Davrian Mk5, GTP, 1971, a 'Hillman Imp in devil’s clothing' as we've read on a period motorsport magazine.
It is a race car that could have been invented only by British enthusiasts! Davrian is a small company from London that used to build this little sports car from 1965 till mid 80s; now the company changed its name in Darrian and it still produces the evolution of the original model.
It was based on the calm and reliable Hillman Imp hardware: suspensions, engine and gearbox were fitted into a fiberglass monocoque with front and rear bulkhead in aluminium as support for the engine - just behind the driver - the front and rear axles. The Davrian had been produced in 8 series as evolution of the first version with different engines and bodies shaped according to the evolving trends.The car we have for sale is a1971 Mk5 that raced mainly on track in UK (but many Davrians were winning cars on rallies or hillbclimbs).
The street legal car (even if it is really extreme for road use!) had a top speed of 125 mph thanks to the upgraded, small but brilliant engine and the featherweight of 550 kgs.
This Mk5 had been purchased and imported to Italy in 2009: since then it has been completely restored thanks to the experience of two well-known craftsmen from Modena, Manfredini and Giuliani who improved the performances of the little sportcar with top level refined solutions: the Hillman 998 cmc Hillman engine had an output of 118 hp thank to twin Weber 40DCOE carburetors of the alloy handbill exhaust.
The monocoque was reinforced with safer roll cage, then the gearbox had been improved with new Hewland gears, mechanisms and hubs. The braking system has 4 drilled discs with Girling calipers.
The owner preferred to keep the original fiberglass body instead of the modern and lighter one.
Once finished the car attended few races in 2016 Italian Historic cars championship, proving its potential.
The car comes with Italian HTP, valid for national races in G2 period, Class GTP1000.
It is a really fun to drive car, with safety updated, many spare parts, ready to race: it could be seen by appointment in Milan. Further details on www.gulfblue.it
