Delta T83 FF2000 Project £2850

[Dermot Healy]

The Delta T83 FF2000 that i had about 2 years ago has now returned

This is the red T83 that ran on the hills in Yorkshire & Ireland for many years
I bought it a couple of years ago, sold off the hillcimb spec engine & box, & then sold the rolling chassis
to someone who began the restoration & conversion back to original FF2000 spec. It has now found its way back to me in part completed state.

My understanding is that the T83 is the last of Deltas, built after the company had been sold from the UK & settled in Holland financed by (possibly?) Henny Vollenberg. Perhaps four or five T83 may have been built in '83 (and/or some of the earlier ground effect T82s converted) & they appeared in both 1600 & 2000 form with drivers including Cor Euser, Leen Verhoeven & Roger White . They were successful, and won races both in the Benelux championship and in the UK. ....so... though the T83 can trace its origins back to the Deltas so beloved of the Lord Rowley of Nuffield, they are not direct decendants of the the earlier cars, and do not share components with them - at least as far as i know.

This T83 is in decent order & the previous restorer has begun the process of repanelling/reflooring it and removing several decades of additions & minor modifications that a succession of hillclimb owners had bestowed upon it. So... it has now lost its non original sidepods, several tons of wiring & various other things it could well do without. It is very pretty, with nicely nickled suspension, clean & tidy chassis, good body + a complete new spare top body & engine cover. It will be supplied with the rebuildable core of a complete Pinto engine (choice of 205 or earlier blocks). It comes sitting on very nice Compomotive split rims but they are wider than required for FF2000 so some juggling of outer rim sections will be required......but YOU WiLL HAVE TO BUY A GEARBOX (though i can supply a bare case). If you think Hewland Mk9s cost about £1200 then you have not been out recently, 'cos you'll be more likely need £3.5k+ to get one.

The T83 does not appear currently on the list of URS eligible cars but as they were clearly racing before Dec 83 (and it is not a Reynard) & the car is well on its way back to '83 spec, i'm sure the powers that be would be very happy to have it on the grid. And, of course, it would do nicely for the Mono 1800 class.
The chassis has two additional non original forward facing roll hoop bracing/side intrusion bars that may need to be removed (10 mins with an angle grinder) if anyone is being pernickity about originality.
The car also comes with a massive folder stuffed full of the thoughts and calculations of previous owners back to the 1980sas well as detailed calculations & drawings by Arthur Mallock and Allan Staniforth, both of whom on separate occasions were contracted by previous owners to undertake analysis of the suspension! All full of roll stiffnesses, spring rates, wheel rates, pitch sensitivities, motion ratios, droop & dive proclivities and all those things that must have made a lot of difference whilst the owners squirted the poor thing up 500 yrds of damp Yorkshire hillside.

So ...( everyone now has to say 'So' before beginning any sentance) ......you have a wonderful opportunity for a mere £2850

07703162409