South London Sport

[stanley sweet]

I remember in the late 60's and early 70's me and my brother would visit the Motor Show at Earl's Court. Having seen all the exotica we would never see on the streets of Canning Town where we lived, we would emerge and ask each other which car we would have? Each year the answer was Aston Martin. I remember us staring in disbelief at a lime green Miura but although impressed we urchins decided the banana shaped seats would kill your back and Aston won again. All these years later I still love the understated style.

[DavidLaver]

Its still there... 

About all I've done "recently" is rip some of the headlining out.  That was later the day Simon Ingman sat in it on (very much a flying) visit from France.  That was late October. I'm looking forward to seeing it in the light to work out what is glue residue and what it rust.  At least the main panel is ali so nothing like as bad as it looks here.

The headlining is pretty simple: thin stretchy cloth glued to foam glued to the roof.  An idea for something simpler is a pleated pad for the middle section (like a 2000's) and leave bare ali round the edges.  That came from someone familiar with Fiat 500s.

David

[stanley sweet]

Lots of work to do but it's such a gorgeous car in that rear three quarter shot. Are you doing all the work outside or do you have garage space?

[DavidLaver]

I've got garage space but that one has yet to go indoors.  It will have to at some point.  At the moment I've no time anyway so its academic.

[bobhenry999]

David,

I have spent the last half hour going through all of the pages of your time with the Sport, and loved every minute, you really have taken on quite a challenge.

Keep up the hard work, and carry on posting photos of the resurrection, and remember, it will be worth it in the end.

Regards,

Bob Dow

[DavidLaver]

I haven't even started... 

Had the cover off today with the excuse that the last of the leaves needed sweeping.  I had a close look at how the screen surround joins the roof.  Fascinating thing, and to keep positive all the more so with the construction exposed.  Rolls sweetly, gears drop in easily, steering is lovely even to push it back and forth.

[DavidLaver]

No comments on these in the hope its more fun to try and work out what you are looking at.

[DavidLaver]

More.

[stanley sweet]

Those rear quarterlights are so quirky but I really like them. Looks great sitting on its whitewalls - real 60's glamour. Are all the body panels aluminium?

[DavidLaver]

The one steel panel is the fuel filler flap.

[DavidLaver]

Just using this as a place to store the link:

http://www.qpaints.co.uk/mule-skinner-brush-shank.html
http://www.qpaints.co.uk/mule-skin-brush.html

[Richard Fridd]

I see there is a Sport also in need of "tidying up" at http://www.verelancia.com/#/lancia-flavia-sport-nrestored/4587920437

[fay66]

I see there is a Sport also in need of "tidying up" at http://www.verelancia.com/#/lancia-flavia-sport-nrestored/4587920437

Optimistic if nothing else!

Brian
8227

[brian]

Ye gods! A cheap runner! There is probably no worse car to "quick fix" than a Flavia Zagato as there are so many potentially weak areas. The body, brakes will be unusable, the engine seized, just doing a decent paint job would be difficult = I could go on. A snip at £10,000!!!!

[DavidLaver]

A comment on an Appia thread prompted the following reply.  For completeness I thought I'd copy it here as well:

http://www.lancia.myzen.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=6943.msg56915#msg56915

That Flavia Zagato is there as the mother of all projects to stop me buying anything else!!!  There was no expectation of a quick turn round or any sort of deadline.  It's a "journey as much as the arrival" project: the people and knowledge and skills and the simple plain preoccupying interest of it.  I've sometimes wondered if I have a weird phobia of running out of projects.  That Flavia is such a task it should keep me busy forever.  I've two other cars in the "running repairs" / "just needs using" / "list of niggles and improvements" categories. I've a car that needs "a bit of patching up and get it going" and another for "restoration and re-body" so you'd think I'd be ok for the foreseeable. 

Not sure its always good to ask "what was I thinking" but I've yet to regret that car.

What drew me in...?  I fell for the look and the packaging, the ability to cruise all day on the motorway, the proven rally heritage in the mountains.  (Looking at that list I also think as a replacement for the Aurelia I had to let go, along with the thought that its "better" in many ways: brakes, first gear, stability, visibility, ride, refinement but still with much of the old school build quality and a coach build besides).  The other cars are much more toys than the Flavia, a proper grown up use every day go anywhere GT.

The rotten ali over a failed structure with some extremely rare bits to find or replace?  I think that was part of the draw, along with the challenge to even move it, but the prize at the end had to be worth the trial.  It responded so well to the first few hours - dash pulled straight, gear lever in place and the gears selected beautifully, scrub up the seats.  It rolls and steers so nicely and the handbrake works.   

Its a static exhibit, a focus of long term ambition. Its fun to have, fun to work on.

David