My first car was a 1967 Rover 2000 TC. A while back I discovered that K&R Replicas in England makes a 1/43 white metal kit of the 1965 prototype that ran in the Monte Carlo, winning the two-litre Touring class and finishing 6th overall. So of course I had to have it.
And while it is small, it is curbside so shouldn't be too difficult. (That last sentence has already come back to haunt me as I am currently on my third attempt to get primer to stick properly). Once done, it will sit on the 1/43 shelf next to my BRM H16 and a diecast 1939 Delage D8-120 Laundalette by Solido given to me as a gift some number of decades ago.
The car that ran in the Monte Carlo in 1965 was the prototype twin-carb (TC) model, with a pair of enormous SU's replacing the single unit on the regular car (which soon became known informally as the SC). This also required a new cylinder head, as the inlet manifold on the SC engine was cast into the head with only one inlet port. And as the head is just a flat milled surface, with the hemispherical combustion chamber cast into the tops of the pistons, the 10:1 compression ratio was obtained with new shallower pistons. In turn the 10:1 ratio required 100 octane fuel, which is not to my knowledge available anywhere anymore, except possibly at airports servicing piston aero-engines. I recall Sunoco used to offer it at some stations at exorbitant prices.
What was it like to own? Well, with a de Dion rear axle and 4 disc brakes (inboard at the back), the handling and braking were superb for its day. Suspension was at the cushy, Jaguar end of the spectrum, rather than the ultra-stiff German approach, but without being a wallowing pig like my '78 Dodge Monaco. Lean in corners was substantial but it cornered well, the significant levels of understeer being due to the lack of sufficient power to break the rear end loose. Inside it was all leather seats, wool carpets and wood trim, with a lovely big wood-rimmed steering wheel on two aluminum spokes. The vent windows, one in each door, were opened and closed by gorgeous little stainless steel 4-bar linkages, the doors closed with a solid, gentle 'thunk', and all the switch gear felt like it was machined from billets of titanium. As befits the popular moniker of 'the poor man's Jag', however, the wood was veneer, not solid; and the 120 horsepower on tap was not really all that much given the substantial avoirdupoids. Certainly 3.8 Jag sedans were a lot faster. The close-ratio four-speed box and 4.11:1 final drive ratio, while providing some useful oomph in getting away from a stop, conspired with the peaky torque curve to require 4500 RPM for cruising at 120 km/h, right in the primary vibration zone of this highly stressed little four cylinder. And the less said about the Lucas generator and voltage regulator, the better. The later 3500 S, with the Buick-Olds-Pontiac 215 cubic inch aluminum V8, was far more civilised, even though it retained the Lucas electrical system and swapped the conventional American carb for a pair of SUs. The last 3500 model, which featured a different body with a hatchback, was fast but represented a step backwards with the return of a solid axle and a bunch of new British Leyland quality control issues on top of the usual Lucas worries.
So the kit, which is mainly white metal, is being prepped and primered. Stay tuned!
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