Highland Sports Coupe project...

[Tony Griffiths]

For what it's worth, I always fancied one of these -

p.p.s. I envy your vice Ruairidh. I have several vices but not a decent bench vice...

One of the best "ordinary" vices is the Record with a quick-release trigger. Lots on eBay like this: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Record-No-25-...SwjJpfZ4TJ
Mine's a No. 23 that, happily, came with an ingeniously-made and very useful set of interchangeable drop-in jaws in steel with plain, knurled and V-cut faces and in rubber and leather. Although now very well used, it still works perfectly.
Don't buy a new "Record" - they are Chinese copies - get an original that your great-grandchildren will appreciate...

[Howard Wright]

Hi Ruairidh and Peter

This is a bit tongue in cheek....But technically isn’t this a Lowland car.... Unless Peter lives North of the fault line?

 .

Cheers

Howard

[Ruairidh Dunford]

Peter lives in Inverness - the design and body are therefore handmade in the Highlands...

I admit to having a number of vices!

[Peter Naulls]

I suppose because I live the wrong side of the river, and work in Nairn it could be a Moray Firth Coupe ... but no-one knows where Moray is!

Peter.

[Peter Naulls]

A couple of years ago at the Scottish Club's AGM weekend in Blair Atholl I passed three sketches around as we sat at the bar in the evening. The consensus was that top left was a non-starter - too prosaic and unimaginative. Top right was also discounted as looking too simplistic at the back. The bottom one was favoured but the running boards and tool box were not popular. I'm not one for "design by committee" but it was interesting to see a general sense of agreement.

We decided from the outset that it would be fabric bodied. I don't have any facilities to make compound curves in metal and it made sense to capitalize on my timber framing skills.

   

Once back in the workshop I scavenged some parts of an old Dixi scale model and put together a very rough sketch model. At this stage we were thinking the body would be narrow enough to fit between the rear wheels (as with an Ulster) to keep the cost and weight down. The model sat in the workshop and various visitors had a say in what they liked and didn't like. I also began to make measurements and realised the body was too narrow to be practical - Ulsters allow elbow room outside the body but a closed car wouldn't.

   

The first model was discarded and another equally rough second one put together. With this one I played around with types of wings, boot, colour schemes etc. The roof line was eventually changed to mirror an Austin saloon shape.

   

The lump on the back is a boot (with access through into the main body) as there is plenty of room under the bonnet for a petrol tank! Doors are suicide because of the sloping screen and, although we considered a vee-screen, on balance thought the aesthetics didn't justify the time involved. The wings will be similar in section to a G.E. Brooklands, the rad shell will be a '29-'30 type and the wheels 19".

That's pretty much what we are building. I now have a set of quarter-scale drawings and detailed sketches of the construction. I find I work more efficiently when all the decisions are made in advance so the drawings are as comprehensive as I can make them.

[Tony Betts]

hi peter,,

that discussion must have been at the beginning of the evening to be using words  like prosaic and simplistic. 

i like your final design, but im not sure about a box and a wheel.

the wings are very sporting.

as suggested before. the narrow body would have been very sporty. for elbow space, did you ever consider sidescreens. 

i always thought sports models were supposed to be impractical. 

tony.

[Nick Lettington]

I love the way you have let everyone discuss what should be before the grand reveal... as if you hadn't given it much thought! 

In model form it looks stunning. Can't wait to see it take shape.

[Tony Press]

Australian Austin Seven Coupe bodies

   

From an Austin Distributors 1930 advertising leaflet. I do not know if this was ever built - I have not seen one


  Austin 7 Sportsmans Coupe .jpg (Size: 38.24 KB / Downloads: 552)

Advertising picture of the fabric bodied Meteor Coupe (I have a picture of a Club car which I will find) .

   

A 1932 Steel bodied Coupe.

[Malcolm Parker]

The proposed design looks great, I think it has the look of a mini Lagonda.   I thought that suicide doors would be the way to go,  I have them on the Pytchley.  They make maintenance a doddle, especially if you need to get behind the dashboard or mess about with the pedals.  I was a bit wary of suicide doors in case they opened at speed, but found some small flip over latches on Ebay which give added peace of mind.
Presumably the floorpan will be similar to a Type 65/Nippy?
From the side it looks a bit like a G*s*h*p*e* with a cosy hardtop!
It would also suit a Ruby type cowled radiator.
Look forward to seeing how it progresses.
As for colour schemes, it looks good in black.  Lord Howe had a GE Wembley in buff and marble blue with black wings.  A Highland Coupe needs Highland colours?

[Mike Costigan]

...  A Highland Coupe needs Highland colours?

Can you get suitable waterproof fabric in tartan colours?

Clan Macleod perhaps:


  clan macleod.jpg (Size: 23.72 KB / Downloads: 478)