The Tornado Thrash Before Amelia Island

If you keep up with our project cars, you may have noticed the weird little fiberglass car we have sitting in the shop. It's a Tornado Typhoon, a '50s fiberglass special made in Great Britain.

We started the project planning to have it ready to show at the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance. It was going to be a challenge from the beginning. After a few setbacks, we're piecing it all back together.

And now the show is just 24 days away and I think we've officially hit thrash mode. So I'm creating this thread to document the happenings with this car over the next 24 days. This should be interesting.

Keep those pics coming. Who's the white-haired gentleman working with Tim?

That's Jere. He's an expert on old cars like this. More pictures to come soon.

It looks a lot better in white then the more traditional British Racing Green that all British car owners seem to like to paint their cars and this one was. And it looks like a car now rather then a pile of parts someone dropped off at a shop; like me! LOL!

In reply to jimbbski:

I think so, too. I was really impressed with how good it looks in white.

And now, on to more pictures with 23 days to go! Sorry about the blue filter. I had to use Margie's phone to snap pictures and somehow they came out blue.

We have a dash, kind of.

Mock up of the new tail lights.

The headrest has been done for a little while, but it's worth posting a picture of. The support is actually an old BMW trunk hinge.

And the makings of a windshield.

Love that trunk hinge idea.

Tim got up at 4 this morning to get a few hours' work in on the car before he went to the office. I'm not sure the word "thrash" is adequate to describe what he's doing. I'm actually glad he's going to MSX for a couple of days, because this is starting to get weird.

Margie

jimbbski wrote: It looks a lot better in white then the more traditional British Racing Green that all British car owners seem to like to paint their cars and this one was. And it looks like a car now rather then a pile of parts someone dropped off at a shop; like me! LOL!

I'm with you, it looks great in white!

Marjorie Suddard wrote: Tim got up at 4 this morning to get a few hours' work in on the car before he went to the office. I'm not sure the word "thrash" is adequate to describe what he's doing. I'm actually glad he's going to MSX for a couple of days, because this is starting to get weird. Margie

In his mind, he's probably thinking he has more like 20 days left because of the two convention days. Hence the Dawn Patrol.

In reply to Jerry From LA: Yep, that’s exactly it. Only subtract a week because our Orange Blossom Tour starts March 8 and ends the Friday of Amelia weekend. I think I should just get a tray on a really, really long stick and use it to hand him his meals into the garage for the next couple of weeks.

Margie

Marjorie Suddard wrote: In reply to Jerry From LA: Yep, that’s exactly it. Only subtract a week because our Orange Blossom Tour starts March 8 and ends the Friday of Amelia weekend. I think I should just get a tray on a really, really long stick and use it to hand him his meals into the garage for the next couple of weeks. Margie

You drive on the Tour so Tim can sleep in the car.

Color me impressed! When I first saw this project I said to myself "Self,...what we have here is another MG Midget project" "Don't even start to get your hopes up".

Proved me wrong. Finished it in my lifetime. Good on you.

Twenty-two days to go. Carpet has been thrown into the car, dash has been fixed and more details have been added to the bodywork.

Everyone just left for MSX so that's another day or two where the will be very little if any progress on the car.

Red carpet. Is that pretty or what?

The dash came together very well. The red stripe down the front of the car ends at the cockpit. The red line on the bottom of the dash makes it flow nicely, rather than an abrupt stop.

Alright, we're back from MSX and into the teens if this car is going to be ready for Amelia Island. Nineteen days to go and things are starting to come together. Tim says they are aiming to have it run and drive by tonight or tomorrow at the latest.

The interior is coming together. Carpet and sound deadener being laid down.

The seats are waiting to go in the car.

The wiring is in progress and final pieces are being bolted on in the engine bay.

And Moroso offered us a catch can to throw in as well. We gladly accepted.

Eighteen days to go. The carpet continues to be laid and the nose is getting fitted. Also notice the shape of the windshield being marked by cardboard.

Is that a handsome face or what?

Keep burning that midnight oil boys and girls. The seats look great.

Ed has some more pictures. Got up at 3am and got the headlights mounted and the deck lid on and the door trim figured out.

This is quickly becoming my favorite project car you have done. It looks great!

It looks like a "whirlwind" of activity going on there! Get it? Whirlwind?

Whose Bugeye did you steal the seats from? And do I see correctly? this is a 4 seater?

NOHOME this is the four seater version. Thank god, as I don't know how we could have fit two people into the two seater.

And I am not sure where the seats are from. They are similar to both MGA and TR3, but they were slightly different. Maybe they are Bugeye seats.

And thanks for the positive comments. Obviously, it has not been a life long dream to own one of these, as I had never heard of them until a year ago. I thought it would be fun and interesting to show readers how to build a special and get into the high end scene, with a low end car.

I have to admit, I am really starting to dig this thing and it has been a fun project. I wish I hadn't committed to have it restored in 9 months.

I'll have go and review all of the articles to find out- where in world do you find these things?

For most, this is the easier to deal with end of the vintage racing scene $$ spectrum. And for many here- it's quite in the ball park for work effort.

It's also NOT a normal vintage racer- which makes it more fun.

Then again, there's an underground supply of Berkleyes out there that people seem to find, too.

Very cool, and INCREDIBLY great looking job.

Alright, 16 days and counting. Headlights have been mounted, trunk and nose fit, though the nose still needs a little massaging to get the gaps just right.

And on deck we have...

Working on finding a suitable solution to fill the gaps between the roll cage and fiberglass.

Very nice! The front quarter view has a little bit of the Speed Racer Mach 5 in it.

In reply to stuart in mn:

You have no idea how many Speed Racer comments I've sifted through on the GRM and CMS Facebooks.