The Ken Wilson Chevrolet Gilbern GT.

[burgundyben]

While reading this excellent Gilbern Owners Club website, I found myself wondering if the ex Ken Wilson GT with the Chevrolet engine and Jag axle survives? Is it known which car it was? Has anyone built a replica? Sounds like a hoot to drive.

[Fareham GT]

Hi there,

Yes it does, it is currently sitting in my garage having a replacement rear axle fitted. If you can log on to Facebook, the club have a page called Gilbern World, on which you will find some photos of the car with the engine being lifted out.

Despite the fact that the car has only covered 2,863 miles from new, it has had nomadic and varied life. The original engine had been taken out by Ken's mechanic and fitted to his powerboat, Ken was racing it when he suffered a fatal heart attack just off the Kent coast. After Ken's death the car ended up with Ace Motors for many years before being sold off in the late 1980's, by which time it had been fitted with a standard MGB GT1800 rear axle and had no engine or gearbox.

The new owner fitted the car with a Lotus twin cam engine and gearbox and ran it, at the Isle of Man classic and at Wiscombe Park in 1993. Since then the car has been in store, in recent years some attempts to fit a Jaguar rear axle and front suspension had been made along with the loose fitting of a 283 c.i. Chevrolet engine.

All of this has now been removed, and the front suspension is going to be put back to as built, the rear axle has been replaced with one from a AH 3000, as fitted to the Gilbern Genie. The correct E Type gearbox has been purchased, if you have any ideas how to mount this to a Chevy engine, I would love to know!

The original hubs were designed to take Dunlop peg drive wheels of 15" dia. We are not sure if the original wheels were spares from Ken's BRM P48 or his Lister Jaguar. More information is needed about the car, and in fact I only discovered of a drag racing event at South Marston in Wiltshire in 1965 that Ken took part in, needless to say he won his class!

Regards

Brian

[burgundyben]

Hi Brian

Thank you - I never thought I'd get such a comprehensive reply!

What a fascinating car and history. Lucky you!

I've had both an E type and a Gordon Keeble with a chevy 327, but I never got so confused to try and fit the Moss box onto the Chevy lump, good luck!

Was very tempted to buy your wire wheel genie recently, but bad timing and I need another project like I need a hole in the head.

Thanks