412 virtues

[lansdownplace]

Hi Peter,

The car had a complete rebuild of everything, with parts refurbished
or replaced, that included a full suspension rebuild, bare metal
repaint, chassis refurb and a new interior with valumol (R-R) leather
and alcantara headlining. It is to original spec, apart form the
wheels, the center console, a Blenheim steering wheel and the leather
dash. I also had rear seat bets installed. BCL agreed a 'delivered'
price and I have to say, they went well beyond what could reasonably
have been expected both in the quality of the work and the value for
money. There were no corners cut at all. The guys at the factory have
bent over backwards to keep me happy. A lot of cars come with
disappointment built in as standard. The absolute reverse is true in
this case.

Rather than go the whole hog and get an 'S6' version of the car, I
have had everything done so that I can upgrade the performance later
as it takes my fancy. I had thought about dropping a new engine in, or
perhaps putting twin turbos on it but it has plenty of power already
but I am getting an 'S' upgrade in the autumn from the factory. I get
a 30% uplift in torque and power for similar fuel consumption and no
appreciable loss of smoothness. One reason for choosing this route,
and some may say a dumb one, is that I love the smell of leather and
petrol that you get with a carberetta car. The front grill has been
left as was for the moment as I am also deciding whether to leave it
as it is, convert it to Beaufighter lights or reinstall the twin round
headlamps it wore for much of it's life before Mr Crook had it
'reverted'. If I stay as was the grill will get redone to complete the
job. I would welcome opinions if anyone has any.

On price, I shall demure, except to say it was exceptionally good
value for money and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the option to
anyone. Obviously you pay a premium for what is effectively a new car
but compared to the depreciation I would experience on a similarly
priced car, I will have very cheap motoring. Better than that you get
something that money can't buy. BCL also seem to treat customers
humanely when it comes to upgrading with them, which is a bonus.

regards

Paul