I've put a list of items to do with Rochdale's that have previously sold so you can get some idea as to the value of these cars.

ROCHDALE OLYMPIC

OLYMPIC SOLD FOR £1910 in Jan 09 on Ebay
This is a fairly original 1962 Rochdale Olympic Phase I, currently on SORN, but running.  It could be used, or provide an interesting project.
Previously registered 90 FHO, and well known to the owners club (rochdale-owners-club.co.uk) I am selling dut to family commitments - a new son does not allow me the time this car needs and it doesn't have any seat belts!
The car has Riley 1.5 running gear as was standard for most Phase I's.  At some stage in its' past, the rear wheel arches have been widened and the car fitted with period Mk 2 Cosmic alloy wheels.  This has been done more sympathetically than most and the swage lines over the rear wheel arches have been retained.
The car comes with some history and all available receipts
The main fault for day to day running is a lack of synchromesh on 2nd gear.  If the car reaches its' £1500 reserve, I will supply a rebuilt MGB overdrive gearbox with it.  This cost me £250 to have rebuilt.  The propshaft tunnel will need to be modified to fit the wider gearbox, and the input shaft changed to suit the Riley 1.5 engine.  Althernatively, you could do what I intended to do, and fit an MGB engine, which will give you more power.

ROCHDALE ST

 SOLD FOR £593 ON EBAY IN FEB 09

This was a rare opportunity to acquire a piece of 1950’s motoring history.  Rochdale Motor Panels was founded in 1948 by Frank Butterworth and Harry Smith.  They were one of the first outfits in the UK to use fibreglass as a body material.

This particular bodyshell was bought from Rochdale in 1955 and stayed in the roof of the original purchasers’ garage until it was rescued by the owners club.  

1955 Rochdale ST bodyshell, never used and unregistered.

Tubular chassis similar to a Halifax chassis, with standard Ford wheels, and Woodhead “cushion of air “suspension conversion

A Ford Sidevalve engine with Aquaplane alloy head and a Ford gearbox.  I have not done any work on either of these two items and they are to be considered for their scrap value only.  The Aquaplane head, however, looks salvageable.

There is also a large tin trunk of bits of steel, probably brake bits, connecting rods etc.

This bodyshell has been shown on the Rochdale Owners Club stand at more than one classic car show.  However, en route to one show, the bodyshell broke in two.  It is complete, but needs to be stuck back together.  The Front and rear sections are sound, as are the doors.  The sills will need some repair, but if you have read this far, it should not be too much of a challenge for you.

ROCHDALE OLYMPIC

SOLD FOR £2390 ON EBAY IN APRIL 09

Due to the loss of my workshop for the rebuild and a change in health and circumstances it breaks my heart to have to sell my olympic it took me 10 years to find it in the first place. The Olympic is one of the first cars of its kind with a fibre glass monocoque construction with no rusty chassis to deal with. The car is complete with all glass(crack in screen, available from owners club) window winders door locks etc, all lights are there with some new ones in the collection. The engine is a Riley 1.5 with a 4 spd riley box ( I have had the engine running for 1 min when I first got the car but cannot vouch for its condition) Riley rear axle and front end, the brakes have been overhauled and it has a rare fly-off handbrake, the wheels are also rare COSMIC mk 1 which make the car look realy cool for its age. The car comes with a good ammount of history including the old green logbook, there are hardly any of these left on the road probably 30 or so. The bodywork is in good order for its age and will only need minor repair and  paint, I have done some extensive work on the doors as this was an area of weekness with the ns hinges fitted and almost complete and most of the prep work done on the offside. One easy mod often done to these cars is to swop the engine for an MGB eng and box which is just about a straight exchange, The interior is complete but in need of refurbishment which i have started. The Car is known to the Rochdale Owners Club and the Fairthorpe Sports Car Club Rochdale Register. I have owned the car for about 18 months now , so, here's your chance to be the owner and custodian of a piece of motoring history.

ROCHDALE GT

SOLD FOR £1600 ON EBAY IN APRIL 09

Very rare - when did you last see one of these?  It's even rarer than the Olympic J

Unfortunately I have too many cars and not enough time to restore it.

It's got Ford Pop 100E running gear (easy for spares and to work on).

1172 side-valve engine.

3 speed gear box.

Fibre-glass body (which is totally rust free!)

Mechanically it needs very little work. The engine starts well and runs beautifully - it was said to have been reconditioned by a previous owner but not seen the road since.

The engine cooling system holds water with no apparent leaks.

The brakes work, although will need adjusting, etc.

The clutch works.

It has lovely original seats.

The chassis is generally good but does require repair to the box sections located in front of the rear wheels.

Some floor panels need replacing but are mainly flat areas.

The body only requires relatively minor repairs to the fibre-glass.

The electrics are mainly disconnected as it looks like a messy bowl of spaghetti J

I have some history with the car, starting in the 70s when it was in Ilford then Crewe, Ellesmere Port then the Isle of Man before heading to Anglesey.

If you have the time, I don't think it would need too much spent on it and it would be a worthwhile restoration as these "dinky toy e-tyes" don't come up very often.

Rochdale Olympic 

sold for £2870 on Ebay in May 09

Rochdale Olympic Phase 1 –1962 – 2481AW - 1622 MGA Engine

I have owned this car since 2003 and it has been SORN for the last few years. The car is up for sale, as I do not have the time to do it justice and due to its low ride height it is a four-man job to get it off my driveway.

The car is finished in an Aston Martin Green and is sparsely trimmed. The car shows perhaps too much patina but is full of character and very usable and a thrill to drive. This car has not been got at and apart from very nicely done full wheel arches, is standard.

Mechanically it is very sound with a lot of the hard work being done by the previous owners. It has a 1622cc MGA Stage 2 engine that runs very well. I have history that shows this engine may have come out of a Lotus 11 race car. It is amazingly responsive. Gearbox is fine as are brakes*.

She has a Bristol 405 instrument binnacle but the gauges are temperamental at best. Plenty of oil pressure however.

The car has a new wiring loom fitted and there is evidence that many of the ancillaries were changed at the same time. Starter, generator and control box all look fresh. Front sub frame I suspect was also done and shows no signs of corrosion. Screen also appears fresh.

The Olympic has Hella Headlamps sourced from a Porsche 356 I think. “John Sprinzel” black period plastic and corduroy inserts rally type seats and five-point harness are fitted. Also a nice wood rim steering wheel. There is a race type fuel tank and pump neatly fitted in the rear. Two sets of keys.

The bad points are few. The windscreen needs to be removed and the corroding metal fillet that has been fitted needs to be taken out and fibre glassed with the screen refitted. Although the brakes* are in good condition I suspect the Master Cylinder may be on its way as there is a soft pedal. For the MOT get the horn working and change the NSF flexible brake hose, it has just had an oil change and recommission. If I don’t get to reserve I will finish this work and get it MOT’d and try again.

As you can see an interesting “Special” that is a great rolling restoration or use it as it is. I will never get the “sum of its parts value”, a good home is more important. I would suggest the car is trailered away.

3 Rochdales that sold at Auction in June 09

The first was a 1962 Rochdale Olympic which I had the pleasure of driving to the auction:

sold for £7800

Built in Norfolk by P Greengrass, this Olympic used Morris Minor running gear, modified by Rochdale to radius arms and coil spring/dampers at the rear, making one of the best 'live' axle layouts. The car enjoys a full Rochdale trim kit (seats, headlining, door trims, rear seat cushions and folding backrest), the two front seats having been accurately retrimmed by Creech Coachtrimming. Malcolm acquired the car for everyday transport in 1989 when he joined Classic Cars magazine and clocked up many thousands of miles while gradually improving it. The car won several trophies on Rallyes des Alpes and the AMOC Rally. The engine was fitted with a Shorrocks supercharger kit and a very well developed cylinder head, giving c100bhp from 948cc while remaining exceptionally tractable and returning 40mpg. A worn 1098cc block is currently fitted, but a very good 948 block will be made available with the car.

The scond was a1968 phase 2 Rochdale Olympic:

sold for £2860

Holset Engineering employee Martin Spencer spent £800 and 250 hours building his Phase II, completing it in early 1968 with a very early 1600 crossflow Cortina GT engine, the logical successor to the 1500 and far more tuneable. He wrote up the story of the build in the Holset magazine and it was subsequently also published in Hot Car. Features included a full Rochdale trim kit and twin fuel tanks; these have been cut out by a previous owner so careful re-creation or fitment of an alternative tank will be required. The engine is completely dismantled and a respray is required, together with general restoration. The bodyshell and front subframe appear sound. Only four previous keepers are listed on the log book, the previous owner having had the car for 20 years. The vendor acquired this Rochdale in 2004 but did not have time to start the restoration. This is a rare opportunity to acquire a Phase II Olympic restoration project that, apart from the fuel tanks, has not been modified at all from its original specification. The Rochdale Owners Club, of which the vendor is a Registrar, offers great support to restorers and can supply almost all the parts unique to Olympics, such as the windscreen and front subframe, at very reasonable prices. With the extensive use of proprietary - and widely available - Ford, Triumph and BMC running gear, this Olympic should not be costly to restore and should be a potent and highly enjoyable 2+2 road and rally car when completed.

The third was a Rochdale GT in ned of complete renovation:

Young Brian Hutton, who spent almost two years putting this one together, went to tremendous lengths to ensure his was among the best. Starting in August 1958 with a new, boxed, Ford Pop chassis, he painstakingly built-up a rolling chassis with almost all new parts - bills for parts alone total well over £400. The factory recon engine was treated to Aquaplane valve springs and engine bearer, Rochdale header tank, split radiator and side-mounted dynamo; LM Ballamy Supersprung independent suspension took care of the front end, Buckler D/W close ratio gears, 15in wheels and a high-ratio axle ensured lively performance and relaxed cruising and other attention to detail included an MGA fly-off handbrake and comprehensive instrumentation (specially calibrated Smiths speedometer and matching rev counter). Hutton drove the car until 1966, when it headed to the West Country, passing through four more owners before landing in Carn Bosavern Garage, Cornwall, with a worn-out engine. It was purchased from there by Aston Key, who kept the car for 30 years before passing it, still unrestored, to the vendor in 2003. Much work is required, but the brave restorer will be rewarded with a well-sorted Ford Special with complete history that is still very much in original spec.

ROCHDALE OLYMPIC

Sold For £1714 on Ebay in July 09

Not for the fainthearted. This Rochdale has been missing for many years and was unknown to the Owners Club. (now registered with them).

Believed to be a 1962 early Phase two model, it has a large 1622 cc Riley/ Wolseley engine..with twin SU carbs..more usually fitted with 998/1098 cc engines...With a tuned engine of this size in this very lightweight and aerodynamic body,  it could fly.... 

Most of the suspension and axles are of BMC/Morris Minor parentage so easy enough to locate spares. The screen is cracked but new ones are available very reasonably from the owners club. The front lights appear to be from a Porshe 356. It has twin tanks ..a useful addition for long distance touring.

The monocoque body is in suprisingly good condition, albeit with flaking paint.. Looks as if the original colour was light blue and with the red upholstery is a nice combination.

Most of the car is present...but the passengers seat is missing. Spare wheel is there..Spare head.. spare instruments. Scruffy carpets there for patterns.

Many of these good looking (jag e-type-ish) cars are prepared for historic rallying and touring and this is a good base to build one. The numberplate is believed to be original but there is no V5 with it, so one would have to go through the process of re-claiming it....

Viewing is respectfully advised as the buyer must know what they are taking on!!!

Rochdale Olympic