P4 Replica

November 2021. Bad news first. Three months ago, I approached 'Hi-Spec Motorsport' in Dartford to supply a rear brake set-up with an electric handbrake to match the front brakes that we bought from them a decade ago. They said, 'No problem', so I paid them two thousand pounds up front and delivered my assembled rear uprights to their facility. Long story short,...

A little nostalgia. On the left is me and Matthew with the Renault V6 Turbo engine for our first P4 in 1990. On the right my Grandson, Isaac, is removing the exhaust studs from the engine of our final P4 in August 2021. Before refitting the gearbox I thought I'd spend a little time dressing the adapter plate. I'd machined the straight...

Well, I've just about exhausted the list of jobs that I can do before assembly proper begins so it's time for final chassis snagging before it goes off for blasting and powder coating. My eyesight and agility are not what they were ten years ago when we first made this chassis, so our mate Dave from AEON sportscars is coming round to...

It feels strangely comfortable and familiar to be back in, what we call, our No.4 building, putting this final P4 together. My workspace is beginning to feel right - it's warm and dry with plenty of light and enough room to work all around the car. There's carpet on the floor, parts are on racks and my most-used tools are close at...

There are a few more jobs that I can do on the nose section before it goes back in the barn for a while. Ferrari's 350 CanAm had a little NACA Duct in the nose. It's a nice touch that we featured on a few cars. The easiest way to make a NACA duct is to cut out the shape in your...