Silhouette thread

So my car (#40052) has finally reached the UK, cleared customs and is now at Colin Clarke awaiting a check-up before it can be registered and used on the road. The wait is killing me!

Colin hasn't got the car up on a ramp yet, but he has expressed concern that the valves may need changing if it has been unused for long periods - his exact expression was 'time bomb'. It's a fairly major job ($15-20k, depending on what else turns up), but the consequences of a valve breaking would be even worse. There is apparently no record of the valves ever having been changed (I have been in touch with Bobileff, who looked after the car for some time but mainly just changed fluids etc). Does anyone have any views on this?

The good news is that I managed to persuade UK customs that the car is a 'historic vehicle', which means an import tax of 5% rather than 20%. There is an amusing questionnaire which I had to complete, which included the following question:

"Whether the vehicle has any innovative features which illustrate a significant step in the evolution of human achievement, or a period of that evolution. "

Someone at the UK customs office must like Lamborghinis because they accepted my answers! It's nice to think of my Silhouette as "a significant step in the evolution of human achievement".

I'll post some photos once the car is on the road. In the meantime I have ordered new Yokohamas (thanks to everyone who gave me advice on tyres) as the old Pirellis wouldn't have passed the UK MOT test). I also decided to get the Eurospares replica Bravo wheels to put them on, as I have an unfortunate tendency to kerb wheels when parking.

Now we just need some sunshine...

Jonathan

 

I am so glad it arrived safely and your happy. That is GREAT you saved 15% tax...helps pay for the tires and wheels!!

I am sorry that I did not have any histroy or knowledge on the "Valves", and I am not a mechanic...but I can tell you while I have it and drove it here in Seattle it drove great, started right up each time, no smoke and no issues with it at all. I drove it on the hiway at hiway speeds several times with no issues...

Would it really cost MORE if you drove it till something happened then to do it now.?

Maybe nothing ever happens with it..?

Roy

 

If the exhaust valves are original don't even contemplate starting the engine until they have have been replaced! A dropped valve can reap highly expensive havoc.

The valves in my P300 were changed by Colin Clarke. The car was delivered on a transporter with instructions not to start the engine. Good thing I did because when the heads had been removed and were quietly sitting on the bench one of the valve heads fell off by itself!

 

I have now established that 40036 had the early bumper/lights so it can be discounted as a possiblity. However it has been suggested to me that it might be 40054 Pasini's old car that was orginally rosso/naturale. I had originally not considered this as Pasini/ILR have this as a US model but in fact there are no US side markers - not today anyway! I wonder what exactly consituted a US model!

However, in spite of this, and unless proven otherwise, i'll still stick to the theory that it is 40058!

 

1986-1987 swiss shilhouette.
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Geneva show Red shilhouette.
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Perfect in White.

 

#56
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Bad!
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keith

thanks for posting the pics

so this geneva car is the same #40000 car repainted in white for the brochure and the red brochure #40002 car is now white..correct?

i dug up some old mags in storage and look at an old road test which may be #40000 in Car Graphic. a fantastic 6 page spread with quality japanese mag color pics. it was a tad slower than the contemporary 308GTS. the car is red but with a beige interior instead of black/red unveiled at geneva? the CG test was in issue dec 78

cheers

hf

 

i would like to know also but you see the car in the background under the cover? its another rusty silhouette (red)! that silver car could another one of those double front turn signal cars. too bad i cant post pics here!

Sad...

that picture was taken from the fabulous frank olseki "world's sports car" book. there are additional pictures of that car front and rear shots also. its a great book even if it didnt featured silhouette.

my hunch is that red brochure car is the geneva 77 press car unfinished.

"1986-1987 swiss" is that #40002? the WSC book was published in 84, which i presume about the same time that picture was taken. the car in book has different mounting locations for the rear badges, mirrors. the book also states the owners name and where the car was from. im not so certain its #40002. if it was restored since why would that mount all the badging in different locations? the WSC car interior doesn’t look factory but it mostly does on #40002 as she sits today?

ok i thinking both #40000 proto 1 and #40002 proto 2 cars have different layout with the gauges and switches in the interior. basically the clock was moved from the gauge cluster to center near the toggle switches bumping the heater sliders down to the console near the window switches. this differs from the succeeding production cars. whats interesting is #40000 had toggle window switches like the white brochure car while #40002 has rockers and different console (urraco P300 console?). the white brochure car also has the black/red seats and door panels.

the japan Car Graphic car has this proto layout for the heater slides, clock. It also has the #40000 gun metal engine vents but there are details also that sets it apart. No concrete answers here but more questions. Are there more than 2 cars that have the clock in the gauge cluster like the proto's?

I think my head is spinning now. seem like the more i look into the more confused i am...lol

Cheers

Hf


ps that rusty white car has the same SSSA sticker as the CAR Graphic car. was that some sort of club insignia or dealer sticker?

 

I would say the car with german registration is #40018, since I have a picture of #40018 of 2003 which shows that the batch are slightly higher than the chrome line of the taillights like shown whereas #40002 had them in line and later after a repaint too low.
Also #40018 has dark grey scopes and a special plate as vents wich can be seen on that picture.

 

This is no script but a sticker (check the shadow) and yes the pictures I have from 2003 when it was for sale here was with the urraco script, the picture of exotics was after 2003 Joachim bought the car in Altenrhein (lake constance) and brought it over to ravensburg Gerrmany still at lake constance. Also the exhaust was changed, in 2003 it had a two pipes exhaust.

 

+1

i believe its #40018 too. in the front view you can see the white non stock looking white leather reupolstered interior with dark striped seats. the condition is better than #40002 which still have the mostly factory mousefur IP. #40002 still has the single stiching on the bennical which were found on the 2 protos if memory serves.

 

RHD #10
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Red RHD #88
Yellow #38?
Red CG
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Great photos. Keep them coming!