00:03I'm David Embry from the Triumph Sports News Club in Shropshire.
00:06David, so I've heard of the Shropshire Spitfire, I'm now witnessing it, I'm seeing it.
00:11Talk us through the history of this car.
00:13Well what happened about 15, 16 years ago now, we had a phone call.
00:18Literally within two weeks of our group being formed.
00:21There was a phone call from a lady called Cara Miller.
00:24Her father just died in Shrewsbury Hospice.
00:27And she informed us, she asked us really, what we could do with a car that was in his garage.
00:34This car he had bought her when she was a teenager to learn to drive in.
00:39And the car itself was mothballed for about 30 years because she couldn't drive it.
00:46There was someone with a gear, she meant she couldn't drive it very well.
00:49He was going to do it up for his retirement but he never got round to it for obvious reasons.
00:53We then pulled it out of the garage, we then looked at it and because we'd done events that recently with the hospice,
01:03we thought wouldn't it be a good idea to put something back?
01:05So we decided on all those years ago that we would renovate the car and the proceeds would then go to the hospice.
01:12So we started off by doing the engine and the gearbox and all the running gear, which is underneath the body that you see here.
01:19That was done relatively quickly.
01:21But then we ran into problems with the body because that's a specialist role.
01:26And we didn't get anyone doing the welding and the necessary skills to make that worthwhile.
01:32So the project went into sort of a deep freeze really for quite a few years whilst we found somebody who would do that.
01:39And that's what we've done over the last 12 months is, as you can see, the body has now been done.
01:44And now we're on the final assembly bit.
01:47So what will happen when it's all complete then? What will happen to the car?
01:51When it's complete, what we're hoping to do is, first of all, the car will go to the NEC Classic Car Show in November this year.
01:57So that everybody nationally can see the car.
02:00Because it is a well-known story around the classic car community, not just Triumph.
02:05Lots of people will know about the Shropshire Spitfire.
02:08We can then show what we're going to do with regards to possibly an auction.
02:14Maybe something like bangers and cash.
02:16Maybe an online lottery auction.
02:19We haven't made the final decision yet.
02:21It's possible that we'll wait until March and then take it to the restoration show at the NEC.
02:27Where there are auctions that take place.
02:29And people will have gone nationally, hold the story.
02:33And then we'll maybe auction it at the NEC in March.
02:36What would you hope this would make for the hospice, money-wise?
02:42I've always had a figure in my head of about £20,000.
02:47The reason being is, these ones, they are quite rare.
02:50They're called Roundtail Spitfire, the Mark II, 1965.
02:53They are quite rare.
02:56And so, therefore, they tend to fetch somewhere between £15,000 to £20,000.
03:00Yeah.
03:00When you look at the auction and look at what they sell for as they stand at this moment in time.
03:05I might be being a bit optimistic there.
03:07But that's what I've always had a thinking.
03:09Because not only has it been done to the standard you can see.
03:12Yeah.
03:12I can guarantee there will only ever be one Shropshire Spitfire.
03:16Yeah.
03:17Fantastic.
03:17It's a unique car.
03:19And it's for the hospice.
03:21So, with those additional factors, I've always had a figure in my hand of about £20,000.
03:26But, obviously, if we can get much more than that, then great.
03:29Because the profits from this will all go to the hospice.
03:34So, we're here with Tony Finchett.
03:37And Finchett's is where we're at.
03:39This is your base, Tony.
03:40Yes, it is.
03:41So, how come you got involved, then?
03:44Finchett's is all about triumph, isn't it?
03:46The world of triumph.
03:47Yes, it is.
03:48We've got a lot of spares and triumphs.
03:51You've even got some of the old casting plates.
03:54Is that what we call them?
03:55The moulds from the old factory?
03:57Festivals.
03:57We've got over 900 tonne of original Festivals.
04:01Wow, so that means parts can be made again afresh from there, yeah?
04:06So, when you heard about the Shropshire Spitfire, was it a no-brainer, like, yes, we want to be involved?
04:12Yes.
04:14So, you've helped out with supplying some of the panels, haven't you, I believe?
04:19Is that right?
04:19Yes, I did.
04:20I donated over £1,000 worth of panels towards it.
04:24And now I'm just helping out with all different other parts for the car.
04:28Well, it's not far off finish, Tony.
04:30You've got a spare £20,000 knocking about in your pocket.
04:32I mean, you'd look lovely tootling down the shop to your hands in this.
04:36But no, well done to all at Finchitz for getting involved.
04:38Cheers, Tony.
04:39Cheers, thank you.
04:40Where would?
04:42Who have we got here, then, lads?
04:43What are your names?
04:44I am Steve Willissey.
04:45Simon Morgan.
04:47So, lads, you've been working on it since the start of the project, have you, on and off?
04:51Yes, right from the very beginning.
04:53And how does it feel now you're seeing it kind of, you know, coming to the end stages?
04:57Well, it's a relief that it's actually starting to look like a car now, because for many years it didn't look anything like a car, it was just a shell.
05:03Yeah, well, the body panel was in a bad way, wasn't it?
05:06So you've ended up having to source a body from somewhere in Reading?
05:11We found a pig pen in the middle of a field in Reading, with a spitfire in it, which was actually in better condition than the one we'd got.
05:18But we'd already restored the engine, gearbox, all the whole drivetrain and the chassis on the one we'd got.
05:24So we'd transposed the bodies across, because the pig pen body was actually better than the original body that we'd got.
05:29And we'd prepared the original body, but it was just full of holes.
05:32Whereas the pig pen wasn't quite so full of holes.
05:35And once we had it shot blasted and primed, it didn't look too bad.
05:38And thanks to Tony and the donation of all of the panels, we were able to get it welded up and it ended up looking as you'd see today.
05:46So how convinced are you that once it's all put back together, it's going to start straight off?
05:53Oh, we don't start. We've had it running already.
05:55Oh, have you? Yeah, yeah.
05:56The only dodgy bit is the electrics, because I did all those.
05:59So we're not sure how it's going to work, but the engine certainly runs and it runs beautifully, because we rebuilt that years ago.
06:04Yeah, yeah.
06:04It's going to start there.
06:05So what is it about the Triumph cars?
06:08Come on, I have to come to you. Go on.
06:10What about, is it about the Triumph cars that you love then that are special?
06:14Well, for me personally, it was my dad always had Triumph cars.
06:18He comes from Coventry, which is where Triumph cars were built.
06:23So we've had Heralds, Dolomites through our family, and I've always wanted one.
06:29A Dolomite was my first car.
06:31Yeah.
06:32And since then, I've had other cars, but since I've been retired, I bought another Triumph and maintained that classic car.
06:42Yeah.
06:42I've got involved in the Trotty Triumph classic car community.
06:46Great, great bunch of people.
06:48It is, isn't it?
06:50It's like a social thing as well, isn't it, really, these clubs?
06:53It's not just about mechanics, yeah.
06:55And that's the reason David formed the group in the first place.
06:57Yeah.
06:57Because he'd recently bought a Triumph, which he was only going to do a trip around Europe in, and having done it, he decided to keep the car and then form a group.
07:06Oh, wow.
07:07So he sent off to HQ of the Transport 6 and got a list of all the people who lived in the Shropshire area, emailed everybody, and I went to the first meeting with a few of them.
07:16No, with the European first meeting, where you now are going to be later.
07:18Well, that was a good many years ago now, and the group was formed, but it was, yes, you're quite right, as much as a social thing, sharing of ideas, sharing of skills, talents, because some people are good at one thing.
07:30Yeah, yeah.
07:31Well, yeah, some people want a classic car, they love it, but actually, they've never...
07:36Yeah, yeah.
07:36We've got a lot of people like that, actually.
07:37Yeah, yeah.
07:38So we go around a lot, to houses and places to help people out with their cars.
07:43Good stuff.
07:44And what do you think of the red?
07:45It's going to look glorious in its red, isn't it?
07:48Yeah, it's signal red.
07:48Yeah, signal red.
07:50And it's just beautiful.
07:51Well done for all your hard work on it, gents.
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