20-1-83 BY COLIN BRYANT An historic racing car which has stood unused in a Christchurch garage for the past 27 years, is now being restored. The erthusiast ebroned the 1833 sports model invicto after four years of persuasing the previous anner to part sitt it. RE: IDTI "I bought the cor on the bosis that is would be restored for use," said the new owner, who declined to be nomed. New Zealand. and only 77 rare car (only one other in He will be adding this button is pusied as a war ing device and pulled to For instance, the hors A RACER ever built) to tie other cars operate the starter. of this era in his collection On the leit hand side of — a Lagonda and Jaguar. the dashboard there is a "There was a possibility manual fuel parap whict of the car being : sold can be operated while driv- Bessnett said the remember the exposed overseas and I didn't want ing the car. invicta could spin quite exbaast pipe at the bottom that to happen," said the ADVANCED - easily if pested beyond its of the door. печи отдет. limit "It is a fast car (160kmh), Althosgh now Dearly 50 According to enthusiasts ELECTRICS and quite different from years cia, the invicta is of this era, the invicta Bad The handbook for the other cars," be explained. quite advanced in some some quite frigntening Invicta, which was made in GEARING respects. spins during its racing life Cobbam, England, gives It has adjustable stoct At one stage it was said information for dealing "The handbook tells the absorbers, and there is a to have been beid from a with watersplashes and owner he could drive in top nise-point greasing system steep drop at Gebbies Pass foods, soow and ice, soft gear all the time because of under the bornes, which by a length of barbed wire ground, fog. bill climbing all the power. The gears are tanes the grease through after going off the road and hairpin corners. just there for the enthsi. lines to all the inportant during a hillclimb. The car bad two fuel ast" iteras needing lubrication. The Invicta was also ised systems - eiectric and The gear lever is on the The car has only covered for beach racing. pressure, and the foses right hand side of the. about 113,000 kilometres With its 100 litre tand it could be repaired like those driver, near to the band since new, and has a fasci conid be driven a long way in a house. brake which is on the out- nating history. between refuelling stops. The engine was siow side of the bodywork. "The Star" finance editor Different sized wheets running. with only a The brake lever can be Prank Bennett, owned the are fitted to the rear than 4000грm maximom used either for parking. or car in the 1940s. He paid the front, but both are very Donald Healey won the as a supplementasy brake about $1200 for it at the large by today's standards. Monte Carlo rally in 1931 in for fast driving. time There are two spares, car- an Invicta in spite of having The accelerator pedal is The car was raced by him red on the sites of the car. discomect the reat diminutive, while brake and at the first Wigram event in Although a four-seater, brates due to a crash im clutch pedals are huge 1949. He came second after the Invicta is fitted with Sweden But it suffered ibe lour and a balf intre being one lap ahead of the only one door - on the from a certain amount of Invicta is fall of motoring feld before losing DIS front passenger's side. It is bad publicity because of its eccentricities. brates essential for passengers to tendency to spin 4 *... ;. ÷ The Invicto in its racing days at Wigram in 1949. It was driven by Frank Bennett. Atter 27 years ider wraps, the historic Invicta is almost ready for a new life