FJ Barn Finds at the Classic Car & Restoration Show - Part 2

FJ Barn Finds at the Classic Car & Restoration Show - Part 2
We get a sneak preview of two ongoing restorations that will feature on the Footman James stand at this month’s Practical Classics Classic Car & Restoration Show.

Footman James is proud to be sponsoring the Barn Find area at The Practical Classics Classic Car & Restoration Show, held on 24 - 26 March 2023.

In part one of the show preview, we spoke to two owners who are joining our stand with a pair of fully restored rarities. In part two, we’re featuring two classics which have only just begun the restoration process.

As you will discover, no two restoration projects are the same. Every classic car has its own story and history, no matter the make, model or how it was originally used. Find out what inspires a classic owner to bring their pride and joy back to life...

1970 Hillman Imp (ex-1976 RAC Rally car) – owned by Adrian Hardy

Since the mid-1980s, Adrian has been participating in road rallies and single venues, where he first started out in an Austin Mini. Adrian later used a Hillman Imp after a friend persuaded him to try out the rear-engined Rootes Group supermini.

It didn’t take long until Adrian had developed a passion for the car, which one day led him to discover a laid-up ex-1976 RAC Rally Hillman Imp sitting in his friend’s garage. As for how it was found after many years unused since 1982, Adrian explained:

“My friend Mick had the Imp stored away in his garage but he didn’t know the history of the car. I offered to buy it a few years later, though it sat in my garage for more than 10 years before restoration work finally began.”

Although Adrian’s Imp was built in 1970, it was equipped with interior upgrades from a 1976 model as it competed in the rally held that year. When he acquired the Imp it was missing its engine and gearbox and required a fair amount of body restoration.

Adrian added: “As you would expect rallying is hard on cars so there was extensive damage underneath from where it was driven on forest tracks. In 2012 I had the Imp’s shell sent to Mike Hanna, who is renowned for his attention to detail and could restore it back to its original condition.”

The car was then sent to SOS Workshop, the car restoration workshop co-owned by Fuzz Townshend and Tim Shaw, who present National Geographic’s Car SOS TV show.

Adrian added: “At SOS Workshop, my Imp had an etch primer coat before being returned for me to begin dry building the car back to its original condition. Once restored, my plan is to take it to sprints, hill climb events, a few shows and maybe the odd rally.”

1946 Healey Westland Roadster – owned by Warren Kennedy

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Credit: Healey Drivers Club*

The car you will see on the Footman James stand is of high importance, as owner Warren Kennedy is rebuilding the first ever prototype Healey that was completed in January 1946. However, for almost 70 years, no one knew it existed. Through sheer luck as a Healey collector and through restoring three different Healey models, Warren uncovered the original A1501 prototype body and chassis, which was later used on two separate vehicles.

Warren purchased the first car in this story in 2008. He thought it was the Westland Roadster that founder Donald Healey had built for his entry in the Mille Miglia in 1948. Warren eventually discovered the car had worn the registration number GWD 43 and appeared to be the same car used by Donald, but it had an even more interesting background that no one had uncovered previously.

When Warren began restoring ‘GWD 43’, he not only discovered that the aluminium skin was a thinner gauge than that used on production cars, but the Ash frame looked as though it had been modified. It was unlike any other Westland Roadster he had restored, so Warren removed the body in favour of a new one, created using the original blueprints. Warren stored the original body away safely, unaware it was the body used on the A1501 prototype - the very first Healey.

Warren purchased the second Healey in this story in 2012, a Healey Duncan Drone, which led to the unlikely discovery of the original chassis for A1501. Having stripped the Duncan Drone and sand blasted its chassis, Warren found ‘A1501’ stamped under the current number on the chassis.

It was confirmed by a forensic metallurgist as the original chassis for A1501, the very first Westland Roadster. The chassis was also made from thinner 20-gauge steel, complete with all the plates that Donald’s son, Geoffrey Healey, had welded in to strengthen the chassis all those years ago.

The third car in this story is the car you will see on the stand, the world’s very first Healey taking shape once again as Donald Healey had originally intended. Warren took the discarded ‘GWD 43’ body out of storage and found that the A1501 chassis that was used in his second purchase of a Duncan Drone matched up perfectly.

To ensure it matches Donald’s original vision, Warren is making the necessary alterations so that it features pop-up headlamps, ‘kite shaped’ sidelight indicators on the front wings, and a fold down flap for the spare wheel. These features were all lost when the production version of the Healey Westland Roadster arrived in late 1946, due to cost-cutting.

Warren’s confidence in A1501’s body and chassis was reinforced by the documented books on Healeys, published by Donald and Geoffrey. The car you will see on the Footman James stand is A1501 with its original body and chassis reunited. It will be restored back to the very first car Donald envisioned his Westland Roadster would be.

Visit the Practical Classics Classic Car & Restoration Show website to purchase tickets for the show, and use the discount code FOOTMANJAMES for £2 off each ticket.

Insure your classic car on the road and on the workbench with Footman James

Whether your classic is in concours condition after a nut & bolt restoration or in pieces in your garage, Footman James have an insurance policy to suit your requirements. If your classic is currently off the road, FJ’s Laid Up policy protects your vehicle against accidental or malicious damage, fire, theft and attempted theft when kept in a locked garage. It’s also covered during transit to and from competitions, exhibitions and restorers. Call us on the number at the top of this page or request a call back online for a quote.

Once you’re behind the wheel, our classic vehicle insurance policy comes complete with a whole host of benefits such as shows & events cover and cover for your trips to Europe (up to 35 days, restrictions apply). You can also choose to add a range of additional options to tailor your policy to your exact requirements. These include: Breakdown Cover, Agreed Value, Nil Deduction Salvage Retention, Legal Protection and more. Get an instant, online quote here.