The story unfold like this,British Leyland approached Laycock engineering [now Look (UK) ] In the spring of 1973 for a competition gear box for the Marina a very promising rally car at the time and the possibility of a 5 speed,O/D gearbox for the standard Marina cars,Laycock who had manufactured gearboxes and clutches for a long line of BMC/BL cars and had a long partnership together and must have been the ideal choice for such a project.Bl were looking for either a 5 speed gearbox or and over-drive unit on the lines of the Dolomite (O/D on 3rd and 4th gear) Laycocks brief was to keep the costs down to a minimum,this was to be achieved via the use of existing components,either assembled to make a new unit or a mixture of cobbled together parts to achieve the final item.
To aid the work,so that parts could be offered to for the research (and keep costs down) BL sent a car from Abingdon,this came via a full car transporter,that believed a selection of new BL cars to a local dealership and one slightly used rally ST coupe that a member of staff had to collect and take to the factory.At Laycock's the car sat in a workshop the bonnet was removed to help the draughtsman and engineers get an unrestricted view at the workings.After only a few months the project was abandoned,from this the car stood for a couple more months,until out of the blue and unannounced a similar car transporter arrived to take the coupe back to Abingdon,the collection was so rushed the bonnent was not fitted back on.
The bonnet sat around the work shop until the factory was closed in 1989 when it was taken to it's new home where it sat in an out house until now,so that's the story,and here's the picture.
The rust is only to the paint work,and the bonnet is definily alluminium,the paint is also original.
Russ
Beckett Bros "strictly original" :roll:
! Btw .. Any news on when you're coming down to the island ??
