The earliest known 1800cc Grantura, ’76 PRT’ was first registered in May 1963, three months ahead of the MG B-Series-powered Grantura’s announcement. Bought at the Earls Court Sportscar Show by an RAF pilot the car was fitted from new with a lightweight body, painted Pippin Red. Used as a road car until 2016 when Ivan traded it for his MGB Roadster ‘DPN 83C’. Stripdown began in September 2016, removing the interior (the carpet was very well glued in!) and putting it all in storage and fitting the roll cage and other fuel and electrical safety equipment, changed the steering wheel and springs, fitted some magnesium Watanabe wheels and changed the drivetrain to a limited slip differential, racing halfshafts, straight-cut close ratio gearbox and 1840cc race engine with crossflow head and a pair of 45 Webers. And then went racing.
’76 PRT’ in standard road car form before Ivan bought it in 2016
The 2017 season went well, with
When Ivan bought the car, the seller told him he knew the wherabouts of the body moulds and chassis jig for the Griffith 400, and by the end of 2017 Ivan had bought them and realised the geometry differences between Griffith and Grantura MkIII we so small it would be possible to modify the jig to make chassis for the latter. The first race of 2018 at Silverstone saw the debut of not only the new chassis but a the car freshly painted in Guardsman Blue, a 1960s AC colour. Grantura bodies were bonded to their chassis, so after making a new floor mould, ’76 PRT’ now had its body bolted to its chassis.
The 2018 season blah de blah
Over the winter Ivan started developing new parts for his car, including a lighter, smaller and more efficient cooling system and an uprated fuel system, both replacing the road setups still in the car.
Ivan in 76 PRT at Snetterton in 2017, with the car still sporting its original chassis.
2020 saw the race season delayed due to Coronovirus, but development picked up pace, with Ivan desiging new hubs and uprights,
2018 Spa Summer Classic, Ardennes Challenge, fourth in class.