1935 Austin Seven Nippy, 1958 BSA Bantam Super, 1971 Lancia Fulvia,1973 Lotus Elan 2+2, 1998 Lotus Elise Will Hughes, Narberth

A varied collection with Lotus at its heart.

There’s a bit of a theme here…

‘Yes, I’ve always been a Lotus man through and through. I’ve always been interested in the company and its history and a fan of Colin Chapman and his way of doing things. Something I love about a Lotus is that they were built by people in sheds – which means it’s a lot easier for us to rebuild them, rather than needing to be a robot!’

The Elan looks stunning. Has it needed much work?

‘You could say that – I’ve given it a total rebuild, right down to the bare chassis and up again. I bought in 2000 as a project and took eight years to complete it, although in that time I had rebuilt three Minis – one for my son, one for my daughter and one for myself. You could say I’m a serial restorer! The Elan’s body had its own unique challenges, being glassfibre, but at least corrosion was limited to the chassis on that one. I’ve also got a Land Rover that I restored after the Lotus… that had enough rust for the both of them!

Elan was an eight-year labour of love.

What of the Austin Seven?

‘I wanted something to represent Colin Chapman’s early years, and the Austin Seven was very much the backbone of that – the first car he built himself was a trials car based on a 1928 Austin Seven. I looked around for ages before finding this one – a Nippy – and am currently in the midst of a full nut and bolt restoration. It’s a genuinely enjoyable project, as most parts are available. I’ve rebuilt every part of the suspension and chassis and recently reunited it with the body tub which also required rebuilding and respraying. It’s finally coming together now, and I’m currently in the process of fitting the new wiring harness.’

Austin Nippy pays homage to Chapman’s early years.

The Elise is a bit of a contrast…

‘It is rather! That one’s not had a full rebuild, though, however I have done the head gasket – it being a K-series – and have upgraded the suspension with Bilstein dampers. It’s great fun on country lanes.’

What has the Lancia needed?

‘Not much really. I bought already restored, but me being me, I’ve still ended up tinkering with it. I’ve had the back axle off, as well as the rear springs. I cleaned everything up and fitted new brake pipes and pads before refitting it. I’ve also had the cylinderhead off the V4, replaced the valves and generally tidied it up.’

Will stripped Lancia’s V4 to replace the valves.

What’s the story with the bike?

‘It’s a BSA Bantam Super that has been in this village all of its life. My son bought it from the original owner – who’s still with us – and we restored it a number of years ago. It’s a little piece of local social history and doesn’t take up too much room in the garage!’

Bantam has been in the village all its life.

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TEAM ADVENTURE

Danny takes an MR2 from a barn to the beach via a remarkable revival…

WORDS DANNY HOPKINS PHOTOGRAPHY DANNY HOPKINS & MATT HOWELL

It started with a phone call. Not the phone call that alerted me to a garage-find MR2 MkII (SW20), but the phone call I received in the van with Clive as we transported said MR2 back to the Practical Classics Workshop. I had alerted Nik Milford, of the MR2 Driver’s Club, to the fact I had acquired an early example of the Mk2, a car from the first year production, and one that still had its Ayton Senna developed suspension intact. Nik's call back was a very simple one. She wanted to invite me to the club’s annual rally in Warwick in three weeks and asked for my address so I could join the club. Nik is a very difficult lady to say no to, so I signed up on both counts.

Then I realised that she meant for me to come to the annual rally in the car that I just dragged out of its garage ‘nest’. I paused then informed her that all the brakes were seized in the car hadn't been anywhere since before Covid. Then the killer blow.... 'Danny you are editor of Practical Classics, if anyone is able to do this, you are!' I had the phone on speaker, and by this point, Clive was laughing... he knew that I had been hooked. I was in, and there was absolutely no getting out…

First light after eight years.

1990 MR2 SW20 G Model

• Engine 1998cc/4-cyl/DOHC

• Power 119bhp@5600rpm

• Torque 130lb ft@4400rpm

• Gearbox 5-speed manual

• 0-60mph 9.3sec

• Top speed 124mph

• Fuel economy 35mpg

Steve says farewell to the MR2.

So once back in the Workshop, it was time to get cracking. I booked an MoT for the Friday before the show itself in order to give myself as much time as possible to get the car roadworthy. Then I started with the brakes, all of which were seized on and all of which needed removing and rebuilding. The front right-hand-side caliper was completely seized, and no amount of BDX Bulldog could free it off. I went online to see if I could find a replacement item and then realised that, being a car from the first year of production, a ‘Revision 1’ model, with the early suspension set up, second-hand calipers were not thick on the ground.

I found a used caliper in good condition, bought it, fitted it and, along with the rest of the brakes, discovered that, once set up and bled, every wheel span freely when the pedal wasn't depressed and stopped when it was. Next it was the engine. I bought a new battery, changed the oil and filters and then turned it over by hand with the plugs out. It turned. The fact that it turned quite happily was a source of great joy. The fact that the engine fired up immediately when I supplied to my electricity to the plugs was an even greater source of ecstasy. Toyota know how to make cars and this one really wanted to live.

‘Eight years unused, the grime was everywhere’

Up in the air break rebuild.

Running the engine up to temperature was the next part of the equation and, with the notoriously-difficult-to-bleed cooling system on the MR2 my next potential headache, I was having crossed fingers moment. When the fans came on and the temperature stayed true and level I gave myself a little high-five and the car a gentle pat.

Then it was time to put the interior back together. Previous owner, Steve, had removed the original stereo and attempted to fit a more modern unit. However due to a fault with the wiring diagram from Toyota (most unusual) he had not been able to complete this task. This was back in 2019. I wouldn't attempt it either but I would make sure the interior was functional for the MOT.

Next… 2-litre engine bay detailing.

A small patch of rust was dealt with accordingly and then on the morning of the MOT I took the car for a run up and down the yard and tested all of its functions, having first cleaned every earth I could find. This is when I discovered the indicators had failed. The previous day they were working and now, kaputt! I checked all the bulbs. I checked all the earths. I doubted it was the switch. It must have been the relay that had gone. It's specific to this model and my local motor factors certainly didn't have a replacement unit on the shelf, so I called Nik Milford again... She snapped into action put me in touch with Tony who lived 30 miles up the road, and within minutes I was on my way to borrow his unit so I could get back to the PC Workshop just in time to fit it before heading into the MoT test station. The timings were tight but Tony was ready with the car on the drive. The moment I got to Tony’s I dived into the driver's foot well headfirst. I extracted his indicator relay and drove back to the PC Workshop at the legal limit in the mighty Saab 9-5 (see Bangernomics).

MOT ticket achieved.

With everything crossed, I fitted the relay and, yes, the indicators worked. I sped off down the yard for an MOT which was achieved – get this – without advisories! The gentle coaxing back to life of this rather excellent car has been successful and my first trip on the public highway in seven years was my next task. Luckily the car had not sat on flat tyres so even the rubber was good to go again although at just under ten years old, I will be replacing the black circles sooner rather than later.

Tony and the relay… saviour!

First drives after long layups are always exciting and slightly nerve wracking. I was gently coaxing the Toyota along feeling and listening, with my bottom and my ears, for anything untoward not pushing the MR2 too hard into corners. I was gently feeling the car underneath me to see if it was telling me anything I needed to know.

The first fill up with super unleaded went well and then suddenly I started to relax. This was a car to drive and enjoy, and that's exactly what I was doing. Having driven the Toyota Heritage MR2 – a later car – and remembering how that felt, this MR2 was telling me something slightly different. It felt tighter and a fraction harder in the suspension. Admittedly it's not on its original wheels (15-inch alloys rather than the early 14-inch), however I could sense that this car was every bit a driver’s vehicle even without the higher-powered engine (mine is the 3S-FE 119bhp lump from the Carina) and the spoiler delete. It was an MR2 in the raw, with no power steering, no added bells and whistles – just the basic car and for the enthusiast driver. And it felt really good.

Barrington show, and some new friends made.

Toyota revised the MR2 MkII quite early in its production cycle. This came after criticism of the suspension set up. The early car was known for snap oversteer if you lifted off in a fast corner, particularly in the wet. Of course this decision was influenced by journalist who had pushed the car to his limit and who definitely didn't have the reaction times of Ayrton Senna.

Keen to avoid reputational damage Toyota softened the suspension, to give the driver more warning of potential problems. It means the early MR2s with original suspension geometry are quite rare now and cars without spoilers even rarer. Most early non-spoiler cars having been retrofitted with the rear-mounted wing. I love the slippery shape of this early car particularly in black and, as my daughter reminded me, it looks a bit like Darth Vader's helmet.

Early base model without spoiler. Very slippery.

I decided on the evening after my MoT to take the car to a local classic car event at Barrington. As I arrived, I spotted another early MR2 – a yellow 1990 G-Limited – and of course decided to park next to it. Immediately I shook hands with the owner Scarlett East and her partner, and asked them if they were going to the National Rally on Sunday. They told me that there was a convoy heading over from Cambridge and would I like to join them? It was like it was meant to be.

The one thing I noticed about both of them was that they were young. Both in their 20s. This was a theme that would continue on Sunday morning when, at 6am, I met up with the rest of the crew at Cambridge services on the A14. There were six MR2s present, and the demographic again was shocking. None of the owners were over the age of 30. It was quite extraordinary. After meeting Karl, Duncan, Matthew, Evan, Will, Beth and Scarlett, I realised I was literally the oldest person there by at least 20 years, very unusual, but really heartwarming as well.

Breakfast club assembles.

We set off, and of course, stopped at a McDonald's for breakfast. and then onwards to a Tesco car park in Warwick. These are places that are not usually part of the traditional classic car scene, but I can tell you this: the enthusiasm in that Tesco car park, about everything MR2, was off the scale – at least as good as anything I've ever witnessed in a country field.

Tesco car park MR2 meet.

We went from Tesco's to the show site in Hatton, where I peeled off from the rest of the group and parked my car with the guys from Autoglym, who had offered to detail the MR2’s bodywork for me. This was quite a feat, because I hadn't touched it. So they had, firstly, to clear away eight year’s worth of dust and grime, then rejuvenate the paint, and finally give it some kind of covering to preserve it. Karl Heath was the maestro from Autoglym doing the job, with Sam and Tom from GBR Autocare supplying both detailing nouse and muscle.

Carpets cleaned ready fitting.

Karl Heath gets into the interior.

Autoglym’s finest deployed carefully in expert hands.

Intake before Autoglym.

Intake after Autoglym.

As I went off to perform judging duties the boys set to work, first doing a 50/50 split, splitting the car down the middle and cleaning and polishing one side to contrast with the other. Autoglym product was deployed liberally ending with Super Resin Polish, and the result was astonishing. So good in fact that the boys almost begged me to keep it 50/50 to show what they and the product can do. It’s not often that they get to play with eight year’s worth of grime.

Half done, half not.

My official show pic.

Full car restored back to shiny health, I helped Nik hand out prizes at the end of the show in full knowledge that I would be driving home in an SW20 MR2 that looked as if it had come straight out of the box. I thanked the shiny team for their amazing work and headed off. The drive home along the M6 and A14 gave me another opportunity to assess the MR2's capabilities. Even in its earliest un revised form, the SW20 is a great touring car. It's comfortable and roomy, a fact that might have something to do with NASCAR legend Dan Gurney, who helped to develop the car... he was a big chap! With this in mind I decided to use the MR2 for a planned weekend away in northern France. You only live once I thought.

MkIII MR2s out in force at the Drivers Club show.

Two weeks later, I was heading for Folkestone ready to board the Shuttle for a trip under the sea. If you ask me what are the best driving roads near London, I would say ‘northern France’ because it's the truth. Head into the region around Calais or a bit further down towards Le Touquet and you are met with fantastic empty A and B-roads which appear to be devoid of potholes and traffic. My MR2 ambition would be to wind my way to Paris Plage at Le Touquet via some WW1 and WW2 sites and head back the following day along the coast.

‘From garage, to concours, to the continent’

Le Shuttle - Flexiplus takes us there.

I took the opportunity to use the Flexiplus service at the tunnel. Since stricter border controls were introduced after Brexit, there’s always a long queue to get onto the train and using Flexiplus means you can avoid some of the queues. On a hot day in an older car this is helpful. You also get priority boarding and a decent lounge with WiFi and food… with which you can create your own picnic. They even provide a bag.

Quite at home with the millionaires.

Once stocked up I headed for the train, and my trip through the 31.35 mile long tunnel under the English Channel – the third-longest railway tunnel. As I sat dozing at 60mph, I mused on the facts… The tunnel has the longest underwater section of any tunnel in the world, at 23 miles, reaching a depth of 246ft below sea level and running, on average, 148ft below the seabed. LeShuttle shifts around 10.4 million passengers in 2.6 million cars and 51,000 coaches annually, plus 1.6 million HGVs. It is a remarkable feat of engineering and services have now been running since 1994.

Baby Ferrari feels well at home.

The trip to Le Touquet and back was, as expected, a smooth road joy. The little Toyota coupé behaved perfectly in temperatures that soared over 30 degrees and once on Paris Plage, it didn’t look out of place… like a baby Ferrari. Maybe not. I stayed in a hotel on the beach and drove home the following day. The French jaunt was the first adventure of many, I hope, in a car I had taken from garage, to concours, to the continent – from barn find to beach buggy.

Three hours from London. Brilliant roads and fantastic beaches.

MR2 STANDS FOR?

MR2 stands for Midship, Runabout, 2-seater, although others believe it stands for Mid-Engine, Rear Wheel Drive, two-seater. Second-generation MR2s like Danny’s car are often referred to by their chassis code – SW20.

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ME AND MY RESTO

Dave Walker had more than he bargained for with his MGB XK…

INTERVIEW & PHOTOGRAPHY DANNY HOPKINS

I make and restore saxophones and musical instruments. My company, All Brass and Woodwind, has been going around for 45 years, but in Covid business took a dip, and that gave me the chance to take on a car project. I’d previously restored a Midget and a silver MGB which

I still own. This one turned up and I had to ask, can I do this? I found it on Facebook Marketplace because I was looking for a screen for the silver car and this guy was advertising three. I went there and I saw this car. I asked and the guy said it was his dad’s car from the Sixties, and it had been fitted with an XK engine from a Jag. He wanted to restore it but it was too big a project for him. The engine had seized and the wiring was all over the place. He said ‘never for sale.’ He contacted me three years later, out of blue.

I paid three grand for it with a spare engine. I went around with the trailer that afternoon because you’ve got to act fast with an emotional sale. I got it back here and thought ok, now I’ve got this project that

AS FOUND
It’d been stood for 20 years covered in boxes and dust. Dave had a closer look and found it was an all-original 1964 car that had ever been out in the rain. So no welding. It was a gem, with a huge surprise under the bonnet.

I want to finish to honour the family of the guy who started it. I cracked on, removed and stripped down the engine. While it was out I tidied up and stripped down the engine bay. You’d be amazed how little work had been done to the transmission tunnel. The gearknob is that much further forward so they had fitted a mechanical extension to get it into the right place.

I found the engine did actually turn, so I rebuilt the top end. It’s a tough engine to do. They’re not easy. I never want to go through balancing those valves again! I trailered it over to Hull to have everything set up and the specialist called me to say it had seized again. It ran for five minutes and then seized up. When it was cool it turned again. The bearings were tightening as they heated up. This had happened repeatedly so I decided to start from scratch with another lump.

**The engine
**From a 1965 3.8 saloon. Dave was looking for a copper radiator cowling cover because it matched the brake pipes. He bought and cut up an 100-year-old French jam pan. It was exactly the correct curve.

It came out of a 1965 Jag Mk2 with 38,000 miles on the clock. I decided to do a proper job, so I stripped it down and rebuilt it. The previous engine had a remade sump to get past the ‘B’s crossmember, which I put on the new engine, but that meant repositioning the oil feed – there was a lot of work involved in getting that built up. I changed all the rope seals. But running it up to temperature it would overheat – it was near-impossible to bleed with the rad being so low. So I put in a swirl tank with three bleeds into it so it bled itself. One of my close friends Tim Newton – formerly of Williams F1 – gave that idea to me.

I still wanted it running cooler though so I put an oil cooling system on it, thus increasing the volume of oil in it as well. It runs along the side of the engine and is quite effective. Then I redid the airflow system. I fitted manually controlled electric cooling fans, two 10-inch fans.

I also put a proper cooling fan on the actual engine block. I’ve moved the radiator forward to accommodate it, filled in the gaps and made a proper cowling. I basically engineered it in a way that MG might have done had they used the XK lump for the MGC. The whole design is to make it look like it could have been a prototype. The copper frying pan cowling fitted a treat.

**The bonnet bulge
**The codpiece people call it. Dave bought a rotten E-type MkI bonnet for 50 quid, cut out the bulge and welded it into the ‘B bonnet. Measuring ten times and cutting once, on both bonnets. Lots of lead loading involved.

I added a bonnet, with the bulge – lots of cutting welding and lead loading. Then I put the D-type lightweight wheels on it, which are so expensive: £1000 a corner. But they just set the car off. I wanted it look a little bit like Steve McQueen’s just got out of it. The gearknob is aluminium turned with a Jaguar badge on it and of course it has all the Jaguar dials in it. I love driving it. It’s got coilovers on the front, adjustable dampers on the back and it’s got uprated brakes. It is full of torque so you can set off in third, but I set off in second because first and reverse are about a millimetre apart!

So it’s only pulling 1500rpm at 65mph in overdrive top – it sounds great too, with a large Jag straight-through exhaust. It has been a good therapy. I always think when I go into a workshop and I’ve got a bit of time to do something, I never feel more relaxed.

**The cowlings
**The headlight cowlings, they're standard aftermarket Sebring-style Perspex covers, supposed to reduce the drag by five per cent, but its more like two per cent. Dave wanted to invoke the spirit of racing Jags and MGs.

**The decal
**It’s a 1964 car, so that’s why there’s a big number 64 on it. It covers a bit of a paint problem, and it hints at racing pedigree, and goes with the general patinated ethos. The 240 badge is from the saloon the engine came from.

INFO

• Time taken: 3 years

• Estimated costs: £18k

• Best help: ‘Tim Newton and MG clubs and specialists. Plus, my dad.’

Practical Classics Restorer of the Year 2027

David is entered into the 2027 Restorer of the Year competition. You can vote for your favourite in a future issue of Practical Classics magazine.

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In this month’s Practical Classics magazine, we celebrate our home nation and four big British birthday classics for a picnic on the beach at Weston-super-Mare. Aboard an Austin A35, Rover SD1, MINI and a Jaguar E-type, our writers collect British produce from the north, south, east and west of our sceptred isle, and then rendezvous at Cheddar Gorge.

Elsewhere in the mag this month, there is a host of stunning restorations, starting with a movie stuntman who went from riding horseback as a medieval warrior to reviving his barn find Opel GT. We take a close look at two very different MGBs, starting with Dave Walker, who completed an unfinished Jag XK powered ‘B, and chat with Paul Behoo about his late brother’s MX-5 engined MGB which he finished in honour of his much-missed sibling.

Talking of workshop action, our team of writers show you what they’ve been doing with their classics at the Practical Classics workshop and look at identifying oil leaks, while also demonstrating techniques on shrinking and stretching with and without a machine. Finally, there are in-depth guides on how to buy the best Vauxhall Cavalier Mk2 and Volvo 850. No other mag does all this!

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THE BIG RESTORATION

Facing defeat at the hands of his German foe, Wolfie bit the bullet and won the battle

WORDS JAMES WALSHE PHOTOGRAPHY LAURENS PARSONS

THE RESTORER

Living on the edge of the Brecon Beacons, expert fabricator and professional archer Wolfie Hughes spent his former life on horseback in numerous TV and movie battle scenes with self-made weaponry. His vehicle restoration journey began with a fifty quid Suzuki motorbike, and his current project is a 1938 V8 pickup truck!

AS FOUND Rescued from storage in a Cornish barn. Wolfie began work straight away, but very nearly gave up when tragedy struck.

How does one go from being a ferocious, fictitious sword-wielding horseman to the saviour of a diminutive German sports car? Humble and gently spoken (certainly, I witnessed no snap cut, Oberhau or battle cries on the day of our visit), Wolfie Hughes is a dark horse. Pun intended, as we’re dealing with an expert horseback archer who has spent much of his career in the film industry, having taken the reigns in several medieval battle scenes armed with a variety of weaponry – a lot of which he crafted himself.

Peppy 1.9-litre gives GT enough oomph for a Welsh mountain road.

These skills, coupled with a dash of natural fighting spirit, forged a path to Wolfie’s most recent victory: the restoration of a stunning Opel GT. And it’s all his own work. ‘As with most things, I set out to repair what I have and save what I can.’ I put it to him that GT parts must surely be available in Germany. ‘Parts are hard to find in the UK and yes, you can get stuff from German specialists but a lot of them don’t want the hassle of shipping here now. Anyway, my little workshop is kitted out with everything I need. I’ve got the bead roller and an English wheel for instance, so I just make things myself!’

‘You can get spare parts, but I tend to just make them all myself’

Wolfie in his happy place.

Wolfsburg Wolfie

So, how do you go from medieval combat to car restoration? It began when Wolfie left art college. ‘I got work with a chimney company and asked them to teach me everything; MIG, TIG, arc, sub-arc, rolling in all the flanges, all the structural stuff – even how to paint well.’ His newfound talents were soon noticed. ‘Friends began pointing out the rusty sills on their Cortinas and so on… and I’d end up agreeing to sort it out for them!’ After doing up a Yamaha DT125 bought for £50, Wolfie’s first car was a Volkswagen Scirocco MkI. ‘It’s down to my late dad, really. He was in the military in Seventies Germany, and he drove an Opel GT for a while. There was just something about it. He loved his German cars, especially BMWs and Audis.’ By the time Wolfie bagged his own Opel GT, he was ready for the challenge of a rebuild. ‘There’s satisfaction in starting from scratch. They don’t belong to you otherwise. There’s a sense of not so much ownership, but of putting a piece of yourself into it.’

Hidden headlamps rotate transversely.

Meantime, it had been a very difficult period. ‘My mum had only recently suffered a serious horse-riding accident and, as you would imagine, I needed to base myself at home to look after her. These things put real perspective on your life’. Changes in the film industry impacted on Wolfie’s career, too.

‘Because what I was doing was weapons related, health and safety began to bite; in part the effects of the firearms incident with actor Alec Baldwin on set. Add to that the effect CGI was having on the industry; there were fewer stunt people needed. A new path beckoned. ‘Professionally, I decided to go back to working with my hands again.’

Opel sold more than 103,000 GTs between 1968 and 1973.

At home, to satisfy his hobby, the purchase of a 1973 Opel from a Cornish barn brought some much-needed light. ‘When I went to view it, the driver’s side floor and sill weren’t great, so I haggled a bit and ended up coming home with the perfect Opel GT project and big smile on my face. I wasn’t worried at all – they have their issues, but everything can be fixed.’ Wolfie got straight to work. ‘Anything that had previous major filler or damage was removed and straightened. There would have to be the odd minor skim later, just for cosmetic purposes, but those initial few months of fixing bodywork paid off’. Wings are available but Wolfie chose to repair the originals himself. ‘It’s part of the enjoyment of restoration for me. I spent three months on the car in between work and caring for my mum. But in 2023, we lost her. With everything else, including the refurbishment of a house, I ended up putting the car under a sheet to concentrate on the important things.’

Cabin is snug, but everything falls to hand nicely.

Near miss

At the beginning of 2025, Wolfie whipped the sheet off again and decided to sell the car as a project. ‘It was in a decent way and was just as I’d left it, with the engine and interior out and with most of the metalwork finished, although the rear arches needed completing. It was for sale online for a while and a few people enquired but then, one day, I decided to go down the workshop and clean up the interior. I ended the day realising I needed to finish the job!’

Having taken it off the market, Wolfie took a scrubbing brush to the seats. ‘I could have gone to the ends of the earth to replace or spend money and time on having them reupholstered, but there’s something about original parts. I always feel like things that already exist don’t have to be wasted.’ The dash was in reasonable condition, although it had some cracks, but Wolfie cleaned it all up and it was perfectly presentable again.

Everyone knows that extra dials mean extra kudos.

The rest of 2025 was spent completing the body, making sure all the corrosion was eliminated. ‘I fabricated the last remaining areas of the wheelarches and there was a little rust to cut out at the back, because it had marker lights I wanted rid of. It felt good to step back and know every panel repair done was by my own hand. All that was needed then was a gentle skim of stopper.’

Wolfie says researching the car was essential. ‘You’ve got the lines at the back of the window, which are usually evidence of whether it’s been smacked at the rear. The panel can easily suffer deformation, so if the lines aren’t there, and the arches aren’t shaped right, then you know there’s something going on – there could be a lot of filler and potential future headaches. Lucky for me, that area on my car was alright’. He’s very proud of the fact his Opel is mostly metal. ‘There’s no rot in it now at all – and it’s all steel. It’s not glassfibre and filler, which a lot of them will tend to be. I’m sure some have a piece of cardboard with P40 over the top, all blown over just to hide the horrors!’

Wolfie worked miracles to get his pride and joy finished.

Last stand

Wolfie did the paint himself, too. ‘Many years ago, I had a little Suzuki SC100 that I rattle-canned in blue. After that, I just learned how to paint properly!’ He got to the stage where he was custom painting and airbrushing anything from guitars to bikes for custom motorcycle maker Battistinis. ‘There was a woman who had a trike. She wanted yellow metal flake, but with whippets on it – because she’s got whippets.’ So, was it a doddle to do the Opel then? ‘Well, nothing’s really a doddle, is it? But I did the GT in my shed and took great care over it. Two-pack to the original code of Citrus Yellow. It’s great when you can look back at a paint job and be happy with it and then start to think about reassembly and driving the car!’

And what of the magic moment itself? ‘I was lucky with that engine because it had been rebuilt by an engineering firm a few years before. It came on a wooden frame when I bought the car, so I was able to fire it up on the floor with some help from a can of Easy Start!’. With the engine and gearbox installed, and a welcome refresh of suspension bushes and brakes, the first drive was a very pleasant surprise. ‘It’s a bit scary the first time because you don’t really know how it’s going to feel. I’ve also got a BMW Z4 Roadster and, when you drive something like this, which has got a transverse leaf spring and live axle and coil springs at the rear, it feels very different. But it doesn’t roll like I expected it to – it’s really planted. So, it moves, it drives, it stops but it’s that personality. When I get behind the wheel, it makes me smile!’

While Wolfie loves his Opel GT, he clearly loves anything he has put his hand to. ‘I didn’t invent it. I didn’t design the thing. I didn’t make it exist. But I’ve put the effort in and made the decision to save this car in the best way I know how. You need to be creative when restoring, because nothing ever goes together the way that you think it does, and that’s the upshot; as you’re forced to get creative with the repairs, shaping it into what you need it to be, the car becomes a part of you.’

‘Throw yourself into a restoration and it becomes a part of you’

Swoopy lines clothe a mix of Kadett and Rekord mechanicals.

THE SPEC

Opel GT

• Engine 1898cc/4-cyl/OHC

• Power 102bhp@5400rpm

• Torque 115lb ft@3100rpm

• Gearbox 4-speed manual

• 0-60mph 111mph

• Top speed 10.2sec

• Economy 36mpg

WHAT'S IT LIKE TO DRIVE

James enjoys his spin in Wolfie’s GT.

Most concept cars which have been hurriedly thrown into production don’t always turn out well. Not so, the Opel GT. With Kadett B and Rekord mechanicals clothed in an Erhard Schnell and Clare MacKichan-styled body built by French contractors Chausson and Brissonneau & Lotz (see also Renault Floride, Caravelle and Paris Metro rolling stock), the GT still looks sensational today. Swoopy lines and neat proportions delight, as do the hidden headlamps, which rotate counterclockwise at the flick of a lever on the centre console. It’s predictably snug inside, but once I’ve squeezed myself in, everything’s in just the right place.

Fire up the fizzy 89bhp 1.9-litre engine and the driving experience is as Wolfie describes – with that engine mounted far back in the (unibody) chassis for good weight distribution, the GT handles with pleasing sharpness and poise and there’s and bags of feedback from the unassisted steering. Straight-line performance won’t startle a Lotus, but this little Opel does what all the best small sports cars do; it makes you feel like you’re going faster than you are. It’s a brilliant drive and with styling like this, there really is nothing else like it.

Here’s how Wolfie did it

1 APRIL 2022

Early days

Having got straight into the bodywork, Wolfie got around to hand-crafting the front corner and light surround, plus the rotten inner sill and outer floor sections. Life dealt him some blows in 2023, which meant progress stalled and it remained under a sheet until 2025.

2 JAN 2025

Take two

Wolfie almost sold the car until one day he pulled the sheet off, dug out the interior and started cleaning and repairing the seats, which is when he changed his mind.

3 AUG 2025

Archery

The last remaining fabrication involved the rear wheel arches – another section of bodywork handmade by Wolfie. ‘I love working with my hands. It’s not just fixing, it’s creating stuff.’

4 SEPT 2025

Metal picky

With the welding finally complete and the bodywork stripped down to metal, a skim of filler was applied.

5 OCT 2025

Final hurdle

The glass, trim and other items removed, it was time for the paint, which Wolfie did himself. His experience custom painting and airbrushing guitars, bikes and cars finally came into its own!

Restorer of the Year 2027

Restorer of the Year celebrates the shed heroes who, every year, produce extraordinary work breathing life back into basket cases and bringing classics that are going nowhere back to the road. With our sponsors Anglia Car Auctions, we’ll scour the land to bring you the very best then, early in 2027, you get to nominate your favourite restos. From your top ten nominations our panel of experts will select the top five nominees so that you can meet the winner at the PC Classic Car and Restoration show at the NEC next March.

USEFUL CONTACTS

• Opel GT Owners Club, opelgtukownersclub.co.uk

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