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- Sick_Cylinder
Rochdale produced cars from 1954 until 1973 when they were killed off by a combination of recession and changes to purchase tax / value added tax. The jewel in Rochdale's stable was without a doubt the Olympic Phase 1 (1959) and Olympic Phase 2 (1963). It's a name that many will have forgotten, but not me - my classmate had a British Racing Green Phase 1! I chose the Phase 2 in preference because it featured an opening rear door to ease the placement of luggage - like early TVR's in the Phase 1 you had to lift your luggage over the seats to access the luggage bay, but unlike TVR's it was a 2+2 GT car with just enough room for small children in the back. The Phase 2 featured the more modern Ford 1500 engine while the Phase 1 was normally Riley 1.5 (BMC) powered.
The Olympic was only the third car in the world to feature a glassfibre monocoque construction (after the Berkeley and Lotus Elite). The performance at the time was outstanding for the price (£930) and the combination of low drag, lightweight and good handling made it an effective car for competition use at club level.
Below, restored and refinished interior (spot the modern radio).
Specification: Ford 1500cc with 78hp
Top speed 114mph, weight 610kg
0-60mph 10.9 seconds
Fuel consumption 35 mpg approx.
Colour (gel coat) options: British racing green, red, yellow, cream. pale blue.
I would enjoy racing this car against other lightweight sports car from the era such as the Ginetta G4 (Please bring that back PD!) and the 1100cc Coventry Climax powered Lotus Elite.
Here's an extract from an RM Auction listing which gives some extra detail:
The Lotus Elite, the first glassfibre monocoque, was barely in production when well established 'special' body builder Rochdale Motor Panels launched the exceptionally well thought out Olympic. Stronger because it was laid up in one piece inside a bolted-together mould, with inner mouldings added while still in the mould to avoid distortion, the Olympic was designed to accept readily available BMC or Ford running gear. Motoring journalists were astonished at the speed, agility and sheer competence of the design. It had exceptional aerodynamics, aided by a very curved screen and streamlined undertray, light weight ensured by graduated thickness of glassfibre so it was strong where it needed to be and light where it didn't, and ingenious suspension design combined with a low centre of gravity achieved by mounting the engine low and well back in the shell.
Below, Rochdale Olympic lap of Goodwood:
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