Hello Paul,
Very briefly as my memory is not brilliant without carrying out further investigation, I was a member of the ACOC in the 1980's but drifted away from AC's with the onset of marriages and mortgages and the increase in value of exotic classic cars !
The first fastback I owned was in the early 1980's and was CF42 PNT 553G. I bought it non-running and half restored and tinkered about in my spare time for a couple of years rebuilding the brakes and suspension and getting the engine running and the cooling system re-installed. The front end had all new panelling but the sills were the original slightly curved ones with the built-in jacking points which inevitably get replaced with the wrong profile sills during restorations and the jacking points removed or covered. The interior was immaculate original and the car was indeed a 4-speed manual. The rear wheel arches needed rebuilding and I had to sell the car as I run out of money. The original colour was Silver with Black leather but the gentleman that bought it had the car finished and painted an orangey red ( he brought it to show to me ) ! The car disappeared from sight in the 1980's and I've never heard or seen of it again.
The second fastback I had was circa 1986 and was CF65 TNP 866L. I bought the car from the first ( or maybe 2nd ) owner and the car at this time was a wedgewood blue with wire-wheels. It was me that loaned the car to Thoroughbred and Classic Cars Magazine in 1986 and indeed it is me driving it in the pictures. I had some suspension work done and replaced the tyres but othewise she was in nice useable condition. I sold the car a year later to finance buying a Miura and I notice that she is now painted Metallic Burgundy. The 3rd fastback I cannot remember the chassis number so will try to find out but she was a later model like CF65 with the rocker switch dashboard and was a mid Metallic Blue. As I cannot remember the chassis number or registration I do not know if the car has been colour changed.
Interestingly we also owned in the 1980's in our family business the Epping Motor Company convertible CF14 which we bought from Adrian McAlpine of the well known giant McAlpine PLC family. This is of course the car that we actually sold to Jim Feldman in the USA which he still owns. That is the one car I really wished we had kept as it was extremely useable. I will look sometime soon to see if I have any old photographs.
Best regards,
Brett
