Advertising Last completed movie pages 1970 Arkley SS based on 1967 Sprite/MidgetClass: Cars, Convertible — Model origin: 
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Vehicle used by a character or in a car chase
Comments about this vehicle| Author | Message |
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-- ◊ 2019-09-22 23:50 |
![[Image: czg1.jpg]](http://pics.imcdb.org/8212/czg1.jpg) ![[Image: czg2.jpg]](http://pics.imcdb.org/8212/czg2.jpg) ![[Image: czg4.jpg]](http://pics.imcdb.org/8212/czg4.jpg) |
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◊ 2019-09-22 23:58 |
Arkley SS?![[Image: 1968_arkley_ss_front_corner.jpg]](http://pics.imcdb.org/26849/1968_arkley_ss_front_corner.jpg) https://barnfinds.com/baby-seven-1968-arkley-ss/ |
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◊ 2019-09-22 23:59 |
Yes. Was just about to post the same thing. 1970+ according to my book. |
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◊ 2019-09-23 00:48 |
They were just front and rear conversion kits for Spridgets - some sold new from 1970, or could be retro-fitted to older examples. This may be a newer one - has 1966+ quarterlights, so 1970 as if sold fully built with the special wide wheels looks good. |
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-- ◊ 2019-09-23 01:44 |
Plate:![[Image: 400p.148.jpg]](http://pics.imcdb.org/8212/400p.148.jpg) |
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◊ 2019-09-23 02:06 |
... looks like PBY 485E, a genuine 1967 London issue - the next PBY run was 1973 with L. So a kit converted 1967 Spridget, not a factory fresh Arkley, although Arkley may have done the dirty work. |
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◊ 2019-09-23 21:55 |
I'm not sure it's useful to bury this rarity amongst a mass of a couple of hundred Sprites, especially when we can't confirm it as starting life as a Sprite rather than a Midget. -- Last edit: 2019-09-23 21:57:26 |
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◊ 2019-09-24 00:29 |
Fair point, but I'm not sure what the safest way of doing it is. Whatever we choose has holes - eg if we call this a 1967 Arkley SS for the car date, the problem is that the firm did not exist until 1970. Other conversions where we use the converter name (eg for the sake of argument Crayford as a comparison) usually came out of the workshop as fully-built new cars, but while Arkley made some brand new ones (which probably would have been Midget-baseed as the Sprite stopped in 1970) they also sold lots of DIY kits - the main selling point being how to revive your old/rusted Spridget - as well as a third intermediate route of Arkley-workshop refurbishments of older cars. This one is therefore one of the latter 2 permutations carried out on a Sprite or Midget (point taken about interchangeable ID) when it was about 3 years old, and looks a full make-over as SS (wide arches, special alloys with black centres) instead of the cheaper narrow-wheel S. Maybe 1967 Arkley SS is the most useful alternative to bring it forward - I don't think 1970 Arkley SS is merited. Or maybe no date?? Detailed Arkley website. |
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◊ 2019-09-24 21:54 |
Agree about the problems about using 1967 as a year because of the Arkley not existing that early on. Generally we put kit cars with the year of conversion even if they retain a donor age related identity, though body conversions - which I suppose this is - are a slightly more difficult question as the year of conversion will often be unknown. Here I'd go either no year or 1970 - as this is a 1970 film and the book - for what it's worth - states these conversions started in 1970 we can guess it was converted that year. Leaving the year blank would also work because of the issues with choosing either of the possibilities. The low age of the base car, the newness of the model and the prominent use of it make me wonder if this was a factory demonstrator vehicle? |
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◊ 2019-09-24 23:02 |
Renamed in a way that should cover all bases .... |
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◊ 2019-09-24 23:42 |
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