Mk1 Cavalier Sportshatch GLS with late Rover SD1 Vitesse 3.5 V8 and manual 5 speed box (checked the engine number). Uprated jag double shocker rear axle (unsure what model exactly it’s from) a rare car in standard form let alone with a V8 fitted! I’ve lavished my spare time and money on this car for the last 4 years. 59000 miles indicated on the clocks. I did find some history in the car including old owner information, a user’s manual and some brief service history (irrelevant but nice). I have a stack of bills from my ownership for all the work I’ve had carried out and a Haynes manual.
Me and my mates nicknamed this car the Bovril Bullet!
As always, life has got in the way of this for me now and I’m trying to buy a house so I need to realistic.
Finished in its lovely original brown metallic and built in the early 90’s by an engine tuning company in Oxfordshire (no longer around) it then spent its life from 1995 to 2011 off the road (when I purchased the car)
Que me spending several thousand pounds on getting it to where it is now!
The car is running and I did get it MOT’d last year, however its failed its MOT for this year last week and I’ve decided to move it on to someone who can give it their full attention and finish it off.
This is a GLS model so it was meant to be top spec. Metallic brown paint (I love it) brown tinted glass, sunroof, velour interior (now gone as it was pretty ruined!)
I’ve spent over £700 on getting the shell solid again. This has included new inner/outer sills, front passenger inner arch being rebuilt, some work to the bulkhead behind the master cylinder, the floor being made solid and work to the chassis swan necks. A lot of hard work already done there. Welding wise as its sound and can be put on a 4 point lift no bother.
I’ve fitted new front shocks, a refurbed (re-cored) radiator, fully serviced it so new plugs, leads, oil (it has a remote oil filter kit fitted) new battery, refurbed petrol tank and the brakes were worked on for the previous MOT. I bought at great expense a full Manta black with yellow check Recaro interior which is partially fitted (door cards and front seats, but all included all this is worth £3-400 on its own) At the end of last summer I painted the whole of the floor inside with 3 coats of black Hammerite, as well as fitting a full black manta dash (undamaged!) It also has a very desirable manta chrome steering wheel fitted. The car has a stainless exhaust fitted mated to custom headers (if I’m honest these could be better) the exhaust is in good condition, cost a previous owner in excess of £500 and sounds amazing. The sound this thing makes sold the car to me, even In the sorry state I bought it! Cannot stress enough how good it sounds, it’s a proper man toy!
The car sits on a nice dishy set of Weller 14inch steel wheels finished in an off white/greyish colour with black pin stripe to the rim. Decent Colway tyres.
All chromework is intact (bar that for the passenger wing) which is damaged and a pattern part. I do however have a very good genuine rust free wing to go with the car. I fitted a very good condition chrome front bumper, and a re-chromed front strip. The drivers side headlight is a new old stock item as well.
I’ve spent countless hours taking parts off and painting them or replacing parts.
What did it fail on?
Indicator wiring circuit needs looking at (could be corrosion as it was fine for last MOT), it also failed on emissions as the carbs need setting up as its running rich on one bank.
The brakes need looking at, ideally new calipers on the front as the seals on them are tired/missing (advice from garage) and the rear drums need looking at again from sitting.
I haven’t got the fail sheet to hand but I think that’s the main bulk of stuff. The car has rust in the panels, the bonnet has rust, so does the tailgate and the drivers door, but nothing that cant be saved or replaced (manta panels go very cheap!)
This is by no means a show car and will need more love and attention to get it to a reliable useable condition. It is however an extremely rare piece of kit which is immense to drive, even if its just to see the looks on peoples faces!
If genuinely interested I strongly suggest coming to view the car which is at a garage where I had a lot of work done in Stevenage, Hertfordshire (A1 Junction 7/8) Please don’t be under the illusion that this is a car that will be done in a couple of days and that you can use to commute 50 miles to work and back in, it’s an almost useable project that will need constant tinkering and love.
It will need to be trailered due to no current MOT. To give you an idea of parts on this car here is a brief price breakdown of parts;
Engine & Gearbox £6-700
Exhaust £150-200
Interior £3-400
Wheels £200
Bumpers/Chromework £150-200
Dash parts £50
Modified V8 Shell/Misc parts £4-500
These are reasonable estimates of parts in the car. I have trawled high and low for the parts fitted and spent several weekends collecting them!
It owes me in the region of £3500 from parts and labour (not including my time and this is a very conservative estimate!)
I’m looking for £1750 ONO for it as it is.
I’d like to see it fully restored as its had so much work done already it would be a huge shame to strip it , but obviously that’s up to the buyer.
I would also consider swaps/px for some interesting and running with MOT, but bear in mind my car needs to be collected and trailered away.
There will be things I’ve missed and please feel free to ask questions, like I say if serious come and have a look.
Me and my mates nicknamed this car the Bovril Bullet!
As always, life has got in the way of this for me now and I’m trying to buy a house so I need to realistic.
Finished in its lovely original brown metallic and built in the early 90’s by an engine tuning company in Oxfordshire (no longer around) it then spent its life from 1995 to 2011 off the road (when I purchased the car)
Que me spending several thousand pounds on getting it to where it is now!
The car is running and I did get it MOT’d last year, however its failed its MOT for this year last week and I’ve decided to move it on to someone who can give it their full attention and finish it off.
This is a GLS model so it was meant to be top spec. Metallic brown paint (I love it) brown tinted glass, sunroof, velour interior (now gone as it was pretty ruined!)
I’ve spent over £700 on getting the shell solid again. This has included new inner/outer sills, front passenger inner arch being rebuilt, some work to the bulkhead behind the master cylinder, the floor being made solid and work to the chassis swan necks. A lot of hard work already done there. Welding wise as its sound and can be put on a 4 point lift no bother.
I’ve fitted new front shocks, a refurbed (re-cored) radiator, fully serviced it so new plugs, leads, oil (it has a remote oil filter kit fitted) new battery, refurbed petrol tank and the brakes were worked on for the previous MOT. I bought at great expense a full Manta black with yellow check Recaro interior which is partially fitted (door cards and front seats, but all included all this is worth £3-400 on its own) At the end of last summer I painted the whole of the floor inside with 3 coats of black Hammerite, as well as fitting a full black manta dash (undamaged!) It also has a very desirable manta chrome steering wheel fitted. The car has a stainless exhaust fitted mated to custom headers (if I’m honest these could be better) the exhaust is in good condition, cost a previous owner in excess of £500 and sounds amazing. The sound this thing makes sold the car to me, even In the sorry state I bought it! Cannot stress enough how good it sounds, it’s a proper man toy!
The car sits on a nice dishy set of Weller 14inch steel wheels finished in an off white/greyish colour with black pin stripe to the rim. Decent Colway tyres.
All chromework is intact (bar that for the passenger wing) which is damaged and a pattern part. I do however have a very good genuine rust free wing to go with the car. I fitted a very good condition chrome front bumper, and a re-chromed front strip. The drivers side headlight is a new old stock item as well.
I’ve spent countless hours taking parts off and painting them or replacing parts.
What did it fail on?
Indicator wiring circuit needs looking at (could be corrosion as it was fine for last MOT), it also failed on emissions as the carbs need setting up as its running rich on one bank.
The brakes need looking at, ideally new calipers on the front as the seals on them are tired/missing (advice from garage) and the rear drums need looking at again from sitting.
I haven’t got the fail sheet to hand but I think that’s the main bulk of stuff. The car has rust in the panels, the bonnet has rust, so does the tailgate and the drivers door, but nothing that cant be saved or replaced (manta panels go very cheap!)
This is by no means a show car and will need more love and attention to get it to a reliable useable condition. It is however an extremely rare piece of kit which is immense to drive, even if its just to see the looks on peoples faces!
If genuinely interested I strongly suggest coming to view the car which is at a garage where I had a lot of work done in Stevenage, Hertfordshire (A1 Junction 7/8) Please don’t be under the illusion that this is a car that will be done in a couple of days and that you can use to commute 50 miles to work and back in, it’s an almost useable project that will need constant tinkering and love.
It will need to be trailered due to no current MOT. To give you an idea of parts on this car here is a brief price breakdown of parts;
Engine & Gearbox £6-700
Exhaust £150-200
Interior £3-400
Wheels £200
Bumpers/Chromework £150-200
Dash parts £50
Modified V8 Shell/Misc parts £4-500
These are reasonable estimates of parts in the car. I have trawled high and low for the parts fitted and spent several weekends collecting them!
It owes me in the region of £3500 from parts and labour (not including my time and this is a very conservative estimate!)
I’m looking for £1750 ONO for it as it is.
I’d like to see it fully restored as its had so much work done already it would be a huge shame to strip it , but obviously that’s up to the buyer.
I would also consider swaps/px for some interesting and running with MOT, but bear in mind my car needs to be collected and trailered away.
There will be things I’ve missed and please feel free to ask questions, like I say if serious come and have a look.
