The concept
What is a Racing Green Special?
A Special is quite simply a car that has at sometime in it’s life been rebodied with new coachwork whilst retaining it’s original chassis and underpinnings. Many of the world’s most valuable cars are specials that have been rebodied such as the original Bentley Bluetrain and Daimler Corsica. Racing Green cars combine fully refurbished period underpinnings, new coachwork and body trim and useful improvements for increased reliability and driver comfort.
“The concept of the Racing Green cars is to provide a unique opportunity to the customer in offering the closest thing possible to the experience of stepping back in time a century ago and purchasing a new car”.
In the same way as Bentley and Daimler customers would have done in the 1920’s and 30’s, customers are invited to choose a chassis and underpinnings and then choose the coachwork that suits their needs.
Racing green therefore have two distinct parts to their operation. One as a restorer of genuine classic and vintage chassis and mechanical components and the other as a Coachwork manufacturer
using traditional skills and techniques.
The chassis and underpinnings used are genuine period items from manufacturers such as the Bentley or Daimler that are restored to the closest thing possible to “as new” condition. This has enabled the cars to retain “Historic” registration status in the UK and many other countries around the globe and entrance to many prestigious rallies such as the Peking -Paris Rally.
We have satisfied customers in the UK, Europe, the USA and many other countries.
Driveability
“Ok so they look beautiful
but how are they to drive?”
These cars have competed in endurance rallies all over the world and have won their class in gruelling events such as the “Peking-Paris”. This is testament to their reliability but the goal is to make them not only reliable but fun to drive.
Development
Customers doing the rallies provide excellent feedback on how to develop the cars. There has been a development program running now for over twenty years and parts are being continually scrutinised
to improve comfort and reliability.
Restoration
Before the new coachwork can be fitted the original chassis and underpinnings have to be stripped down to each single component part prior to being refurbished and reassembled. The average age of the chassis used is now over seventy years old and as such they have lived a life. Chassis go through a seven stage blasting process before being acid etched and fitted to a jig to check for straightness. Any remedial repairs are carried out on the jig to ensure that the chassis is as good as they day it left the factory. Vulnerable areas are stonechip protected prior to a five stage painting process and subsequent waxoyling.
All mechanical components are completely stripped down and refurbished as new. Some new parts are integrated for improved reliability such as 12 V negative earth electrics with new wiring looms comprising modern fuses and relays, alternators replacing generators, electronic ignition, additional electric fuel pumps to name but a few. Some cars are even fitted with electrically heated seats.
Brakes are looked at very carefully and in some cases hidden, ventilated discs are concealed behind dummy drums. Great care is taken to ensure that every component is re-engineered to provide the maximum performance, comfort and reliability.
Coachwork
The coachwork, although new, is constructed using the same high quality materials and manufacturing techniques as in period. Aluminium is used for the body panels using slappers, hammers and hand rolling techniques such as the English Wheel to create the stunning coachwork you will see. High quality pressured treated ash is carefully hand selected by analysing the grain to create high strength frames. Other materials used include brass, copper, German silver and stainless steel with great care taken to ensure that materials and manufacturing techniques employed are authentic.
Every body is hand fitted to the chassis to ensure a perfect fit and subsequently trimmed by skilled artisans using materials such as Conolly hide, Walnut veneer and Wilton carpets.
The Result
The whole process has been developed to create not only automotive art but cars that can are exciting, fun and reliable to drive. A rare mix not normally available when purchasing cars of this calibre.