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May I echo that, what a sleeping beauty!
Exchequer, what very welcome news! And welcome also to this thread. I am sure we would all be most interested to know more about your car’s history in your ownership and before, so any detail you’d be willing to share would be much appreciated, especially as the Aston Martin Heritage Trust is planning an update to the register of cars sometime next year, being produced by Tim C, the registrar. Regards, David
Amazing! Fascinating to see the breakdown
Tim, the car restored by WS had 3 SU before they reverted to Solex (for originality?) so clearly it can be done. I wonder if the breathing problems with SU reported by Robert Edwards might have been caused by the standard Rapide engine having different (softer) cam profiles to either standard or Vantage DB4 or DB5, and I suspect the smaller valves as per 2 SU DB4 engine
It would be a very interesting Q car with a 4.7 engine with 3 Webers! Manual box of course. I’m not sure the half shafts would last long though
David
Hi Christian, Glad it’s going well still!
My car’s carbs were rebuilt by Burlen Services of Salisbury if I recall, came back really well but not cheap! Some of the minor castings are mazak and very vulnerable, especially those with threads in them like the top plate where the fuel enters. I’ve had to cannibalise my spare set to stop leaks etc. They are also quite tricky to set up properly but once done they should hold their settings for ages; the effect of the main jets coming in around 3000-3500 rpm is very marked in terms of engine performanceRegards, David
Well, well, what a turn up! According to the register the original colour you describe as Alice Blue was Carribean Pearl, and the interior was fawn. And the image you posted above is or was available on the internet, so thanks very much for dating it. I’d be very interested in any more early history you can add about the car, thanks in advance
Many of the cars were originally driven by chauffeurs, perhaps they were harsh users when the boss was not in the back. Many of the issues however were of design, especially for example the half shafts; these are not at right angles to the plane of rotation of the road wheels but at about 89 degrees to save space in the de Dion arrangement. This means the shafts carry loads they were not designed for by Hardy Spicer, which causes spline wear especially if the wrong grease is used. When new this was not appreciated so “ordinary” grease was used, but this was quickly changed to a more resilient graphite grease which lessens the problem but does not cure it. The Rapide warranty claims apparently nearly broke AML at the time, quite apart from the opportunity cost of losing DB4/5 production (said to be 4 off) to build one Rapide. The “finest of fast cars” was quite a tough slogan to live up to for a demanding clientele who often were personal friends or associates of DB
Not that unusual, mine had 3 gearboxes in the same period. The warranty bills must have been huge
This car has not been known to the register since about 1968. Thanks for the link Christian
I suppose it could have been for my Rapide, about 10 years ago, although as I bought through a third party I never knew the actual maker, but I was aware it was a workshop in or near Coventry.
Having had 2 engines done, as good a reason as any is to return the head, seats, valves, springs, colletts, guides, tappets etc returned to new condition and clearances using more modern materials as necessary than were available when the head assembly was designed in 1957-58. Unleaded also burns hotter than 4-star so attention should also be paid to all aspects of cooling, especially in the head around the exhaust valve guides which are cooled directly by the water flow, and in general around cylinders 5 and 6 where flow is reportedly weaker than elsewhere
The original tyres were crossplies, awful by modern standards. I’d propose there’s no evidence to suggest that tyres affect values. The only point about radials whether Avon Turbosteel (which I use) or Michelin XWX is that you’ll lose some rolling radius hence speed/revs. There are tyre comparison sites on the web which enable you to calculate the differences. On the Rapide I’d settle for HR rated tyres as good for 135 mph
In proposing the take off point was 2007, I was referring back to the motorbase website which lists most Rapide auction selling prices since the 90s, and which shows 2006 as the last year when cars sold for 20-30K (e.g. 146 the AML one). 138 certainly was in concours condition some time ago, and for about a decade (88-98) either it or 154 won the Lagonda Class at AMOC concours before certain wedges came on the scene
All 4 of the high-selling auctioned Rapides (including 121 above) have now been sold by Bonhams as follows
149 (May 08 at AMWS) ?84K incl (with 4.2 engine, original number)
147 (May 09 at AMWS) ?75K incl (with DB5 engine)
138 (Dec 10 at Brooklands) ?86.2K incl (original engine, as befits concours car)So I wouldn’t expect the “non-original” engine to affect the value much, and clearly it didn’t this week; it was fitted in May 1965 by AML possibly as a warranty claim or goodwill gesture given it was owned by Babcock & Wilcox Ltd
Another car sold privately recently fetched a price of a similar order. The take-off point according to my research was around 2007. Food for thought!
$105,300 including premium, a good investment for the vendor as he paid $18K for it in 2006. Fair value in today’s market IMO
So Francis are you the new owner?