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model: Gold Convertible
color: Azure blue 09-1445
built: GTM Loughborough
S/N: sa93g4600p4011027
manufacture date: 1993
on the road: Aug 1994
Original registration: F814FEC (from donor vehicle Metro '89)
Later registration: F997JAT
Owners: 3



This car was built by K. Sankey as a standard Gold Convertible with a Rover 200 dash. It was sold to Allan Haagensen for 2800GBP in May 1999. Allan Haagensen invested a lot of money in this car: 1293cc MED turbo engine (that's a 1990GBP engine!), new turbo, Aldon turbo distributor, dump valve, special wheels, Pirelli 175/50 tyres, turbo gauges, alarm system with central locking, Kenwood stereo. Via his website I contacted him with the question if he wanted to sell it. Half a year later he agreed a sale for 3500GBP. In July 2003 it was reregistered to the present Dutch registration.

In the time I have owned it I have finetuned the engine, new diff, installed an oil cooler, extra insulation, heat reflection and ventilation for the turbo, new seats, new rear shocks and springs, overhauled the rear suspension, undertrays.

On my to do list: engine overhaul, Watson springs up front, interior overhaul with new gauges, redo wiring, new carpets, doorcards, leather etc., Smart coupe rear lights, ford 1600cc intercooler, carb. adjustment on rolling bench. And lots of small stuff like doors adjustment, small body repairs and edges rework/respray, possibly new tyres (or a 2.9 diff), new hood possibly self folding, better boot closing mechanism (Mercedes hinges?) etc.

I'd add later door frames Hans. They really are a lot better than the earlier ones.

Make the car feel a lot better when shutting the doors and they dont twist out at the bottom the same either.

David

What seats did you put in it as the Hunter factory ones in ours are too uncumfortable and was looking for ideas on what would fit the gold

It's not difficult to find good seats that fit. I know a Dutch Gold coupe with Porsche 911 seats that sit quite well. Another Gold Convertible has seats designed for "seven" style cars and I found them sitting also quite snug. They are narrow but I am not that big/wide.
My car is a different story. I visited a car spares shop that had Jamex bucket seats on offer for just 100 euro per pair. He had 4 in his store for many years and wanted to get rid of them. I could not resist buying them. Under the Jamex covers these seats are Cobra kevlar racing seats with all the race approval stickers on them. These seats normally cost a fortune. I installed them with a bit of fiddling, below is a pic of them fitted. On the Yahoo forum or in TGT 55 you'll find the whole story and more pics. Because I can adjust them in all manners (tilt and slide) and have used bits of foam for the back and leg support it sits perfectly. To my surprise even after a 500 mile drive from Holland to England I got out without physical problems. They also sit low so I have good visibility and don't have wind through my (remaining) hair issues. Because of the bucket shape for me it's perfect, but wider persons won't fit.