1969 Piper GTT

‘This is a very well-known car in the Piper club,’ says its owner Leon, a retired mechanical engineer and veteran club and classic racer. He purchased this 1969, race-prepared example in the summer of 2016. He notes that the diminutive little road racer had already had an extensive body restoration when he bought the car. ‘It was fully restored between 2008 and 2009,’ he explains, adding that it also had a full suspension rebuild and was equipped with a full set of Avo adjustable coil-over dampers.

Leon himself went on to have the engine (a blue-printed Ford Mexico) rebuilt by the Headshop in Warrington in July 2017 at a cost of £2,785. The re-fettling included all new (Accralite) forged pistons, both big end and main bearings, all new valves and a full set of gaskets.

The GTT was also treated to a new starter motor and alternator, plus a high-quality, stainless steel exhaust. ‘I also replaced the bonnet,’ he explains. ‘The original weighed a ton. This one is a lot lighter and has far better cooling.’

‘It was dynamometer tested after the rebuild; it produces 150bhp,’ he adds. Talking of the car’s performance, he says; ‘it’s very responsive and quick. But it’s also a comfortable car - I would be quite happy to do long events in it.’

‘The car had had a complete overhaul,’ he says - though noting that ‘competition-wise’, some things such as the fire extinguisher system are ‘out of date’. They are still perfectly capable of doing their job, and more than adequate for touring, track day and road use.

The bright red paintwork and those broad white GT stripes make this already striking Sixties English sports car stand out even more. The finish is generally excellent across the car - a few very tiny chips - but with the glassfibre showing no cracks at obvious stress points, nor fading or discolouration. There are some tiny hairline cracks in the paint around the driver’s door lock. As stated, the bonnet is a custom-made replacement, though it fits perfectly in every way with the rest of the car. Its vents are nicely mounted and finished and the bonnet pins are clean and operate smoothly. There are no cracks around these, nor the fire and power cut-off switches. The Plexiglass headlight cowls are clear and neatly mounted. Despite being so very low, that sharp nose shows little sign of gravel pitting.

The black window surrounds make for a striking contrast (neither they nor the rear ‘hatch’ open). There is a little delaminating along some edges on both doors and the rear. However, its effect on the general finish and robustness of the car would appear to be negligible. If you look hard enough for long enough in these areas - the joins between materials - you will find a little unevenness, but then you do have to remember what kind of a car you are looking at.

The rear lights are in excellent condition - and, tellingly, their mounting screws are very clean too - and the polished metal filler caps (the car has dual fuel tanks) are looking good. ‘Piper’ badges front and rear are present and correct and the little ‘GTT’ badge is bright and shows no corrosion. The last ‘T’ is a little crooked, but I don’t think it will fail scrutineering on that point.

Fit and finish of the car is excellent - okay, the doors can need a little light coaxing, but this is a very smart example of a very rare GT.

The interiors of low-production GTs and competition cars of this period (any period), not to mention road cars, can be shall we say ‘frugal’, but the cockpit of the Piper is nicely executed and on a par with many road-oriented cars of the time - Lotus et al. Usefully, Leon has also re-installed the passenger/co-driver seat, so if you were thinking of using this car for classic endurance or regularity rallies, that will come in rather handy.

Both seats are nicely trimmed in very robust-looking vinyl and their six-point harnesses are in top condition. The ‘carpets’ are felt and the trim is sparse, but this would be a comfortable and ergonomically efficient cockpit for both short and extended drives. There are some small scuffs to edges, but the whole space appears well cared-for, with no signs of abuse or neglect. All instruments and controls are present and well positioned. There are modern improvements too; the relatively new speedometer is satellite connected/regulated and the tachometer has a rev limiter.

The roof and the door panels show ‘bare’ (though of course painted) glassfibre, but the door cavities and the wide sills retail the same (pretty much scuff and dirt-free) finish of the exterior. Door seals are mostly in excellent condition, appearing pretty new.

The rear hatch is sealed, so what would have been the boot is largely redundant, save for what you can get past the seats and the very sturdy looking roll cage. Anchor points for both this and the harnesses look very robust indeed.

There is a neatness of execution about the whole cabin that inspires confidence in the car as a whole and your potential experience with it.

It’s when you get underneath the Piper that you realise what a thoroughly sorted machine this is. The almost total lack of corrosion, dirt or wear to both steel and fibreglass is very confidence inspiring. At all the points where you can see the square-section tubular chassis, the struts and rails look to be in fine condition, retaining a good coat of paint and showing no rust. The metal under-trays and underside of the glassfibre body are clean and free of any major - or mostly even minor - scratches or abrasions. The stainless steel exhaust is as new. Jacking and towing points are well marked, strong and accessible.

Fuel and brake lines running underneath the car are clean and healthy looking, and brake assemblies look very robust, as do the coil-over dampers. The Minilite-type wheels show no corrosion and have only a few light scuffs, and their Yokohama tyres look pretty new.

The engine bay looks especially good. The motor itself is just so clean - having only covered some 15 miles since the rebuild. Wiring, tubes and braided (or silicon) hoses are all as new, while bolts across the car look like they were freshly torque’d down out of the box only days ago - an almost total absence of crud. The carburettors look to be eminently serviceable and the radiator and its fan appear to be in very good condition.

Looking down into the engine well, the universal joints in the steering - as well as all visible suspension parts - look to be in fine fettle. Rubber gaiters and HT leads are as new. Looking around the glassfibre of the inner wings, there are no signs of stress or cracking and no accumulated dirt or damage in the wheel wells.

Very much road or race ready.

Although extensive notes for the restoration of the body are not available, the invoice for the engine rebuild is present, as are instructions and notes for the speedometer, tachometer and fans. There are also computer-generated diagrams of the chassis and the substantial roll over bar.

There are other pages in the file about further aspects of the car’s build - notes on rebuilding certain components, as well as setting-up instructions and torque and tension settings. Through these, the history file highlights are a way of thinking and a thoroughness of understanding and execution, which anyone preparing a competition classic should possess (though by no means always does).

Leon has also rebuilt a 1968 Elva to what must be concours standard, and looking at the two cars together, you get some idea of the level of quality he sets out to achieve.

It’s easy to dismiss these cars as very much a ‘niche’ classic, but this GTT’s appeal could be a lot wider. How so? Well, for one thing the model enjoys passionate and knowledgeable club support and is based on fairly prosaic Ford mechanicals - so you’re not ‘on your own’. All the aforementioned have undergone a thorough overhaul (and improvement), and the parts that are particular to the Piper - body and chassis - were also restored prior to that.

On the usability front, not only is the Piper an eminent track car, but that passenger seat allows you to campaign it with a partner/co-driver in a whole other set of road-going events. Or just simply take it out and drive it - together.

The total package looks like a lot of very individual and very well-sorted fun. As such, we think it will command a value of between £20,000 and £35,000.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with the seller in Harrogate; to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.

This vehicle is not with us at The Market’s HQ near Abingdon, which means we have had to rely on the owner’s description of it, in conjunction with the photographs you see here, to compile the listing.

With this in mind, we would encourage potential bidders to contact the owner themselves and arrange to view the car in person, or to arrange a dedicated video call in which they can view the car virtually and ask questions.