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The challenge accepted and succeeded: finding the real spirit of Beaulieu

The challenge accepted and succeeded: finding the real spirit of Beaulieu

The challenge accepted and succeeded: finding the real spirit of Beaulieu

The challenge accepted and succeeded: finding the real spirit of Beaulieu

The challenge accepted and succeeded: finding the real spirit of Beaulieu

The challenge accepted and succeeded: finding the real spirit of Beaulieu

The challenge accepted and succeeded: finding the real spirit of Beaulieu

The challenge accepted and succeeded: finding the real spirit of Beaulieu

The challenge accepted and succeeded: finding the real spirit of Beaulieu

The challenge accepted and succeeded: finding the real spirit of Beaulieu

The challenge accepted and succeeded: finding the real spirit of Beaulieu

The challenge accepted and succeeded: finding the real spirit of Beaulieu

The challenge accepted and succeeded: finding the real spirit of Beaulieu

The challenge accepted and succeeded: finding the real spirit of Beaulieu

The challenge accepted and succeeded: finding the real spirit of Beaulieu

The challenge accepted and succeeded: finding the real spirit of Beaulieu

The challenge accepted and succeeded: finding the real spirit of Beaulieu

The challenge accepted and succeeded: finding the real spirit of Beaulieu

The challenge accepted and succeeded: finding the real spirit of Beaulieu

The challenge accepted and succeeded: finding the real spirit of Beaulieu

The challenge accepted and succeeded: finding the real spirit of Beaulieu

The challenge accepted and succeeded: finding the real spirit of Beaulieu

The challenge accepted and succeeded: finding the real spirit of Beaulieu

The challenge accepted and succeeded: finding the real spirit of Beaulieu

The challenge accepted and succeeded: finding the real spirit of Beaulieu

The challenge accepted and succeeded: finding the real spirit of Beaulieu

The challenge accepted and succeeded: finding the real spirit of Beaulieu

  • The challenge accepted and succeeded: finding the real spirit of Beaulieu
  • The challenge accepted and succeeded: finding the real spirit of Beaulieu
  • The challenge accepted and succeeded: finding the real spirit of Beaulieu
  • The challenge accepted and succeeded: finding the real spirit of Beaulieu
  • The challenge accepted and succeeded: finding the real spirit of Beaulieu
  • The challenge accepted and succeeded: finding the real spirit of Beaulieu
  • The challenge accepted and succeeded: finding the real spirit of Beaulieu
  • The challenge accepted and succeeded: finding the real spirit of Beaulieu
  • The challenge accepted and succeeded: finding the real spirit of Beaulieu
  • The challenge accepted and succeeded: finding the real spirit of Beaulieu
  • The challenge accepted and succeeded: finding the real spirit of Beaulieu
  • The challenge accepted and succeeded: finding the real spirit of Beaulieu
  • The challenge accepted and succeeded: finding the real spirit of Beaulieu
  • The challenge accepted and succeeded: finding the real spirit of Beaulieu
  • The challenge accepted and succeeded: finding the real spirit of Beaulieu
  • The challenge accepted and succeeded: finding the real spirit of Beaulieu
  • The challenge accepted and succeeded: finding the real spirit of Beaulieu
  • The challenge accepted and succeeded: finding the real spirit of Beaulieu
  • The challenge accepted and succeeded: finding the real spirit of Beaulieu
  • The challenge accepted and succeeded: finding the real spirit of Beaulieu
  • The challenge accepted and succeeded: finding the real spirit of Beaulieu
  • The challenge accepted and succeeded: finding the real spirit of Beaulieu
  • The challenge accepted and succeeded: finding the real spirit of Beaulieu
  • The challenge accepted and succeeded: finding the real spirit of Beaulieu
  • The challenge accepted and succeeded: finding the real spirit of Beaulieu
  • The challenge accepted and succeeded: finding the real spirit of Beaulieu
You might have read about the challenge we had last weekend. We picked up an abandoned, rusty Lancia Augusta with a seized MG A engine in it. The car didn’t run for the last 40-ish years and we had the goal to have the engine running in two days, before the end of the Beaulieu Autojumble.
The Autojumble was the perfect place for such a project. You can buy parts in many fields and in our opinion, this project inhaled the real spirit of Beaulieu. Our assumption was correct, but we found out the spirit was so much more. The help we received from different visitors and from other stand holders (even the bad advice we sometimes got) was huge and here it was: the real spirit of Beaulieu!
 

1936 Lancia Augusta “Oily Rag”

The Lancia Augusta was sold earlier this year at a Brightwells auction. We saw it advertised again a few months later at PreWarCar.com and fell in love with it. This was the project we needed for Beaulieu! And so we transferred the money and picked up the car on the Thursday before Beaulieu started. What we found was even better than we had hoped for. Yes, the carburetors were completely rotted away, the fender dangled in the air and the door fell out when we tried to open it. But much more important, the frame and body were something we could work with. It had potential. 
We loaded the car up and on Friday afternoon we arrived at Beaulieu, where the adventure began.
 
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A summary of the weekend

Our friends arrived on Friday evening. We invited the mechanics from the specialist of the PreWar Workshop to help us with the car. Quickly we found the first parts that we bought from Imparts. The company for all British parts (yes, the benefit of the MG engine): a set of revised carburetors, head gasket, contact points etc.
 
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Work started first thing in the morning on Saturday. It was necessary to find out if we were able to get the seized engine turn freely. Well, this was worse than expected. The pistons were stuck, so the team started to take the pistons out, one by one. After hours and hours of trying, all pistons were out and also the main bearings were checked. Unfortunately, we were unable to find .020 oversized new pistons, so we put the pistons on the bbq to make the piston rings free. A lot of work, but it worked! Next step was to clean everything and put it back together. On Saturday evening (while it was already dark), the cylinder head was back in the car and we were looking forward to the Sunday.
 
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An early start on Sunday as we needed to fire up the car before 16.30. The rest of the engine was built up again and we received a lot of help from a new German friend, who was an MG specialist. He knew where to find all the small parts (which helps with 2000 stalls and only limited time). We bought oil at Penrite, new coils at JB Vintage Spares and fitted everything on the car. The moment was there, we were able to start the car, but unfortunately, it didn’t fire up yet. Things were checked and the fuel tap gave problems. A self-made coca cola bottle was the solution and we tried again. Still nothing. Contact points checked, ignition timing checked. Still not the result that we wanted. What we noticed was that the starter didn’t go as fast as needed, so we borrowed the van from SNGBarrett to have a full battery. Still not the right result. As a last try, we bought a new starter. There were only 10 minutes left, stress was building up but the moment was there: the engine lived again after 40 years! YESSS. We did it! In time!
 
d9fcd56a0decf24fe4e8caa1(1).jpg  9573bda78ca4d460c5394e12.jpg
 

What is next:

Having the engine back to life is one thing, to drive the car is another challenge. Therefore we hope to find a new owner who loves the car as we do. Who has the time to make it a running Oily rag competitor and most important: doesn’t want to repaint it! For more information about the car or price, send an email to [email protected]. If we are unable to sell the car to that kind of person, we will keep it and cherish it. Hopefully one day, you will see it on the road again. We keep you updated. 
 
What the challenge gave us was much more than we expected. It not only gave us a fantastic weekend, but we found the true meaning of the Beaulieu Autojumble. All the stalls with great people, many interesting parts, lots of beer, interesting conversations and everything else you need as a classic car enthusiast. We enjoyed it every second!
 
I would like to thank Jos van Genugten, Mark Duffhuis and Jaap “Kale pats” van de Vorst from PreWar Workshop for their magical mechanical skills. Imparts and JB Vintage and Classic Parts for their parts and everyone else who helped us to get it running again. Thank you!
 
Words and photographs by Laurens Klein
Publiziert:
Donnerstag September 6th, 2018

Kommentare

Lancia V stretto
15 Oktober 2018, 07:49
It's a great idea in principle, but one of the Augusta's main attractions is its beautiful little jewel of a narrow-angle V4 engine. To replace that lovely piece of engineering with this ghastly unrefined tractor engine was a crime, and the best thing to do would be to reverse it and put the correct engine back in the car. The Augusta is on a different planet from the MGA.
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TIan Kenny
26 September 2018, 02:23
Well done, persistence(and perspiration ), pays off in the end !
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Austin GREENOUGH
09 September 2018, 10:23
Congratulations to all involved with this Lancia Augusta project. Well Down

Austin Greenough

Australia
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Tony Hillyard
06 September 2018, 08:37
Well done Laurens and the team. Why should the young kids have all the fun! Tony
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Jeff Perkins
06 September 2018, 03:44
Congratulations!! Your videos were much anticipated and greatly enjoyed. Hoping you can find a good home for this fun little jewel, hopefully the next caretaker can get it on the road!
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