Hi - I've been playing around with the idea of a special for ages - but now any vaguely interesting chassis goes for a fair whack and in any case the regs around specials have become much tighter - which makes me think that scratch building to IVA standards might make sense.

What I'm after is something which looks right and has the right proprtions...think 19" wheels, leaf sprung all round, steering box, drum brakes, doorless two seat body.

Have been flicking through the manual and I can't see it's an insuperable problem with judicious use of domed nut covers and shrink fit on the chassis components. Head rests could be made detachable, and one simply keeps the 700mm min height in proprtion with a very high bonnet, rather early 1920s!

What do you folk think?

Tricks being missed? Un-doable? Has anyone done it? All thoughts much appreciated!

PS Yes it will look daft with white and yellow Q plates. But if I really get the look right I must just be tempted to have black and white painted Q plates.....with the modern ones carried in the car ready to put back on if the police object!

[Edited on 30/6/18 by turnbuckle]

How about this to wet your appetite. Wouldn't pass IVA of course but a cracking piece of kit and the builder, Odgie Danaan is a legend.

http://www.olskoolrodz.com/the-imposter/

Not far off my thinking at all, only with a later style body from the bulkhead back.

Now, thinking about the front end, surely with radiusing and some nut covers and perhaps a valance, why couldn't that pass IVA?

No reason really because we all know that parts will tend to fall off.......... er ....... at a later stage.

Sounds like a great project, get it made!

The Bugatti Owner' Club trialed to get a Bugatti (unmodified) through IVA and it would have failed.

Body radius, emissions and braking were the major fails.

On the other hand Atalanta Motors does a thirties sport car with new registration (and Morgan, I guess)

The Atalanta is gorgeous, but a bit too late in feel - and I think those panels might tax my skills a leetle bit!

I thought the emissions where dependent on engine age?

Brakes more of a worry, I had assumed light weight would give enough efficiency, will have to look at that bit again of the manual, it's the disk brakes which ruin the look of so many attempts at this sort of thing.

sounds like a grand plan, re the brakes, there was one of these silly American hot rod progs on you tube where they had what looked like a huge brake drum, it was an ally cover with a disc brake hidden behind it.

100 % my thinking too, 1936 Riley mph and Wolseley Hornet are my cues for ideas. I had a good look at volvo rod and felt 600mm was the ideal dash height, 700mm just looks so high.
Im cutting up a wolsy 450 radiator cover which is post war but styled exactly like a pre war wolsy 10.
Packaging a stiff frame in the sillhouette is proving to be tricky though.