Bangers & Cash 1977 Saudi Corvette JNH 820T

[Daytona Vette]

This is my 78 Daytona before recent paint




This is my Daytona after paint with the sun coming through the trees and playing tricks with the colours



My one is a 454 LS6 from the Chevrolet high performance catalogue - the second highest grossing crate engine at the time (L88 descendant) I wanted the LS7 but the compression was too high the LS6 is 10.2 to 1 solid lifter with a street cam instead of the racing cam in the LS7 the rest is pretty well the same, just the LS6 is that much more tractable.
This one, was the first one out of the two that Corvette Kingdom have built, it has had several engine variations before I got to it, an LT1, Turbo and finally before I got it, a 454 ex Hollywood marine power boat engine with High Nickel content Block etc, but I started again with the crate 454 LS6 from Reel Steel in 85, well over £100k has gone on this one over the time between the previous owner and myself
This one was originally white with three colours of green stripes and Green leather interior when I bought it - She was debuted at the CCCUK Nats at the Post House Birmingham by Corvette Kingdom and was owned by Barry Perman at the time, whom commissioned the build
Since I have owned it from about 85, it has had a Body off, two colour changes, two full leather re-trims and has done about 13k miles in that time
When the Vette was in the White livery it was on the CCCUK stand at the NEC Custom Show again mid 80s - if I remember correct i think we only had two cars on the stand and the theme was the two cars on the strip at Santa Pod - if anyone has any pics - I remember at the end of the show I had a flat Battery and had to jump it.
The Daytona is a Marmite car love it or hate it - I love the front but not the big wing
But the rest of it I think is great - fancy having that in your rear view mirror in 1983 when they were first released.
I could go on but I have stopped now - it was my Birthday yesterday and I can not remember how old I am ??????

 

[funchi]

Hi Daytona Vette Happy birthday I can't believe it, it's 01:10 27/03/20 and I could not get to sleep thinking of Corvettes and then I recalled one more John Greenwood Spirit of Le Man Corvette race car replica White with strips so I thought I would add it to my post, only to find out you beat me to it.
I now remember the Green leather interior, and I recognise the name Barry Perman although I would not have associated it with this car.
I think I may have seen this car at Custom Maid Ilford but that is a bit of a wild guess, where ever I did see it I could not have had a camera as I have no photos, so must have been out and about, and not at a car show, no mobile phones back then, any original photos would be great to see, but in your photos it's still a stunning looking car.
I can see why they could be a Marmite car but I love them.
Was Barry a high end car trimmer who owned this stunning De Tomaso Pantera, seen here at the CCCUK Goodwood race day, just noticed it's behind Keith's Corvette.

 

[Daytona Vette]

Hi Daytona Vette Happy birthday I can't believe it, it's 01:10 27/03/20 and I could not get to sleep thinking of Corvettes and then I recalled one more John Greenwood Spirit of Le Man Corvette race car replica White with strips so I thought I would add it to my post, only to find out you beat me to it.
I now remember the Green leather interior, and I recognise the name Barry Perman although I would not have associated it with this car.
I think I may have seen this car at Custom Maid Ilford but that is a bit of a wild guess, where ever I did see it I could not have had a camera as I have no photos, so must have been out and about, and not at a car show, no mobile phones back then, any original photos would be great to see, but in your photos it's still a stunning looking car.
I can see why they could be a Marmite car but I love them.
Was Barry a high end car trimmer who owned this stunning De Tomaso Pantera, seen here at the CCCUK Goodwood race day, just noticed it's behind Keith's Corvette.

View attachment 4710View attachment 4711

Funchi you must join the CCCUK immediately - your Club needs you
You are still a Vette Head and you have too much History and friends to not be in the Club
Yes Barry Perman went on to a GT5S Panterra after the Daytona which he had sprayed pink - I never saw the car, but this must be it, I do not know if Barry did it or not, but there was talk of Corvette Kingdom doing an upgrade for Barry on the Panterra changing the Ford lump for a GM power house.
Barry then went on to commission the build of a GTD GT40 which I believe caught fire and was totalled
Yes Barry was a High end Trimmer and then went on to modding cars at his business Zeemax

 

[funchi]

Hi Daytona Vette have you got any photos of your Corvette before you had it painted cheers.
And as you know Barry Perman was more than capable of painting his De Tomaso Pantera this shocking pink which I love.
I don't think many cars could pull of this colour but the Pantera can, plus being old I would only add Lamborghini's and TVR'S to that list not many more.

 

[Chevrolet]

Good to hear the Ex-Beck C4 was restored like all classic cars.

Indeed it was:

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And for sale not too long ago. Wonder where it is now?

1984 Corvette C4 Automatic In Light Bronze Metallic For Sale | Car and Classic

1984 Corvette C4 Automatic In Light Bronze Metallic For Sale

www.carandclassic.co.uk

 

[funchi]

Hi Chevrolet so I am not the only person with to much time on there hands, so luckily not all bad Covid 19 news.
Another great update, it would be interesting to know what it sold for having 2 things going for it, a motor show car and a famous owner, very surprising Jeff Beck had a car for so long, hopefully having enough money to change cars when ever he wanted to.
Just looked on the internet and on Tom Faulkner's Facebook page Tom was asking for £18000 December 2018, and it still has an MOT.

 

[Chevrolet]

Hi Funchi, "Little bit" of spare time on my hands at mo. Suspect Tom may still have it? See from the Facebook thread he was driving it in December last year, and advert is from February this year. Being an '84, it has the Crossfire engine carried over from the C3, and "rock hard/bone shaker" suspension that was criticised by the press at the time, especially on the Z51. '85 on got the 230 bhp Tuned Port Injection (TPI) engine and reduced/revised spring rates etc.

 

[Daytona Vette]

Hi Daytona Vette have you got any photos of your Corvette before you had it painted cheers.
And as you know Barry Perman was more than capable of painting his De Tomaso Pantera this shocking pink which I love.
I don't think many cars could pull of this colour but the Pantera can, plus being old I would only add Lamborghini's and TVR'S to that list not many more.

I will have a look in the archives for when it was white

 

[funchi]

Daytona Vette thank you it would be good if you do have some old photos, and also more as it is now.

 

[funchi]

Hi kentvette you beat me to the Ace Café that was coming next, I am sure I must have met you in the past.

I have been side tracked with the John Greenwood Spirit of Le Man Corvette race car replica chatter, and I am so very slow on the keyboard.

I wonder if I may have met you at Leeds Castle Kent a few years ago, you could have been representing the CCCUK, someone was and I had a good chat, it was an absolute joke trying to get in and I all most gave up.

As for the Chelsea Cruise I mainly did it on my own because of the odd idiot doing burn outs, and with my USA rear red lights not a good idea to upset the Police, I would sometimes park up in Battersea Park and have a pint.

My rough route down the A13 I loved to roar through the tunnels especially with my side pipes, down the Embankment across Chelsea Bridge Albert Bridge and Battersea Bridge.
Return route down the Kings Road and around Sloane Square to Knightsbridge, I had the odd pint in Knightsbridge, then of too Piccadilly Circus passing the Hard Rock Café on my left, my Black Corvette has been parked up down the side road for the odd pint or for a meal with one of my children.

Next around Piccadilly Circus and then around the back doubles, heading to Billingsgate fish market, past The Tower of London St Catharine’s Dock and down the Highway home, I stopped for the odd pint in the Prospect of Whitby Wapping.

When I was young I always drank in the East End but not with my Corvette.

The only time I had a pint in the East End returning from the Chelsea cruise some bastard tried to nick 2 emblems, the front emblem and the petrol filler cap emblem, little did they know the petrol filler cap emblem was held on with 2 dome head nuts so it snapped, I was very lucky when I replaced them you could not see any paint scratches.

I would like to make it clear officer I only stopped once a night for a pint and not all on the same night.

 

[Roscobbc]

Hmmm - try do the run in from the East Side to the Chelsea now - what with the African women with multi-colour head-dresses driving in the outside lane at 25 mph in the outside lane and Uberdick Prius drivers at 35 mph in the other lanes on the journey going 'in' - and the loaded cycle lanes on the return trip even in the early hours.........driving a manual big block Vette without air con and a cabin temperature akin to the tropics (and that's in the winter!) makes this a very unpleasant journey........

 

[funchi]

HI Roscobbc I tried it many years ago in the C5 even before the days of the congestion charge, it was a bloody nightmare, all the pleasure had gone, thousands of cameras everywhere and so many signs, impossible to read on the move, I got stuck in a bus lane heading towards Trafalgar Square which I did not even know I was in, luckily no ticket but never again, I felt I had earned a pint that night.

 

[funchi]

I can’t remember where the photo of my young daughter Vicki was taken.

I think the next time Vicki is in a photo with Corvettes, is the first time I went to the Ace Café CCCUK 2005 meet, and trust me I did not allow Vicki to drive very far less than ½ mile.

 

[funchi]

The Ace Café 2006, no Corvette this year went by the London Underground so I could have a beer.

 

[Roscobbc]

I see Keith's Calloway in the line-up....

 

[funchi]

Roscobbc More from The Ace Cafe 2006, with the well known Yellow C5 owned by the real Petrol-head Nigel Dobbie, now living in the USA and an author writing motor sport books.

When Nigel cuts himself Nigel bleeds high octane fuel.

The MOT on BL O3 JOB ran out in 2008 so I am sure someone here will know if Nigel took his C5 back home to the land of it's birth.

I beat you this time Roscobbc, just read that Nigel's C5 is alive and well in the USA and on it's third rebuild heading for 800 bhp.

 

[Corvette]

A few of us on here have owned this car. A regular on the strip, whats below numberplate was often used, a 69

Big Block car.

 

[funchi]

H Corvette I personally don' recognise the car or number plate so I will keep an eye out for it in my photos.

Although I have quite a lot of photos from the CCCUK Santa Pod meet I think I only went there once or twice max.

 

[funchi]

Daytona Vette I need your help again I have found another John Greenwood Spirit of Le Man Corvette race car replica, or as you know more commonly known as, and always referred by you, the John Greenwood Daytona (Turbo race car replica).

I do not even remember taking these photos or where, but I am not surprised this would have been the only time I saw it.

As Keith Betchi's name has come up more than once with reference to the Reeves Callaway Twin Turbo cars, I am going to add another Reeves Callaway Twin Turbo car into the mix, this stunning black Reeves Callaway Twin Turbo car known to me, and if my photos are in the correct order, and they should be, taken on the same day as 8744 BP above, and the same day as a young Vicki sitting in front of the black C4 registration
E618 MMM and still with a valid MOT.

I like to check the odd registration, and it is surprising what comes up, some private plates go on to a different classic car expected, some go on to the odd modern car, and some don't come up at all, like Nigel Dobbie's BL 03 JOB, but I would not be surprised if Nigel had that on a retention certificate.

 

[Chevrolet]

Remember that Callaway from the Nationals (at Knebworth I think it was?)/Won Best in Show. Another UK Callaway owner was David Lloyd (of the Gyms fame). Used to get his serviced at the American Car Centre/American Carriage company in Kingston, where I saw it a couple of times. Car went back to the States according to this:

1991 Chevrolet Corvette Callaway at Denver 2016 as S121 - Mecum Auctions

1991 Chevrolet Corvette Callaway crossing the auction block at Denver 2016 as S121.

www.mecum.com