Description
Classic and rare Gilbern GT in fully restored condition. Supplied new in 1967 by GS Cars of Bristol, the V5 shows 2 previous owners recorded (although the extensive history unearthed by the Gilbern Owners Club notes 6 previous owners) before I bought it for restoration in 2010. It is well known in the Gilbern Owners Club, having been rescued from a Cornish field in a blizzard by Brian the Club Historian (a heroic effort I won't go into here). It is one of the last GTs produced by Gilbern and was originally intended to have the Ford V4 engine as at the time, the original MGB inline 4 engines were getting hard to source. Thankfully Gilbern thought better of using the harsh V4 and stuck with the MGB unit, which this car has.
It came to me with a rusty chassis, rotten electrics, blistered and peeling paint and an engine that had suffered terminal internal corrosion. The interior was beyond saving, having succumbed to wear, damp and rodents. The GT was originally supplied with a 4 speed gearbox and 15 inch wire wheels to compensate for no overdrive. Since the gearbox was worn and the 15 inch wire wheels rusty, the decision was made to replace the engine with a restorable MGB block and to install an overdrive gearbox and 14 inch wire wheels. This restored the car to standard Gilbern GT trim and made it more pleasant to drive than the non-overdrive version. I gave the GT a full restoration which I recorded photographically. This included replacing 90% of the chassis and bead blasting the body back to the gel coat (this is a glass fibre bodied car with a welded tubular steel chassis) before repainting. The engine was replaced with another MGB unit which was rebored and rebuilt with new bearings, oil pump, cam and ancillaries. The cylinder head was converted for unleaded fuel. The brakes were rebuilt using all new components. The GT has a 4 synchro MGB gearbox with overdrive and 14 inch powder coated MGB wire wheels. The 5 link rear suspension was rebuilt with new bushes and Avo coil-over units. The front suspension has polyurethane bushes, new lever-arm dampers and a new steering rack. All the exposed suspension components were powder coated and the tubular steel chassis painted using Por-15. The internal surfaces of the chassis tubes were protected by wax injection. A stainless steel exhaust system is fitted. The original wiring loom was unusable and was replaced by a custom made loom using wiring colours that conform with standard BMC practice at the time. Relays were incorporated to avoid heavy currents stressing the original switches. Proper ground returns were used to avoid the electrical 'poor earth' problems that are common in fiberglass bodied cars. Finally the seats were retrimmed in leather with new carpet and headlining. The body was refinished in burgundy.
My GT returned to the road in 2015 and has represented the Gilbern marque in many classic car shows since then. It has only covered 3146 miles in that time due to it being one of 4 classic cars I owned over most of this period. Now I have retired, it is time to downsize my classic fleet and let someone else enjoy this fine GT. With its glassfibre body and tubular steel chassis, body corrosion is not an issue and since the engine, transmission, suspension and brakes are all sourced from the MGB, spares are comparatively cheap and easy to find. It is a true GT and having overdrive, is very relaxed at motorway speeds, making it a pleasure to use. This car comes with a comprehensive history both of my restoration and its previous life, thanks to the Owners Club. The club also deserves credit not only for their knowledge and enthusiasm, but for keeping the cars on the road by having the unique and difficult to find parts re-manufactured. This includes polished the stainless steel front and rear bumpers, rear suspension bushes and stainless steel (E10 petrol proof) fuel tank, which I used in rebuilding this GT.
Total production of Gilbern GTs is reckoned to be about 202 cars, making the GT an extremely rare model. They come up for sale very infrequently, especially in excellent condition like mine.
