1926' Vauxhall 14-40 With 23-60 Engine

1926 Vauxhall 14-40 Sports with 23-60 engine

A walk round this car and see it ticking over on You Tube : - details above

See this car on the move on You Tube today : - details above

Film - just re-upholstered see on You Tube: - details above

With modified 23-60 engine, it is well able to pull the earlier higher rear axle ratio 3:1 E-type crownwheel and pinion, to make a highly usable vintage car, able to keep up with most ordinary traffic today.

Combining a 14-40 chassis and running gear, this car was constructed in New Zealand and imported by the late Peter Street who I knew well.

£10,000 just spent by the current owner who requested Jeremy Brewster of Brewster Mudie to go through the car and bring the car up to spec, checking the engine and sourcing the correct shock absorbers, going through the suspension and brake system.

Coupled 4-wheel brakes on the foot pedal. Hand brake conventional - on rear brakes

£3500 just spent on new black Connolly buttoned leather hide upholstery - commissioned by the current owner to the correct pattern - see photo - together with a fresh hood bag and tonneau - retaining the virtually new hood and side screens.

An electric cooling fan has been added, but I dare say an original two-blade belt driven fan could be sourced and fitted.

The ability to pull away from low speeds in top gear out of a roundabout is sensational - modern cars behind wonder how a large engined vintage Vauxhall is able to pull away from modern traffic - but it's a standard party piece !

A long range fuel tank is fitted, connected to a large semi-updraught SU carburettor with SU electric fuel pump, rather than perhaps a more thirsty and expensive updraught Zenith via an Autovac.

This car ideally suitable for long range events - and ready to go !

WILL IT FIT IN MY GARAGE? Length is 13'6" - Width is 5'8"

This car’s early life was as a 14-40 was in New Zealand, like so many of the big Vauxhalls. It was acquired by a New Zealander called Trevor Timms who decided to rebuild it as a special. Trevor combined the 14-40 chassis and running gear with a 23-60 engine and gearbox. A sporting body was then built but slightly shorter than the standard car. The car has a 3:1 rear axle and 21 inch wheels. All running gear is 14-40. A long range fuel tank is fitted similar to the Le Mans Bentley. It also has a full set of Vauxhall instruments on a seriously impressive dashboard.

The car was finished just before Trevor Timms died but was never really commissioned and run in although it was given full New Zealand licence approval. It was sold and eventually imported to the UK by the late Peter Street of Forest Vintage, a keen Vauxhall enthusiast, from whom my client bought the car. It was immediately clear that the car needed more work to bring it up to scratch. Jeremy Brewster of Brewster Mudie vintage car preparation business, is hailed as an authority on these cars having written a modern day maintenance manual for the marque. He also looks after many such cars for their owners. Jeremy was commissioned to go through the car carefully and do any work that was necessary. The car had no shock absorbers fitted and so the correct front and back pairs were sourced and fitted. The engine was checked thoroughly and the braking system and suspension overhauled. Eventually the car was finished, signed off by Jeremy and returned to me.

At this point the current owner decided that he did not like the upholstery. Cream leather does not fit well with a vintage car. So the car went to an expert trimmer, familiar with big Vauxhalls. The whole of the upholstery was stripped out and replaced by correct black Connolly hide, buttoned in the correct pattern. The hood and side screens were new and virtually unused but a hood bag and a tonneau cover were made to complete the weather equipment. The owner states that the car does not seem to overheat, but has fitted a manually operated electric fan just in case.

VV14-40/OD1086 comprises chassis LM186, engine OD1086 and gearbox G3489A. With its relatively lightweight body, strong engine and long-range fuel tank, the car is ideal for endurance rallies such as the Flying Scotsman. Similar cars have figured well in hill climbs and VSCC Trials.

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