Peter recently aquired this original green Fastback Rapier from a classic car auction. Over to Peter:
I had my first fastback (KBJ 999K I think) back in 1980. It was a gold coloured model that had previously been owned by my brother-in-law, and had been off the road (post MOT failure) for quite a while. I had the bodywork repaired and re-sprayed by a specialist firm, whilst I took care of the mechanics. The restoration cost me almost exactly 1000 pounds (including the 350 pounds I paid for the vehicle) and it remained our family workhorse for the next 8 years, when we needed something a bit smaller and more economical to run.
This spring, after having had a Ford Escort for the last 10 years, and soon to be needing a replacement, my thoughts returned to what I feel is one of the most stylish, sporty and easy to maintain cars that I think has ever been made and I decided to try to get hold of another Rapier. I joined the Owners Club in June (getting the address from your Internet site) in the hopes of finding a suitable model in their magazine's For Sale column but gave up after a couple of promising starts. Then, at the beginning of August, I was invited to go with a friend of mine to a classic car auction near Northampton, just for the day out with our respective spouses. You can't imagine how surprised I was to corne across Lot 218, a 1968 green fastback, RVT 597F, one owner from new, now deceased, and a genuine 30,000 miles on the clock. (You hear about these rare finds in pubs but I didn't espect it to happen to me). Well, from the minute I saw it, in its almost mint condition, I made up my mind that I was going to have it and, although there was an awful lot of interest shown in the vehicle, it was knocked down to me for 2250 pounds.
Since getting it home, I am even more impressed with the condition that it is in than when I first saw it. I`ve had a good crawl underneath and, apart rom a little touching-up with the underseal brush, the bodywork is in fine condition. After finishing a front-to-back checkover and full service, I intend to use it for all my longer distance motoring, including holidays abroad. Having been so little used in its 30 year life, I hope that it will be with me for many years to come.
Thanks for the effort you have put into your Rapier website, and for sparking off my interest im the beautiful model again.
Peter Attwood.
