Description
H&H Classic Auction @ The Imperial War Museum, Duxford/ Cambridgeshire
9th October, 2024 13:00
1959 TVR Grantura Mk1
Estimate
£18, 000 - £22, 000
Registration No: TYJ 306
Chassis No: TVR/ Q/ 7/ B/ 113
MOT: Exempt
Believed to be the 13th TVR Grantura production car
Believed to be the oldest TVR Grantura on the road in the UK
Offered in barn-find condition, with a current V5C
Current ownership for over 36 years in a private collection
Qualifies for Le Mans Classic racing events
The first production model TVR car, the Grantura debuted in 1958 and went through a series of developments leading to MkI to MkIV and 1800S models, with production ceasing in September 1967. Hand-built at the TVR factory in Blackpool with varying mechanical specifications, the Grantura was also offered in ‘kit form’. All cars featured a cocktail of Austin-Healey brakes, VW Beetle or Triumph suspension parts and BMC rear axles. The Grantura bodyshell was made from glass-reinforced plastic (GRP) and made use of a variety of proprietary components, with a front-hinged bonnet. Buyers could choose from a range of powerplants which, depending on the model in question, included a choice of side or overhead valve engines from Ford, a Coventry Climax unit, the engine from the MGA and, ultimately, the 1798cc BMC B-series engine. By the middle of 1960, the factory employed forty-three workers and the Grantura MkI production ended with a total of only 100 cars produced.
Here we present a very rare car indeed. Discovered by our vendor in 1988, laid up in a London garage, an apparent project that was never fulfilled, it eventually emerged that the car was the thirteenth Grantura production car TVR built and essentially a prototype car for the Grantura range. Now considered to be the oldest Grantura TVR on the road in Britain, the car appears to be the earliest ‘missing’ car on the TVR register.
The chassis number is recorded as No. 103 on the early and supplied correspondence with the TVR Club,. It is, in fact No. 113. Whilst No. 112 is the only other earlier UK car on the register with the registration mark ‘KCP 379’ on the DVLA system, however, it has since disappeared. Both would have the MG 1622cc engine option. The V5C states two previous owners, our vendor having passed the car to his friend and partner and vice versa over the years, it also states the chassis as 103, however, as mentioned above, we believe this to be erroneous. However, either way, it is believed to exist as the oldest TVR Grantura on the British roads.
The first known owner was a Professor M. Thick of the ancient St. Edmund’s College, Ware. Within the exercise books, which bear his name and record the car’s history (on file), there are many schematic wiring drawings and parts lists which lead to the supposition that Professor Thick was the first owner and that the car was purchased in kit form. Fast forward to December 1975 and there is an MOT (on file) carried out by a North London garage. It appears it was allocated a first 1975 registration ‘MTM 660P’. Prior to this, there are no registration records which might suggest it was used for private racing and unregistered. In 1993, our vendor wanted the car to have a period-correct registration number and it was allocated ‘TYJ 306’. When discovered, the car was what our vendor calls a ‘hideous Yellow and Brown mixture’ and he set about a tidy up with a Red paint scheme in 1992. In 2015 the car underwent further mechanical rejuvenation involving works by ‘The Garage’ to the tune of £2500 (on file), driving the car to Le Mans as a spectator shortly afterwards. The car has been stored in a dry barn under a cover since.
Upon close inspection, and with consultation with the vendor, we note that the engine is indeed an original specification MG 1600 standard engine with close ratio gearbox (a higher ratio differential is supplied with the car). The vendor informs us that the car is terrifyingly quick and that he has achieved 110mph before retreating. Believed to be a very original bodyshell, the seats are early 1960s bucket seats from possibly either Corbeau or possibly Paddy Hopkirk. With standard wire wheels, we note that the front wheels are equipped with disc brakes, believed to be Austin Healey-type, another potential piece of its history that points to being used in motorsport. The steering wheel is ‘as found’. The bonnet closes well, the lights are all standard MkI Lucas-type and of the correct type for a MkI.
The car does run, but poorly after many years lying dormant, and will require some mechanical attention to return it to optimum performance. A starter button under the bonnet is used to start it, as the ignition has been bypassed. The car appears corrosion free (photographs of file), but it will require tidying up. It is honest and extremely original. Supplied with a large correspondence file, multiple MOTs from 1975 until 2001, Professor Thick’s exercise books, a number of operational and parts booklets and manuals.
In summary, the fact the car was not registered until 1975 and with extremely old disc brake option, it is highly likely that it had always been a race car in its early days. It is potentially a very important historical car. With less than 30 MkIs known to survive, this is quite possibly the most interesting Grantura to come on to the market in a very long time.
