THE BIG RESTORATION
Having gone from waterlogged, rat-infested wreck to B-road king, this plucky little Clan Crusader is a real survivor…
AS FOUND
Few cars are as underrated as the Clan Crusader. The creation of former employees of Lotus, this wedgy little car is right up there in the list of the most innovative cars of the Seventies. Surprised? Many are, as this month’s star restorer was keen to point out. Alistair Wright also happens to be recently appointed secretary of the Clan Owners Club. ‘There are so few of us, as they only made about 300. But to restore one for the first time was to find out what they’re really made of.’
The Crusader’s glassfibre monocoque might be lightweight but it’s astonishingly rigid with strong reinforced sections, putting certain high end Italian sports car makers to shame. Running gear from the Sunbeam Stiletto meant Seventies hacks heaped universal praise upon the 600kg County Durhambuilt Crusader – especially for its performance and outstanding road manners. That is, of course, when they weren’t getting their kipper ties in a twist over the obvious elephant in the room; the way it looks. While there was no doubting the expertise of exLotus man Paul Haussaur and former F1 and Indy Car engineer Brian Luff, many were (and still are) critical of John Frayling’s styling. ‘It’s an acquired taste’ admits Alistair. ‘But once you’ve driven a Crusader, you won’t be talking about the way it looks!’
It's the inherent strength built into the Clan’s shell that gives the car such supreme handling prowess, but that also gave Alistair a headache when it came to the restoration of his. ‘It was quite clear the shell’s structural wood needed replacement, while it would be necessary to solve the poor repairs that had been done after earlier accident damage to the B-post.’
WINTRY CRUSADE
Alistair’s love of the Crusader goes back to his first sighting of the car. ‘I read about it in a book called Specialist Sportscars – A Very British Breed after which it became an itch I had to scratch.’ He began surfing the net for available projects and eventually found a white one for sale not far away – it was parked up in a barn in Cumbria. ‘It was too late to view it though, as the auction was ending that night. Encouraged by my wife Emma, I placed a last-minute bid and stayed up until midnight to witness myself winning myself my very first Clan Crusader!’
The pickup took place in a snowstorm near Shap, where Alistair found six other Crusaders. ‘They were in various states of disrepair, while m
