I've been thinking about this car for a while...so I went to see it!
It's in Stowmarket (near Ipswich) and the owner (Martyn) is a very nice chap who has 1 or 2 more cars in his collection so it was a great chance to view them as well.
At first glance it would be easy to write it off, it was covered in moss etc. but actually (although I am not an expert) it seemed quite solid with the body and the floor etc. all seeming good enough and the doors closing better than my own car! There was some rust/rot around the windows so that would need sorting and the interior (seats and door cards) has been removed. It's got an engine and a gearbox (that I believe is now being included in the sale). The clock shows just 15,000 miles and the condition of the body supports that in my opinion.
The features (dashboard, steering wheel etc.) confirm it to be a 1976 model as far as I can tell and there is paperwork (V5) to prove as well (it's a R reg). The bumpers are not chrome (but I believe that not all the early models had chrome bumpers) so these could be replaced.
By no means a quick restoration but one worth doing for someone with the skills (I was very tempted but would have had to pay someone which would have bumped up the cost as would the delivery to Halifax) and it would be great to see such an early model saved before it's too late (a couple more years without restoration could see it rapidly deteriorate).
If anyone is interested the owner is called Martyn and can be contacted on martyn65.msn.com
He's a great guy and probably does not need the cash (so a fair price rather than a silly price would be the best approach to take). I'm not an expert but something between £350 to £750 might be a good place to start depending on how much you want an early aircooled model.
Hope that is useful and that someone is able to save this little beauty!
I would strongly recommend viewing before buying as the above is just my opinion and I am strongly ruled by my heart when it comes to 126s!
