The most important thing to me about building a kit car was to utilize my 2.3l turbo SVO engine and transmission. I had kept this power unit from my 84 SVO Mustang, the first car that I had bought new from the showroom. I wanted to build a car around that engine and I had researched so many options that it would be worthless to even try to describe it. But I settled on the idea of using a Lotus 7 style platform because of its simplicity and performance. I hung around some of the forums and got the idea that the GBS might be a good way to get a car together. So as I worked on a specification for my GBS Zero build I used my SVO engine for dimensions. Then I rebuilt the engine and trans so that when the kit came together it would be prepared for some real driving. Besides, the engine had been sitting under a tarp for years. At least it wasn't frozen.

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Fitting the engine and bell housing

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Long story short. At GBS, in particular Ruth Hall, handled most of the communication. Through the build process I got the occasional picture and update. Once we got to the stage where the kit went into the crate and was sent off for shipping the rate of updates slowed and left me wondering what was going on. The only update I got, after many weeks and several queries, was that the shipment was waiting offshore, somewhere. I exchanged paperwork for the import with an agent from LSI and then I started getting updates from LSI Logistics, Eric Martinez, who stepped me through the process of receiving the shipment at the loading dock at Auburn. Great guy, Eric. In the meantime I had made a friend, Bob, through an event with the Tyee Triumph club. Bob lives here in Sequim and has a Spitfire 1500. I offered to help him get the Spit running better and spent a few days getting it running pretty well. I mentioned to Bob that I had been searching for transportation to get my kit to Sequim from ...
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Fitting the transmission and bellhousing

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