STAFF CAR SAGAS
Danny’s got frozen projects, but can he complete them?
Dusty
Other than being in need of a good clean, the Scimitar is still in great condition – atestament to Brian's work.
Other people’s projects. Always a tough one. Most of us will have stood by another enthusiast’s creation at some point and thought: ‘Well I wouldn’t have done it like that,’ and as long as we remember not to say it out loud, it’s OK. Taking on someone else’s project is a bigger risk and requires real thought and careful assessment. So, this month, I’ve done it twice.
The first project baton I have had handed to me came from Brian Kent in Somerset. He got to the finishing line with his 1979 Reliant Scimitar SE6a back in 2012, save for some interior work and final fettling. Then he was let down by a trimmer and, with a queue of other projects, one of which you will meet later this year, he quietly locked the Reliant away.
Being without my Jensen has left a classic GT hole in my life, and with the passing of designer Tom Karen on my mind, a Scimitar was high on my list. Two minutes after I saw Brian’s stalled Scim poking out from the back end of a covered trailer, I was enquiring. Ten minutes later it was sold – along with the spares car that came with it.
Looking over it in depth, I did indeed think to myself: ‘Well I wouldn’t have done it like that,’ for the simple reason that Brian, in his original restoration, had gone deeper, further and with a greater attention to detail than I probably would have done. It had been given a proper going over. Body off, chassis rebuilt and powder coated, gel coat repaired and the whole car resprayed in Rover Nightfire Red, by Brian… in his own booth! It was dusty and there was some damage to the roof and the interior needed completing (anyone got a decent tan interior?)… but what had been done, had been done really, really well.
It had lived in Brian’s barn for 11 yea
