F2048
appeared on eBay in March 2005, after nearly fifteen
years on the road with Paul Willis.
This
had been one of the very first cars ever to reach
completion, but with Latham themselves no longer
in business, and precious little support elsewhere,
Paul had a battle on his hands to get the car
completed. By dint of determination and a fair
amount of trial and error, he won through in the
end.
Finished
in a deep burgundy red (Saab Red according to
Paul) and with red leather seats and a black hood,
it was a handsome car. Abridged and adapted from
his auction text, this is how Paul described his
Latham F2:
"The
Latham is fully Triumph Dolomite Sprint based,
certainly mechanically, with only the wiper motor
(and windscreen) coming from a different car.
The car is of immensely strong fibreglass monocoque
construction, and very fast! Paul Latham (Jackson),
the designer, claims 0-60 in under 7 seconds,
and a low centre of gravity ensures it corners
very well."
"It
is an extremely practical kit car. The boot is
large enough for two full sets of golf clubs (which
is very useful if you play golf, of course!) and
the car has real wind-up glass windows as well
as an effective heating/demisting system, making
it useable all year round."
"Built
in 1991 with a fully overhauled and rebuilt engine,
gearbox and rear axle, F2048 has done 38,000 miles
since then and is in excellent mechanical condition.
The car has always been garaged and was constructed
using lots of stainless steel, silicone brake
fluid and copious quantities of Waxoil MOT’d
until 2006 but not currently taxed."
The
highest bidder on eBay was also offered first
refusal on Paul's extensive spares collection,
which included a rally tuned engine (30,000 miles,
circa 185 bhp), two gearboxes, three overdrives,
a cylinder head, 6 spare alloys, carbs, gauges,
radiator, brake pads, shoes and much more besides.
Paul
admitted to some 'bad news': "The fibreglass
has crazed badly in one or two places (principally
the bonnet), the interior shows its age and could
do with freshening up," he said. "The
alloys are pitted and oxidised, and the hood has
faded and has come unstitched along one side seam.
The doors are also a poor fit and may need some
work." He concluded by saying: "I am
6' 2" and fit fine, but its not recommended
for anyone much taller."
The
auction ended with F2049 going to its new and
current owner for £1,171. Bearing in mind
this was a road-ready car, even if it did need
a respray and a fair bit of TLC, that seems a
small price to pay for Latham performance.
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Please
note that this sale was completed in March 2005,
and F2048 is no longer for sale. |