Hobbies come in many forms, playing golf, collecting spoons, car books, some of us build models as a child of aeroplanes, ships in bottles. But building a real car is something else!

In the early 1900 many adventurous people built cars, they designed what they perceived to be a functional device to transport people from one spot to another with little consideration for comfort, safety, practicality, I could go on, take a look at an early car, it has none of what we expect today of a transport machine.

My plan is to build a car, but as I want to use it on the roads or in club events I must make it suitable for such use, a daunting thought and a huge process, here is my story of how I built a car, i covers the choice, some rationalisation and above all the process. I've added a few tip & tricks -  Enjoy.

So I made one!

That’s the statement that I feel inspired me to build a car, it was featured in a 1976 advert for a gold Aston Martin V8 Saloon, I had cut it out and placed it in an old frame it hung upon my bedroom wall as a lad.

Where to start, well I guess the desire to build a car has been floating around in my mind since around that time, I have always had an interest in the UK Kits car scene and over the years I visited several Lotus Seven replica makers, including PBR, Fraser, Caterham Westfield to name a few, but that thought never went any further, all a bit of a dream.

After completing the full restoration of my 1974 Aston Martin V8 Saloon in 2002, I began looking for something else; a friend had built 2 Hot Rods, a 38 Ford Tudor and coupe, investigating the Hot Rod scene left me impressed and eager to learn more.

The king of the cars in the “Boydster” a highly developed 36 Ford coupe developed by the late, Boyd Cottingham a USA hot rod guru, interestingly the GRP body of this car is build in Ferntree Gully and exported to the US. I went down this path looking into crate engines, chassis, body etc. Only trouble was I didn’t have the beard, tattoos and couldn’t speak the language F* this and that – but make no mistake these guys build some magnificent vehicles and I have a high level of respect for there capability.

Further cars which I looked at and costed included: -

Ronart; a somewhat loose recreation of a 50’s Mercedes open wheeler racing car, very well engineered, a visit to the factory and I was almost sold but then what’s a Ronart.

Marlin; neat looking 50’s MG type of car, using BMW engineering, again it was neither a BMW nor an MG but engineered very well.

Other options include,

I then figured maybe a C-Type: there’s several manufactures and again available in kit format just needing donors, extensive information available, that sound like it, so I did extensive costing, emails a visit to the preferred builder (circa 2004) in a factory or should I say barn near Stratford upon Avon UK.

That’s it,  it’s a C-type and I began looking for a manual XJ6 to canablize, I checked out a few local donors, I recall Rosa and the boys being quite disgusted at dirty neglected cars we looked at, a few offers but no sale, it was not to be!

The UK kit car market is amazing, it’s a real mature “cottage industry” and the information available on line, in magazines is invaluable. Be it a Seven replica with a V12, a Lamborgini or Ferrari, even dare I say an Aston Martin V8 Volante based on an MX5 (available in Aussie too). While flipping though the latest edition of kit cars at my local newsagent, (circa 2005), out of the corner of my eye I noticed an Aston Martin DBR2 replica, yes that would be nice. The very brief article announced the arrival of a new manufacturer ARA Racing, but stressed the cars were only available fully built to the manufacturers specification with either AM engine or Jaguar engine, the article lamented that no kit will be available these will be finished registered cars only. Dam that’s not what I want.

Never, give up!

I began communicating with the builder, he asserted that he had no desire to component the car, it was not a kit, it was a specialist build replica with custom engineered parts using some bespoke components. No this is no kit it’s all or nothing he said. Dam – now what!

If you have ever investigated bringing a car into Australia you will know it’s fraught with hurdles, at that time it was just not cost effective (read too expensive were talking $1 = 42p), too complicated and putting it bluntly too damm hard to bring in a custom built car let alone try to register it.

Never, Never give up! 

After reaching a dead end I figured I’d develop the ideal concept, in other words start at the end and work backwards to make it work.

The Street Rod experience had been beneficial, and a couple of letters to Vic roads and the ASRF indicated that should I build a replica along the Street Rod program that Vic Roads would accept the car for SR or CH registration. (this is another story for another time), Yer, but I though, so I researched this further and after several letters and a few meetings I got the approval from the local ASRF accessor, “follow my instructions” he said “don’t deviate or argue!”

Back to the DBR2 creator, I put my case, I think I had worn him down, he reluctantly agreed to consider it, next a trip to the UK and a visit to Brands Hatch (2006) to have a look at the DBR2, no I didn’t get a drive but a few flying laps plus a detailed look at the car and I was convinced this is it! A follow up visit to the factory, “shack” in a very ordinary estate looking at the chassis, parts etc and the owner ultimately agreed to break down the parts, Ok tell me what you want and I’ll cost it up!

I think I took about 200 photos of his cars, I got hold of his Bill of Materials and broke it down as to what I wanted. Plus what was economic.  

Late 2006 Brands Hatch race way. I ordered the components, in February 2007 a container was arranged to ship the parts, my customs broker was alerted and my project was on it’s way.

Wisdom suggest always begin with the end in mind, just like a trip have a destination planned out so you know where you are going. Building a car requires much the same planning however decisions along the way can dramatically change the path of construction effecting not only the build process but the appearance and the ultimate value of the project.

From the on set I am building this car for me, not for anyone else, I do not intend to sell it, at least whilst I can drive it, so I don’t need to apologise to anyone for what is my interpretation of an Aston Martin DBR2. Nor for that matter should anyone else, even the replicas with modern Japanese engines have their place.

Here some thoughts, it is possible to create an exact replica, materials, construction methods, you could use period parts, donor parts from a like vehicle, even some original DBR2 parts if one were so inclined, but at the end of the day the distinction between what is a (the) real car and a replica is huge and certainly open to discussion, I’m not about to enter that argument here.

From the on set my project car has different front suspension and in my case a GRP one piece body so lets not fool ones self it is as I defined earlier a “period interpretation” of an Aston Martin DBR2.

Let me define that, by period I mean I will try to emulate as much of the 50/60’s character as I possibly can, that means I won’t use a modern engine, nor will I use modern digital instrumentation. I will try and build the car like Aston Martin would indeed a common saying I developed during the process was;

“We’re racing tomorrow, quick grab that bit form the back of the shed, make it fit”

Indeed I feel that by the very nature of the 2 DBR’s being so different in many ways sums up how the factory may have approached the build of the two cars, they were made up on the run, from what ever was lying about. So then is my interpretation of the build, built it from period parts, don’t overly detail and make it work.

I collected hundreds of photos of the original cars, including the DBR1 it’s educational to note the changes, on these cars, in fact it didn’t matter 30 years ago, but today the originality is king.

I decided to reference the DBR2/1, I feel the ARA body is very close to this original, indeed I once heard it was used as a pattern?

E.g. note the rear wheel arches on DBR2/1 and DBR2/2 the latter is more squared off, currently that is, also the nose and the shape of the opening.

It’s tough however when you want to make the process look good, my Aston Martin S3 V8 is a concourse winner, so on many occasions I had to stop my self from polishing, chroming, over detailing the build. I was not worried that rivets many be odd, nor that sheet metal many be scratched or look old, I don’t want it to look like a new car.

Indeed my whole concept of the build is to make the car look period, look like a 50/60 car in good condition, with period aged parts, scratches in places you would expect them.

During the body on process I was frustrated that I couldn’t get the alignment to my satisfaction, that was until I relaxed the tolerances, 1/8 of an inch is what I settled on, near enough, I reckon the Aston Martin of old would be luck to be that so that’s my definition.

Other areas I gave way to were electrics, so whilst the lighting and controls are period the wring and looms are modern, hey the car could have been re wired? Get my drift.

I know purists will recognize my car as a “copy” not correct, fair enough, but if someone slightly familiar with Astons of old looks at my car and has even a slightest doubt;  is it?  it’s old!  I am happy, that’s my goal!