In 2003 TME’s Clive Taylor was asked to look after this original Ford Motorsport / Boreham Super 1600 Ford Puma for Ryan Champion and Cliffy Simmons in the 2003 British Rally Championship. It was the car that was used by Francis Duval for the 2002 Monte Carlo Rally and was given to Ryan for the year by Ford after he won the previous year’s 1400 Puma championship.
In 2003 the Super 1660 category of the British Rally Championship was very competitive and included works entries from MG Rover, Peugeot, and Opel. It was a season of highs and lows, the biggest low being a sizeable accident on that years Manx International Rally while leading the Super 1600 category. The retirement from the rally and subsequent loss of championship points ultimately cost Ryan and Cliffy that year’s championship.
Move forward twenty years and Ryan was given the opportunity to purchase the car. Unfortunately, it is fair to say that those years have not been kind on the car. On a test last year, Ryan approached Clive to take on the project to rebuild the car back to how it was back in 2003, something he jumped at.
Work has started with the car being stripped and all components inspected. The shell has had a hard life and has required extensive repair in several areas. The engine and gearbox have both been rebuilt and are ready for reinstalling. Work continues on the body shell and other subassembly work ahead of putting the car back together over the next few months.
