Shortened C-V8 Convertible

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Pymmie
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Shortened C-V8 Convertible

Post by Pymmie »

Saw this on social media earlier.

Has anyone heard of this before.

Looks like it’s been shortened by around 7 inches.

Possibly in Hampshire

John P
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kees
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Re: Shortened C-V8 Convertible

Post by kees »

Looks really good. Also with the head lamp covers.
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VFK44
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Re: Shortened C-V8 Convertible

Post by VFK44 »

The creator of the black C-V8 convertible said that it might have looked better (if less practical) on a shortened wheelbase.

This one looks great - I think "jaunty" seems the word.
"Now that chassis number is particularly interesting ‘cos it’s the one after the one before, which is the one after mine, not many people know that"
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Re: Shortened C-V8 Convertible

Post by MikeWilliams »

Looks really nice, but if they'd kept the standard wheelbase there would have been space to store the hood properly (like the factory produced convertible), rather than it being stuck up on top.

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Wolfgang
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Re: Shortened C-V8 Convertible

Post by Wolfgang »

wow. what a hell of a good job. regarding the soft top - cover it in the version of a MKIII convertible...
Then it's perfect

Have a nice easter
Wolfgang
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John Staddon
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Re: Shortened C-V8 Convertible

Post by John Staddon »

I believe this is 104/2112, the owner does indeed live in Hampshire. I have known about this project for years and I have received updates on progress every now and again but I have always been sworn to secrecy and couldn't tell anyone else about it. But it's nice to see it is finally finished. What social media did it appear on?

John
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Jens
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Re: Shortened C-V8 Convertible

Post by Jens »

C-V8 Roadster - not bad at all.

I wonder how it handles on the road ...
In order of appearance:

(sold) C-V8 Mk III 112/2432
541 S 102/1035
(sold) FF MkII 127/243 (sold)
Healey Mk II 1140/14406
(sold)Jensen GT 1610/30257(sold)
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John Staddon
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Re: Shortened C-V8 Convertible

Post by John Staddon »

Remember this? Inspiration perhaps.
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felixkk
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Re: Shortened C-V8 Convertible

Post by felixkk »

Why did they shorten the car? Was it for the handling?
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John Staddon
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Re: Shortened C-V8 Convertible

Post by John Staddon »

As I recall, and I have only met the owner once and that was in 2013 at the NEC classic car show where he showed me an album of photos and described what he was doing, it is simply because the owner wanted a convertible but thought that the factory convertible, and John Seager's replica, looked ugly with the extra 8 or 9 inches added to accommodate the hood mechanism behind the rear seats so he thought he would omit the rear seats instead, but that on its own would have left some unused space behind the front seats so he shortened the car as well.

I agree the hood looks a bit unresolved and I remember the owner was having a lot of trouble trying to get it right, the photo below shows the car at least 5 years ago in the paint shop and with no hood, and with no other ornamentation, and it looks good so it is a shame the hood couldn't have been hidden away, perhaps underneath a panel flush with the bodywork. But I think this project has been 10 years in the making and if the owner couldn't find a way of hiding the hood in that time then it is probably impossible.
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felixkk
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Re: Shortened C-V8 Convertible

Post by felixkk »

It would be interesting to see the car in flesh
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Wolfgang
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Re: Shortened C-V8 Convertible

Post by Wolfgang »

will not improve the car much in perfomance, perhaps the handling is a little bit better - but only in your small hilly roads. If you like to improve the grip you also have to make him more wide in the rear - and I doubt if this will look nice. I've done it once with an AC Cobra replica based on an Jaguar E-type chassis. Cutting part of the chassis off , welding and reinforcing has taken about 4 weeks. The rest was a glass-fibre job. Then replaced the rear axle by a Mercedes one (was a hell job of adapting).
In fact it looked nice but for racing it was not much better, and to get german papers I went crazy...
Afterwards it was sold on an auction and went to USA.

To get good softtops and covers for them I'm working with Clemens Klein and/or Marius van Tilborg - they're always providing suitable solutions.

But I'd also like to see the car in nature
Best
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Jens
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Re: Shortened C-V8 Convertible

Post by Jens »

How can we distinguish the three convertibles now?

The "normal" one or "factory car"?

Roadster vs. Excellence (like Facel Vega)?

SWB vs. LWB?

All cars in pictures here:

https://jensjansen.com/blog1/2021/04/04 ... -roadster/
In order of appearance:

(sold) C-V8 Mk III 112/2432
541 S 102/1035
(sold) FF MkII 127/243 (sold)
Healey Mk II 1140/14406
(sold)Jensen GT 1610/30257(sold)
Scimitar GTE SE5
Gordon Keeble #21
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Wolfgang
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Re: Shortened C-V8 Convertible

Post by Wolfgang »

all looking very nice, never driven an C-V8 up to now, personally I would prefer the shortened one - more challenge for drifting over the rear axle...
Jensen Interceptor MKIII convertible
Ford GT 40
Ferrari F430 F1 (sold)
Lotus Super Seven (Westfield)
Mercedes SLK AMG
and some others...
www.doctors-garage.be
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Re: Shortened C-V8 Convertible

Post by John Staddon »

There was another convertible, 104/2053. The story is that it belonged to Joe Cassar, brother of Frank and Andrew, and Joe decided to make it into a convertible, the project was started but abandoned when the car was damaged in a flood. I have been told it was an insurance write off but the car itself wasn't damaged as it was up on a ramp when the flood happened, it was the interior and whatever parts had been stripped off the car that were damaged. Joe Cassar sold the car in whatever state it was in to Chris Harber and Chris sold it on to Duncan Clarke, this was in the early 1990s. Chris Harber is still very much around (he rang me 3 times yesterday) but he doesn't know what Duncan Clark did with it, Andrew Cassar thought Joe might have kept tabs on it but though I emailed Joe to ask if he knew more i never received a reply (Andrew warned me I might not and I didn't try again) and Duncan Clarke is no longer with us and the trail goes cold after that. 2053 is probably gone, but already this year two C-V8s have appeared that haven't been seen for 50 years in one case and over 30 years in the other and you can never say a car has really gone unless somebody confirms scrapping it.

John
Early Interceptor INT885347
C-V8 Mk111 112/2334
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