The cars of Douglas Glover (4)

Some time ago I wrote about the cars built by Irishman Douglas Glover (part 1 here and part 2 here and part 3 here) and I intended to finish that off with a bit more about the man and his machines. Glover's very first car in particular, known as the DGS Special. I forgot that, but here it is now. 

To jog your memory: Glover worked as a production manager for Lincoln & Nolan, Austin agents for Ireland, which also assembled Minis for the Irish market. Glover came with the idea to create an Irish sports car, based upon the Mini. An Austin 850 meant for assembly served as a basis for the DGS Special, which was supposedly built in 1962 or 1963. It became a roadster with low doors and a boot, perhaps not unlike the MG Midget that had just come out and it is believed to have used several MG parts in the interior, too. The front also was adorned with an MGA sourced grille, with Mini headlights placed next to it and spotlights at the far corners. The car used the Mini’s bumpers.

It was registered 'LZC 775' (anyone who knows when? - UPDATE: Neil Kilbane does - it must have been around July 1961) and used for some local motoring events. Unfortunately I have only one picture of the car, kindly provided by Richard Heseltine, where it is seen frontally. Wouldn't it be nice to find out that there was more?

The DGS Special was in fact the prototype for the layer DGS Firecrest

Picture courtesy Richard Heseltine

The only picture I know of the Special was also used in The Autocar in April 1963

Picture Jeroen Booij archive

Grille is from an MGA, badge looks to be Austin? What happened to LZC 775?

Picture courtesy Richard Heseltine