GREAT FOR ALCANTARA-TYPE FABRICS
Sep 22nd
These two products were new to me until recently having been recommended to me by a couple of readers.
One picked up on my comments about the filthy Alcantara steering wheel in the Caterham Seven 420R in the last issue and reckoned this product was a surefire way of bringing it back to health.
While he also praised the Nano Fabric Protector, too and he wondered whether it would help keep Alcantara-type products from getting dirty in the first place. Good shout.
My VW Golf came with seats with Alcantara centre panels and although nice and comfy I know that these suede-style fabrics More >
DRILL AND TAP – ONE PASS
Sep 22nd
New in the Laser Tools range is this set of six combined drill-tap bits designed to drill and tap a hole in a single pass (part number 8405). Each bit has been manufactured from high-speed steel (HSS4241) and coated with a super-hard, ceramic titanium-nitride coating for edge retention and corrosion resistance.
The 1/4in hex drive drill-tap bits feature a drill section at the forward end of each bit that forms the perfect-sized tap hole in the material. The following tap section then cuts the threads. The bits include spiral flutes to clear the swarf created plus a deburring shoulder to ensure More >
DOWN IN THE BUNKER
Sep 22nd
Are your tools safely stored, organised and easy to find? If not, it’s maybe time for a storage upgrade to transform your space and give you a garage to be proud of. BUNKER by Draper Tools is the popular modular storage collection that’s built to protect – and now includes a stunning range of roller tool cabinets.
Meet the ultimate range of roller tool cabinets. Built to perfection, these extraordinary workspaces offer flexibility and quality in equal measures. Choose from blue, green or grey cabinets to move around your space, so you always have what you need when you need it. As with the More >
MOBILE PHONE-SIZED BATTERY CHARGER!
Sep 22nd
It’s a nightmare getting stuck with a drained battery, that’s why Machine Mart stocks a range of car battery chargers, jump starts, and engine starters to get you moving again quickly. They stock robust and reliable battery chargers from Clarke, whose products have been helping people to get back on the road for over 30 years.
The size of a mobile phone with a soft touch casing, the Clarke JSM180 is an amazingly small and lightweight portable lithium-polymer power bank. Weighing only 260gm and small enough to comfortably fit into a glove box, the JSM180 is perfect for emergency situations.
It can More >
CHRISTMAS CATALOGUE!
Sep 22nd
Discover 70 new lines inside the latest edition of Sealey’s Tool Promotion, valid from October 1 until December 31, 2022.
The mammoth 180-page issue, includes over 1760 deals, including offers on many seasonal items such as battery chargers, lighting, and heating.
There are savings to be had on their new range of 12V RoadStart® Lithium Jump Starter Power Packs. Available in three different capacities, the 1200A model is suitable for starting 8-litre petrol or 6-litre diesel engines. Each model includes a USB outlet for powering or charging a variety of small electronic devices.
You can also take inspiration from their festive gift guide More >
A NEW BYPASS
Sep 22nd
ONE AIMED AT OUR NORTH AMERICAN READERS
If you think a heater isn’t necessary for your LS-powered Cobra replica, you’ll need a way to bypass the heater core without causing the engine to overheat.
A Summit Racing™ Heater Bypass Hose lets you do that. It won’t block the water pump ports so the coolant can flow to the thermostat. Your choice of rubber or silicone hoses with clamps, or silicone without clamps.
UNDERPINNINGS – ARCH MOTOR & MANUFACTURING
Sep 22nd
THEY MAKE STUFF – ARCH MOTOR & MANUFACTURING CO LTD by CAROL HARDY
For over sixty years, Arch Motor has been the go-to company if you want a chassis for your racecar or specialist road car. They have been making Caterham and Lotus Seven chassis for over sixty years and during the sixties every F1 team bar Honda and Ferrari used their services. The great news is, this story isn’t a retrospective per se as Arch Motor still exists and although times have changed greatly, they are still very busy, as STEVE HOLE reports. By the way, I haven’t missed an More >
LENHAM MOTOR COMPANY
Sep 15th
LENHAM HEALEY [L25]
Lenham Motor Company was founded by Julian Kingsford-Booty and David Miall-Smith in 1962 (February 9, to be precise!).
Best known for their variety of GRP panels most notably for Sprite and Healey, and motor-racing activities, Lenham also produced the Lenham Healey being one of them.
Came about after a London-based businessman commissioned them to make a pre-war Alfa lookalike basing it on a Triumph TR6. Customers liked the car and it competed at the Brighton Speed Trials in 1977. Motor Sport magazine did a feature on it and other people then wanted one…
The commercial version was reminiscent of the Healey-Silverstone, More >
BARGAIN FUN
Sep 15th
A low-volume manufacturer that flies under the radar a little these days is Zenos Cars, originally set up by former Lotus and Caterham Cars man, Ansar Ali and Mark Edwards.
Although the original company went into administration in 2016 you can still buy an E10. An intriguing car (now part of AC Cars) a bargain price for sure but featuring some very clever touches. Underpinning the whole ensemble is an extruded aluminium ‘spine’ (said to be the largest structure of its type ever used on a car) to which subframes and centre tub are fixed.
The tub is very clever in using More >
FFR IN THE UK AT TECH AUTOS
Sep 15th
Most UK kitcar enthusiasts know that US manufacturer Factory Five is almost certainly the biggest kitcar company in the world in volume terms. The Massachusetts-based operation also has a UK outlet again in the form of Dan Walsh of Poole-based Tech Autos.
Feature coming soon
Hunter Murrell Motorsport, run by all-round good blokes Ian Hunter (no, not that one!) and Jim Murrell represented FFR for a couple of years back in 2007-2008, but the pressures of their day jobs meant that they couldn’t devote full-time to it. They had a couple of fine demonstrators, built by Cobra maestro, Anthony Hale (now the More >
