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After
seven years of ownership, many thousands
of pounds, countless hours of work, and great
enthusiasm, F2048 appeared on the market again
having undergone a major ground-up restoration.
During that time it had become a radically
different and very impressive example of the
Latham F2.
Regrettably,
ill-health forced the sale and, after
the amount of dedication, hard work and effort
that went into F2048,
it's easy to appreciate why this was a "reluctant"
separation. By contrast, however, it did offer
a new owner the chance to acquire a stunning
example of the marque, requiring little or
no additional work.
During
the course of the rebuild the car was stripped
down to its component parts. The body itself
had all the previous paint, surface crazing
and gel coat
removed and repaired, with any weak points
locally strengthened to minimise the chance
of future cracking.
The
interior was fully reupholstered and trimmed
in distinctive blue and white, using the original
bespoke design Latham bucket seats, and including
detailed work such as steering wheel, dashboard,
handbrake lever and gaiters.
Mechanically,
the car is fitted with the Dolomite Sprint
16-valve slant-four engine, mated to a four
speed manual gearbox with overdrive on third
and fourth. The engine is fed by standard Dolomite
twin SU carburettors, while the cast
iron Dolomite exhaust manifold is also employed.
In this configuration the unit should be generating
around 130 bhp - in a car weighing around 850
kilos.
The
suspension was fitted with new poly
bushes to most joints, including the rear
suspension (which was still new enough to
creak a bit!). Other new or fully-reconditioned
components include rear shocks, steering
joints, brakes front and rear (disc pads and
shoes), front offside brake caliper, brake
master cylinder, starter motor, water pump,
oil cooler and radiator. The ignition system
has been converted to electronic and fitted
with high power leads, and the rest of the
car has been fully
rewired.
Luxury
extras and additions include a bluetooth radio,
parking sensors, front fog lamps, high intensity
rear lamp clusters, air vents in bonnet top
and sides, new immobilizer, central locking,
rear wing and many, many other details and
extras, amounting to several thousands of pounds
in parts alone.
Like
all F2s, F2048 is also very competitive to insure,
depending upon no-claims, age and experience.
A typical premium is around £100,
and in this instance offers a guaranteed value
of £8500.
F2048
was sold in September 2012, but these details
and photos are left here as a record of F2048
at the time of her most recent sale, and as
a useful reference to others.
Click
any image above, or in the gallery below,
to view an enlargement.
A single
click should be sufficient, and the
enlargement will appear in a fresh window,
and can be closed by clicking on the [x]
in the top right-hand corner..
Please
note that F2048 is no longer for
sale. |
