Mk4 "Dolores"
Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2011 8:56 pm
I first met Dolores, my Mk4 Davrian, in January 1980, and soon had her back in Cambridge where I was then living. She was a total shed, but I had known Davrians since about 1969 and always wanted one, and had just missed a beauty owned by a Ferrari owning ex race driver living in Purley, so I thought I'd best snap her up while I could!
In retrospect it wasn't my most brilliant decision.
Anyway, it was the usual tale of pigs purse to sow's ear or whatever, and a lot of time and some money went into an amateurish 'rebuild' and the car was, I shudder to recall, repainted in a horrible shade of pink, as I was unable to decide between red or white!
Madness, now I think about it. The car had a lot of water in it when I bought it, no dash, a glassless speedo attached to bits of wooden block, a truly appalling Lamborghini-Miura like slatted mess where the rear window had been (made of black painted plywood, no less!) this of course allowing free entry to water so the boot was full of the stuff.
Bias-belted tyres assured incredibly dangerous handling. A feeble standard Solex carbed Imp engine assured asthmatic power delivery.
Horrible orange paint applied with an old pair of flip-flops ensured instant nausea in anyone unlucky enough to behold the poor thing.
Steel wheels ensured max unsprung weight.....you get the picture...a shed in all its horrid splendour. And to think I sold a mint Mini-Cooper to buy the thing!
I rectified the squared off front wheel arches, the rear window was re-fabricated along with the proper sized hole to put it in, and I added an unpleasant looking air dam, all the rage in 1980!
I don't want to post any photos of the car as it was then in fact the dog ate them so I can't, honest.
The car saw sterling service in this form till I left Cambridge and moved to Bristol in 1981. Then it went into retirement in the mid 80s,after I though the gearbox had given up, living under a pile of boxes in a shop belonging to a friend.
Later, it was found to have a colony of wasps living in it, though by this time it was outside, at a bodyshop specialising in GRP restoration, outside Bristol.
It was then resprayed its current Nissan White, I moved it to near Chepstow and gave it its second rebuild, with full 875 Stiletto power! After completion, with a new gearbox, I found there was still no traction....yep, it had been a broken clutch all along!
I abandoned a perfectly good Stiletto gearbox because of this stupid mistake!
Anyway, long story short, I moved to France in 1993 and brought Dolores over, and in 2001 she had her third rebuild, for racing.
This was done after a lot of consultation with Tim Duffee, who supplied the brakes, rollbar, suspension, and a lot of other stuff.
Dolores has done various forms of competition since gaining her FIA Passport in 2001, and showed great promise in the 2002 Maxi-Mille series till she was retired due to a bad habit of spitting oil mist onto the rear left tyre.....spinning in front of a pack of 31 cars at one point.
Interior with genyoowine burr walnut dash and door inserts....and aluminium.
Dolores and a friend....note the (unfinished) hole for ducted air intake on left shoulder, for an oil cooler. The special scoop is not fitted yet. Tuned 42" Works type crossover exhaust...
Here, Dolores had just returned from her first ever race, at Nogaro, March 2002, and I'd just ripped a bigger hole in the nose for more air, as she overheated embarrassingly during the actual race, causing me to abandon under the impression that she was on fire!
Oh yeah, I don't suppose she will object if I explain her name.....it's after "Dolores, Our Lady of Pain..." by Algernon Swinburne.
I'm sure I need explain no further!
In retrospect it wasn't my most brilliant decision.
Anyway, it was the usual tale of pigs purse to sow's ear or whatever, and a lot of time and some money went into an amateurish 'rebuild' and the car was, I shudder to recall, repainted in a horrible shade of pink, as I was unable to decide between red or white!
Madness, now I think about it. The car had a lot of water in it when I bought it, no dash, a glassless speedo attached to bits of wooden block, a truly appalling Lamborghini-Miura like slatted mess where the rear window had been (made of black painted plywood, no less!) this of course allowing free entry to water so the boot was full of the stuff.
Bias-belted tyres assured incredibly dangerous handling. A feeble standard Solex carbed Imp engine assured asthmatic power delivery.
Horrible orange paint applied with an old pair of flip-flops ensured instant nausea in anyone unlucky enough to behold the poor thing.
Steel wheels ensured max unsprung weight.....you get the picture...a shed in all its horrid splendour. And to think I sold a mint Mini-Cooper to buy the thing!
I rectified the squared off front wheel arches, the rear window was re-fabricated along with the proper sized hole to put it in, and I added an unpleasant looking air dam, all the rage in 1980!
I don't want to post any photos of the car as it was then in fact the dog ate them so I can't, honest.
The car saw sterling service in this form till I left Cambridge and moved to Bristol in 1981. Then it went into retirement in the mid 80s,after I though the gearbox had given up, living under a pile of boxes in a shop belonging to a friend.
Later, it was found to have a colony of wasps living in it, though by this time it was outside, at a bodyshop specialising in GRP restoration, outside Bristol.
It was then resprayed its current Nissan White, I moved it to near Chepstow and gave it its second rebuild, with full 875 Stiletto power! After completion, with a new gearbox, I found there was still no traction....yep, it had been a broken clutch all along!
I abandoned a perfectly good Stiletto gearbox because of this stupid mistake!
Anyway, long story short, I moved to France in 1993 and brought Dolores over, and in 2001 she had her third rebuild, for racing.
This was done after a lot of consultation with Tim Duffee, who supplied the brakes, rollbar, suspension, and a lot of other stuff.
Dolores has done various forms of competition since gaining her FIA Passport in 2001, and showed great promise in the 2002 Maxi-Mille series till she was retired due to a bad habit of spitting oil mist onto the rear left tyre.....spinning in front of a pack of 31 cars at one point.
Interior with genyoowine burr walnut dash and door inserts....and aluminium.
Dolores and a friend....note the (unfinished) hole for ducted air intake on left shoulder, for an oil cooler. The special scoop is not fitted yet. Tuned 42" Works type crossover exhaust...
Here, Dolores had just returned from her first ever race, at Nogaro, March 2002, and I'd just ripped a bigger hole in the nose for more air, as she overheated embarrassingly during the actual race, causing me to abandon under the impression that she was on fire!
Oh yeah, I don't suppose she will object if I explain her name.....it's after "Dolores, Our Lady of Pain..." by Algernon Swinburne.
I'm sure I need explain no further!