Tony Burd]

Cheers Alun, same as you I just wanted to get it safe.

Happy for it to go up to the NEC, the rain has washed some of the dust off, but still untouched. I could even put the flat tyres back on it.

[xvivalve]

I did caution the PO that the pattern of dust on the bonnet and garage floor could have been asbestos dust from a corrugated asbestos cement roof...I've seen it many times!

It would have to arrive at the NEC on the Thursday and be collected on the Sunday evening; would you be able to facilitate that?

[SprintV8]

Originally sold from Ewell Road Cheam,

Only just up the road from me.

Think is an office block/flats now.

A old photo

[Tony Burd]

[SprintV8]

Cheam Motors
Quite fitting really.


Believe they changed franchises a few times ended up in Ewell village selling Subaru’s.

[RSi]

What a fabulous find, and great it's gone to a good home.

[xvivalve]

Ziebart...free of charge... why would anyone not take that as an option???

[Mad Mart]

Well done Tony. I had sent the details of this one to a local chap, who was after a Sprint, but he had found a pristine one about a month ago.

This takes me back to when I was a serial restorer.

[Tony Burd]

Cheers Mart, the engine, gearbox and axle will be coming your way if you are still offering that service?
Not had a proper look yet but I think the engine might be seized. For some reason the carbs are off and in the boot, the PO couldn't remember why as he thought it was running when he put it away. The engine had a bottom end rebuild in 1980.

The PO also said he had the 4 speed box converted to Overdrive. I thought the 4 speed boxes were different to the od box?

[Mad Mart]

Yes, I'm still rebuilding these parts.

The gearboxes are pretty much the same but the main shaft is different.