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4Jan/120

Cool Car: 1968 Triumph TR250

1968 Triumph TR250

Every so often we come across a car that is so amazing that we just have to write about it. This was the case when we found this 1968 Triumph TR250 right here in our neck of the woods. This car was purchased new in the UK as a USA spec car and imported here to California shortly thereafter. The car is 100% original and untouched. We rarely see Triumph TR250s, never mind a completely original and amazing car like this. We bought this rare Triumph and sold it within hours. We are now getting the car back up to par and doing light restoration work for the new owner. This is one car we would love to keep and put in our personal collection, but unfortunately we cannot keep them all.

1968 Triumph TR250

Tagged as: triumph No Comments

5Dec/110

Restoration Project: Triumph TR3

British Sports Cars technician Phil Honer working on Triumph TR3.

Over the years here at British Sports Cars, we have been exporting and importing cars to and from all over the world as well as servicing and restoring some of the rarest British cars in the world. With the growth of our internet presence, the service and restoration side of our business has really grown and we are seeing more and more cars come from out of the area and from around the world. We just finished restoring a Jaguar XK120 for a client in Spain and are currently restoring a Triumph Italia for a client in Washington DC.

Triumph TR3 Restoration

Just this week we have received a Triumph TR3 from a client in Texas. We will be completely rebuilding the engine and transmission as well as going through the car and making it a great driver before transporting it back to Texas. We love what we do around here and are very privileged to get our hands on some of these awesome cars. Please feel free to leave any comments and/or questions.

Triumph TR3 Restoration

Tagged as: restoration, triumph No Comments

18Oct/118

Shop Talk: MGB Chrome Bumper Conversion

MGB Chrome Bumper Conversion

Performing a chrome bumper conversion to your late model MGB is one of the best things you can do to improve the look of your vehicle and add value. We have been doing this conversion for several years now and it is quite straightforward and inexpensive. The downside to this conversion is that the vehicle will need paint work as very slight body modifications will need to be made. If you are thinking about painting your late model MGB, then doing this conversion is a must. We have used the Moss Motors conversion kit for all of the conversions we have done and we believe it is a great kit.

MGB Chrome Bumper Conversion

The late rubber bumper MGBs also ride slightly higher that the early cars. But Moss Motors has several different options you can use to lower your vehicle to achieve the desired look and feel. If you have any questions about performing this conversion, or would like for us to do it on your MGB, please feel to give us a call or shoot us an email.

MGB Chrome Bumper Conversion

Tagged as: MG, shop talk, upgrades 8 Comments

9Sep/110

Guest Blogger: Thurlow Weed’s Racing History: Exposition Park San Luis Obispo

The automobile race track in San Luis Obispo, called Exposition Park, had a brief but significant history in early motor racing in the United States. A number of forces brought the track into existence. The end of the First World War in 1918, and along with it an end to the need of American farmers to feed large Allied armies in Europe, saw an agricultural depression sweep over rural communities like San Luis Obispo. In 1922 a group of local businessmen incorporated themselves as the San Luis Obispo Exposition Park, believing that they could lift the local economy by taking advantage of California’s exploding automobile ownership. In 1910 there were only 36,000 cars in the state, in 1922 however, there were nearly 700,000. These businessmen believed that a race track would be a magnet for both new and aspiring automobile owners, and bring much needed commerce to the city.

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Tagged as: guest blogger, racing, video No Comments

2Sep/112

Restoration Update: Frank Leysen’s Jaguar XK140

Jaguar XK140 Restoration: Chassis

Frank here with another update from Belgium. The XK140 is ready to receive its body, which is back from the paint shop. We tested the engine yesterday and we have to admit that your mechanic did a very good job! When we first tried to start it, it refused, but that was because apparently the inlet manifold is from another car. It has a hole in the underside where the tube to a servobooster fits (like for instance a MK8 or XK150). After blanking the hole, it fired instantly, and apart from the ignition timing and carb settings, we didn't encounter any problems.

Jaguar XK140 Restoration: Chassis

As you can see in the photos, everything has been assembled with new parts. The exhaust from SC-Parts didn't fit, so we had to cut the rear downpipe and re-weld it with an intersection of about one inch, otherwise it was impossible to de-clutch (the lever touched the exhaust). Next week we hope to put the body on the chassis and to shim it out to make all the door gaps correct. Stay tuned!

Jaguar XK140 Restoration: Chassis

Tagged as: guest blogger, jaguar, restoration 2 Comments

20Aug/111

We’ve Got a Mascot! A MINI Mascot!

This little guy deserves to be front and center!

As many of you may know, British Sports Cars has a subsidiary business called Central Coast Mini Center. Since the new Mini was released here in the United States in 2002, they have quickly become one of the best selling cars in the United States. By name, they are British, but the company is owned by BMW. We were losing a lot of Mini business to local BMW service shops so we decided to start Central Coast Mini Center.

Central Coast MINI Center Mascot

Central Coast Mini Center has been great for business and we see loads of Minis on a daily business. With Justin Jurgens and Phil Honer being the only technicians on the Central Coast that have been through the factory Mini training course, we are at a huge advantage over other non-Mini shops.

Central Coast MINI Center Mascot

We still get calls from other local BMW repair shops asking for technical advice on Minis, so we kicked around some ideas of what else we can do to capture the Mini market. When we were able to buy this 2003 Mini Cooper with a blown motor, we saw it as the perfect opportunity to repair it and have it wrapped with the Union Jack and Central Coast Mini Center decals. We think it turned out great and it gets loads of attention, just as we had hoped. We're quite sure if people didn't know about us, they will now as it's impossible to miss this little guy going down the road. Please feel free to contact us with any of your Mini questions.

Tagged as: general, mini cooper 1 Comment

10Aug/112

Restoration Update: 1969 Jaguar XKE

1969 Jaguar XKE Restoration

The 1969 Jaguar XKE restoration is well on its way at this point. On arrival here at the shop, the Jaguar was wrecked heavily in the front. We thought we were going to have to buy a whole new bonnet, but thankfully we were able to pull it and straighten it. The car was stripped down to bare metal to ensure the highest quality of paint job. The XKE is now in its primer stages. It will be primered several times and block-sanded smooth each time until the body is completely straight. Once the body is straight and just where the body shop wants it, the car will be painted back to its original color. We still have a long way to go on this project, so stay tuned and feel free to ask questions or leave comments.

View slideshow to see all 19 photos from this set.

1969 Jaguar XKE Restoration Part 2

Tagged as: jaguar, restoration 2 Comments

4Aug/111

Rare Treat: 1949 XK120 Jaguar Alloy

1949 XK120 Alloy - One of only 242 in existence.

Every so often we get a car in that is so cool we just have to blog about it. This is the case with this very rare 1949 Jaguar XK120. When Jaguar XK120 production first began, they produced a short run of cars, all handmade with aluminum bodies on ash frames. This is one of those cars and as such is highly desirable in the XK world. This particular car (Chassis #670069) is a long-time local car that has been in storage for many years. We have known about the car for a long time and had never seen it until recently.

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Tagged as: jaguar, rare treat, repair 1 Comment

25Jul/111

The Fifth Annual Gathering of Friends All European Car Show

Austin 100 /4 M

Sorry for not posting in a while. Things have been incredibly busy here at the shop. We've got some great restoration projects underway and we look forward to sharing them with you soon. In the meantime, here's a post about a very nice local charity car show we participate in every year.

The Fifth Annual Gathering of Friends All European Car Show was held at Laguna Lake Park in San Luis Obispo on Sunday, July 17, 2011. The show is an event all of us here at British Sports Cars look forward to every year. We have been an event sponsor of this show since its inaugural event several years ago. Every year, this show gets better and better and always seems to blow us away with the type and quality of cars on display. Just like the name says, this show truly is a gathering of friends. The event is very laid back and a lot of fun where everyone mingles and gets to know one another on a personal level.

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Tagged as: austin healey, car show, events, general, healey, jaguar, mini cooper, photography 1 Comment

22Jun/112

Guest Blogger: Frank Leysen’s Update on Jaguar XK140 Restoration

XK 140 Chassis

We've finally started restoring the XK140. It's taken us a while to get around to it due to so many people asking us to prepare their classic for the summer, delaying work on the XK for several months.

After having prepared the body for the paint job, we braced it up and removed it from the chassis. Right now, it's at the paint shop to have its inner panels re-sprayed. The outer body will get its paint after it's back on the chassis.

XK 140 Chassis

The chassis has been sandblasted and powder coated. It was in remarkably good condition, with only some minor surface rust. No welding was necessary. All of the suspension components have been sandblasted and powder coated as well. The front and rear suspension was reassembled using new rubber bushes and new bolts and nuts. The upper and lower ball joints are new. The rear leaf springs are new, as well as the four shockers (adjustable Spax).

XK 140 Chassis

The rear axle has been taken apart and all the bearings have been replaced. The rear brakes have received new cylinders and brake shoes and the drums have been rectified. The steering rack was disassembled but showed none or very little wear, so we reassembled without reconditioning it. We will convert the car to front disc brakes, so we ordered a kit from Coopercraft.