The cream coloured and now beautifully restored Broadspeed GT with registration 'EOP 89D' is known as Broadspeed Engineering's demonstrator. The Motor magazine, however, road tested another car back in 1966 and published about it in its August issue of that year. This was 'FOH 500D' and it was a dark coloured car. A second demonstrator? Or just a car that happened to be available at the time? From the report:
"The test car, which we were allowed to keep for all four days, was the highest priced version with a tuned 1,275-cc engine. It attracted considerable interest wherever we took it even within a hundred yards of the Broadspeed establishment, which suggested that there aren't yet many of them about. (...) We did not have the car long enough to put it through our normal acceleration tests on a private circuit, but we managed to time it at 112 mph maximum in top. Power output is about 100 bhp and the compression ratio 10.5 to 1. Twin 1 1/2 SU carburetors are fitted."
Now, pictures of this car are scarce, and I wonder if it survives? A small ad in a later magazine mentions a Broadspeed GT for sale in Coventry. That car was opalescent maroon in colour with a black leather interior and 1275 Cooper 'S' engine. Could it have been the same?
UPDATE 8 February 2021: More pictures and a Swedish report of the car have emerged. Click here.
There is a genuine maroon GT here in NZ, perhaps this is the same car? It was in Wellington for many year before being sold on maybe 4-5 years or so ago to an enthusiast in Christchurch on the South Island. I'll email you some pictures if I can find them.
ReplyDeleteThat's a possibility, yes!
DeleteHello Lee, The maroon GT in NZ is definitely not FOH. The car in NZ was built by(then)Broadspeed employee Miles Udy for a customer.
DeleteIt is one of a few cars which were built using one of the last GT fibreglass rear ends which were left over after production had finished and used a new body shell as its base, it was registered in 1967 using the FE number as the vin. Miles bought the car back from his customer and took it with him when he returned to NZ in 1969.