Friday, 7 May 2021

And yet another GTM in Belgium

Once a ball starts rolling... I had heard rumours about a Cox GTM in Belgium for years but it was only months ago that I actually found it (this one). Then I heard there was supposedly another and found that, too only this week. It's not a Cox GTM but a Heerey GTM though, and joins the sole and still unregistered Euro GTM Coupe (this one) in the hands of Benjamin Massy. 

Benjamin purchased the Heerey as a project car some 20 years ago but never came round to do it. It's complete but is unregistered and has no identification either. Oddly, the nose section on this car has been modified with only the front of it hinging forward. Benjamin showed me around in his workshop - a real Aladin's cave for A-series performance stuff. He is not too eager to sell anything, but may be tempted to do so if the offer is right. Drop me a line if you want to do so.

I had another arrangement before going home again, and when things got late I decided to ring up my friend Joost van Diën, who's based on the Dutch-Belgian border and who'd messaged me days earlier to tell that his Mk1 Mini Marcos had finally been road-registered in The Netherlands. We raised our glasses to that! The orange baby is going to be a real stunner and I hope to do a full report on the major troubles Joost went through to get it registered soon. Have a great weekend for now!


A Heerey GTM found in a lock-up in Belgium. Note the unusual front end...
Picture Jeroen Booij

 ...with the end of it fibreglassed to the front scuttle and only the front hinging forward
Picture Jeroen Booij

The car is complete with engine and all the bits and pieces but is unregistered
Picture Jeroen Booij

Much of the parts, including glass, is parked in the Heerey's cabin 
Picture Jeroen Booij

Benjamin Massy used to race / rally / sprint and hillclimb Minis from the early 1970s up until 1995
Picture Jeroen Booij

Benjamin in his Mini racer during a sprint - the car weighed 436 kgs at this point
Picture courtesy Benjamin Massy

The racer was wrecked but he kept his collection of racing parts, much of it new old stock
Picture Jeroen Booij

Open a drawer and you'll find something interesting. A hot camshaft... 
Picture Jeroen Booij

...or NOS parts for a Salibury diff as he had it fitted to his own Mini
Picture Jeroen Booij

And how about these? Three Mini gearboxes adapted to take a BDA engine block
Picture Jeroen Booij

That's Benjamin's daily driver today! An old Chevy hearse that's a truck on paper
Picture Jeroen Booij

Over to Mini Marcos man Joost van Diën who now has his Mk1 on Dutch registration, too
Picture Jeroen Booij

It's going to be a gorgeous car in any respect, restored to a very high standard
Picture Jeroen Booij

Early morning, Joost is off to work in his Mk3 - I'm heading back home
Picture Jeroen Booij

No comments:

Post a Comment