regiment and rank, please

[SMJ]

If you allow some car talk.

I may be wrong, but I think the first car is a 'bitza' made from various re-used or unrelated body panels. The line of the scuttle from the windscreen to the bonnet is wrong, the louvred cowls are mis-matched in height and do not follow the line to the radiator - notice the square seam above the radiator grill with nowhere to go.

There is also 'feature' or seam at the bottom of the scuttle that is missing from the louvred cowls, the scuttle may have had a few inches removed from the bottom leaving a mismatch in height with the door kick plate. There is also evidence of a moved horn, windscreen or light bracket on the scuttle and the hand-brake is in a position that is virtually unusable.

Someone has taken a four seat tourer chassis and made themselves a two seat roadster by moving the seats, steering and door to the rear and filling in the gaps.

This tradition carried on into the 1960s with a lot of 'fake' Bentley 4½ litre GP cars made from the sedate Bentley Mark VI saloon. I did something similar with a Ford Cortina transforming it into a Marlin Berlinetta.

[purlin]

Yes I think you are absolutely correct it makes sense.  I noticed the handbrake isn't exactly operative where it is.  Also the bonnet from the start of the louvered cowls to the front of the car appears awkward and clumsy it almost seems that the front of the car should end after the 5th louvre.  I guess they enjoyed the rebuild though.