Paul Morcom Posted August 17, 2016 Posted August 17, 2016 Nothing to do with me and I would not be selling it if it was mine! Dealer Clicky Same car but more expensive on Pistonheads...Clicky Great car, big price tag!!! I did consider buying one a few years ago but was put off by the fact that Westfield have destroyed all the molds for the specialist carbon parts and chassis and the jigs for the wishbones have also gone.
CraigHew Posted August 17, 2016 Posted August 17, 2016 It's been for sale for a while now, I think it was mentioned on here a few months back. I agree nice car but I wouldn't pay that price for it.
Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman Posted August 17, 2016 Posted August 17, 2016 It's a nice car and should be worth it, in fact, ought to be worth more... ...but, while it looks nice, and some of the mods are probably improvements over the original, the fact is, it does seem to have too many non-original parts and little changes to truly command the price of a proper piece of history. And of course, it can only be original once! 1
Nick Algar - Competition Secretary Posted August 17, 2016 Posted August 17, 2016 Looks like it's had a new body fitted, which would really put me of the car.
Rossins Posted August 17, 2016 Posted August 17, 2016 Hi Nick, What makes you think it has had a new body? Would the car be eligible for the speed series & if yes which class? Cheers Simon
Nick Algar - Competition Secretary Posted August 18, 2016 Posted August 18, 2016 Hi Nick, What makes you think it has had a new body? Would the car be eligible for the speed series & if yes which class? Cheers Simon I might be wrong, but I thought the original car had its body as the main structure and so both sides below scuttle were carbon.? Struggled to find any pics on Web, but see here. http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=23&t=804666 Edited to Add: Just looked at Pistonhead advert and maybe not. but interesting that the body is now all white ?
B.RAD Posted August 18, 2016 Posted August 18, 2016 Hi Nick, What makes you think it has had a new body? Would the car be eligible for the speed series & if yes which class? Cheers Simon Eligible for speed series - not in its current state, as that roll bar is not MSA compliant
Crunchie Gears Posted November 14, 2016 Posted November 14, 2016 I thought I could answer some of the questions and thoughts above as my brother and I own the car. The car has been modified, but IMO a great deal of thought was given to the modifications to ensure that no holes were put in the chassis or any changes made to it. The reason the chassis is white is it has been wrapped and removal of the wrap would reveal the carbon chassis. The current bonnet is made from the mould we had made using the original. We did this so that we could retain the original bonnet with side scoop and put a hole for the exhaust, one for the throttle bodies and lose the side scope which we did not need. The original exhaust has also been kept as this will fit through the original bonnet to restore it to original. The original carbon headlights have been kept and could be fitted in minutes. The most difficult modification was the dry sump. The bracket to mount the scavenge pump needed to be designed to fit the pump inside the chassis to ensure there were no changes to the chassis (there is not much space and access is very restricted due to the chassis). The oil tank was then designed to fit in the chassis and utilise an access hole that was original to the chassis. All these changes can be removed and the original engine refitted. We have fitted Tillett seats but again retained the original seats. The only modification that we do not have the original parts for are the rear lights. The lights just fell to bits and we replaced them with LED. I am sure the originals would be easy enough to source. We also own what was left of the factory spares for the car which include wishbones, uprights, Penske shocks, drive shafts, 2 more sets of wheels and so much more. Frankly, boxes and boxes. The car is the only FW 400 with carbon bodywork and could be returned to original. That said my brother and I have made some changes to improve the car, but I stress with thought. The Hellier engine with dry sump being the main change which is a great engine. It was rolling roaded a few weeks ago at Northampton Motor Sport at 214 BHP. I am pleased with the condition of the car and the respect in which we have made changes. My brother and I wanted an FW400 and really did not want to butcher one or work it as a track dog. We are not under pressure to sell it, as we both have an emotional attachment, and it is still being used. That said too many toys means I need more garage space. If you have any questions on the car I will try and answer. Thanks for reading 3
stephenh Posted November 15, 2016 Posted November 15, 2016 That all sounds fair and reasonable. Such a rare car is hard to value because of the lack of comparables, but if the advertised price includes the spares package which Crunchie refers to it sounds almost a bargain to me. People sometimes compare the price of a second-hand sports/kit car with the cost of building new, but in this case that would be meaningless because the chassis isn't available now. However if it was I can well imagine that to build a similar car today would be far far more than the advertised price.
Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman Posted November 15, 2016 Posted November 15, 2016 Yep, an interesting read, and vital information that the advert skips! Would love to know more about the car; it's over ten years since I last saw one and had a chance for a close look.
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