F2048 appeared on eBay in March 2005, after nearly fifteen years on the road with Paul Willis.

This had been one of the very first cars ever to reach completion, but with Latham themselves no longer in business, and precious little support elsewhere, Paul had a battle on his hands to get the car completed. By dint of determination and a fair amount of trial and error, he won through in the end.

Finished in a deep burgundy red (Saab Red according to Paul) and with red leather seats and a black hood, it was a handsome car. Abridged and adapted from his auction text, this is how Paul described his Latham F2:

"The Latham is fully Triumph Dolomite Sprint based, certainly mechanically, with only the wiper motor (and windscreen) coming from a different car. The car is of immensely strong fibreglass monocoque construction, and very fast! Paul Latham (Jackson), the designer, claims 0-60 in under 7 seconds, and a low centre of gravity ensures it corners very well."

"It is an extremely practical kit car. The boot is large enough for two full sets of golf clubs (which is very useful if you play golf, of course!) and the car has real wind-up glass windows as well as an effective heating/demisting system, making it useable all year round."

"Built in 1991 with a fully overhauled and rebuilt engine, gearbox and rear axle, F2048 has done 38,000 miles since then and is in excellent mechanical condition. The car has always been garaged and was constructed using lots of stainless steel, silicone brake fluid and copious quantities of Waxoil MOT’d until 2006 but not currently taxed."

The highest bidder on eBay was also offered first refusal on Paul's extensive spares collection, which included a rally tuned engine (30,000 miles, circa 185 bhp), two gearboxes, three overdrives, a cylinder head, 6 spare alloys, carbs, gauges, radiator, brake pads, shoes and much more besides.

Paul admitted to some 'bad news': "The fibreglass has crazed badly in one or two places (principally the bonnet), the interior shows its age and could do with freshening up," he said. "The alloys are pitted and oxidised, and the hood has faded and has come unstitched along one side seam. The doors are also a poor fit and may need some work." He concluded by saying: "I am 6' 2" and fit fine, but its not recommended for anyone much taller."

The auction ended with F2049 going to its new and current owner for £1,171. Bearing in mind this was a road-ready car, even if it did need a respray and a fair bit of TLC, that seems a small price to pay for Latham performance.

Click final image to view an enlargement. Only the last photo on this page can be viewed at higher resolution. A single click should be sufficient. The enlargement will appear in a fresh window, and can be closed by clicking on the [x] in the top right-hand corner. Your browser will need to be enabled to permit pop-up windows.

Please note that this sale was completed in March 2005, and F2048 is no longer for sale.

HOME