WHAT CAR? 1979 REPRINT.

SPECIAL REPORT - REPLICA CARS
RMB Gentry

One of the best loved English sports cat is the MG - especially so in the States. After the war the MG TC and later the TD virtually created the American sports car boom single-handed. However -as is true today the cars were way out of date.
The TD was created in 1949 to help satisfy the demand and when the stopgap TF appeared, still decidedly vintage in looks, the end of the T series was in sight, the MGA was just around the corner. However the T series and the TF in particular still remain classic and, sought after cars ... and so 'command silly price
Carpenter Roger Blockley was not put off, though. He wanted a TF and he was going to have one, even if it meant building it himself. And that's just what he did. But even he could not have foreseen the interest in the car he had created. Wherever he went in his RMB Gentry, people demanded replicas of his replica. Roger has now a small but profitable business turning out TF kits and completing the occasional fully made car for special customers.
The Gentry is faithful to the classic MG' shape but is based on a rather more humble form of transport, the Triumph Herald. The Herald and its Vitesse and Spitfire derivatives are chassis based
rare in this day and age. Heralds, normally a victim of the rust bug by now, are stripped and the chassis laid bare. Unlike the other
replicas featured here, the Gentry is very much a DIY job. Various outriggers on the chassis have to be removed and the rear suspension de-cambered. As it arrives the Gentry consists a marine ply body shell with glassfibre wings running boards.
The ply body shell is covered in aluminium and the entire shell sits on a Gentry made angle iron frame which is bolted to the Triumph chassis. It may sound simple, but the end product depends entirely on the workmanship of the owner. The waiting list for the kits is around nine months, which gives owners plenty of. time to prepare his chassis, rebuild his engine and generally ready himself for the great day.
The ideal car, says Roger, is the Mkll Vitesse which had improved rear suspension, but any Herald or Vitesse will be fine. Engine options of course depend on what was in the original car at the time of stripping but even a humble 1296 cc engine Gentry should be good for 100 mph ... which is probably better than the real TF anyway. The straight six Vitesse engine will give plenty of power but the engine is a tight fit in that narrow engine bay.
As well as an old Triumph, Gentry owners will need the radiator grille from an MG ZA/ZB Magnette and a Morris Oxford fuel tank. All the other bits and pieces like instruments, lights, wheels and tyres can be rescued from the Herald.
Roger said, "The only major external difference between our car and the original is that legisla¬tion has forced us to give it forward hinged doors, although early Gentrys do have the rear hinged TF style doors."
One of the great things' about the car is that it is possible for the owners to make the cars in stages. The basic price is £585 for the fully assembled shell in primer,' or £435 in kit form. Gentry do a trim kit for £79, a hood for £37 and £38.50 for the windscreen assembly. In addition they have countless little items like replica door handles and torpedo sidelights for those who really want to fool the public.
The Gentry started life off as one man's answer to owning his dream car. It has escalated to the extent that a Gentry Register has been formed and the car is becoming almost as much a classic as the real thing. There is one thing that won't happen to the car though. It is unlikely that Americans who love the MG so much will be given the chance of owning a Gentry ... they already have countless such replicas usually based on rear engined Beetles
Roger said "Obviously it is up to the owner to make what he can out of the car. Some are quite happy just to run around in a car that's a bit different, while others go the whole way to produce the ultimate TF replica. As well as the basic kit we sell all the little items that make all the difference -things like passenger grab handles that are found on the dash in the real thing, and even enamel Union Jack badges to mount on the bonnet."
The latest RMB creation is a glass fibre hardtop for those who desire a little creature comfort for the winter.
Roger said, "The Gentry seems to appeal to all sorts of people. The majority are those who fancy driving something a little different, while some are the DIY types. who want to build themselves a car but do not want to drive around in a beach buggy.
"We also get many inquiries from people who once actually owned the real things and sold them for next to nothing."
Although Herald and Vitesse models have been the most popular base for the Gentry, two cars have been built on Triumph Spitfire chassis - but as the Spitfire is some 8 ins shorter than the saloon, the resulting Gentry with body modification looked out of proportion, so the Spitfire version has been dropped


RMB Gentry

Mill Street
Barwell
Leicestershire

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