Dutton Phaeton Series 1
Car was first registered in 1983 built for hillclimb and sprints by the original builders.
| Colour | Yellow with aluminium alloy side panelling |
| Engine | Rover V8 3500cc - From 1976 Rover P6 3500S model |
| Gearbox | Rover LT77 5 Speed Gearbox from Rover SD1 |
| Axle | Ford Capri MK1 3000L fitted with 3.09:1 Ratio |
| Front Suspension | Derived from Triumph Spitfire/Herald Double wishbone - Fitted with fully adjustable coilover shock absorbers |
| Rear Suspension | Full Five link axle location - Fully adjustable coil over shock absorbers |
| Accessories | Full wet weather gear and optional 'Long' hardtop |
Me and my Series 1 Phaeton known as "GROWLER" it had been kept in the barn in the background for a couple of years due to being taken off the road to repair a leaking fuel tank, the tank was not in the car and no battery so no chance of starting the car. I had to take the sellers word for the condition of the engine and the fact that the car was a good runner before being taken off the road to repair the tank.
I spotted the car for sale on the Dutton Owners Club website - The best place to find Duttons if you are seriously looking for one. I called as soon as the ad came up but on ringing the owner found that a couple of people had already beat me. Well to cut a long story short the other parties fell by the way and I went to view - Even before I had driven the 20 miles to where the car was I had already decided I was going to buy it as V8 Duttons do not come up very often and V8 Series one Duttons even less - The S1 is one of the better looking Phaetons in my view and can be easily converted to accept the B-Type bonnet that enables the use of separate swept "Clamshell" or the more popular cycle wing mudguards - the "Morgan-esque" look of the front of the car is not everyone’s cup of tea although I quite like it from some views. Anyway to cut to the chase after a quick look over the car money changed hands and the car was mine.
The spec. on the old girl was pretty good - 7x13 KN Starmags with 205/60 13's albeit the two on the back were a bit low on tread, Spax adjustable dampers all round - stainless braided hoses and more importantly all the relevant bits and pieces to get it through an MOT appeared to be present - less one rear light! but more importantly she has the all alloy Rover 3500cc V8 and a 5 speed manual gearbox - transferring about 160 or 170 BHP to the Ford Capri 3.0L rear axle.
Well once rolled out and on the trailer it was back home to start work on finding out just what I had bought and making a list of the jobs that need doing to get the old girl on the road.
Follow these links to pages covering the major works to get "GROWLER" ready for the track........
A quick snap taken shortly after the MOT and the wheels and side panelling having there first clean up - stance at the back is still a little high but its coming along.