The Martyni 23

Of the 130 plus cars that rocked up to the Burley Village Show in August 2019, one became the centre of attention. Visitors stopped, looked, read the details, admired, dreamt of what might have been if they owned something similar, and chatted with the enthusiastic and affable owner.

It looked like the iconic design from the Lotus stable of cars imbued with quality and distinction, but oh how looks can deceive. When I got closer, close enough to read the maker’s badge on the bonnet there was an Alfa Romeo badge. Yet the car was liveried in British racing green. How could this be? And it wasn’t a Lotus 7 either.

It was a ‘Martyni 23’.

He went on to explain.

A father and son partnership of Terry and Martyn Perks, both with engineering and design backgrounds, wanted to compete against the mighty Lotus, but with their own design of car. Between that initial concept and fulfillment of ambition, there were a series of changes of ownership. The designs and associated intellectual property rights changed hands, and eventually the manufacture of the Martyni 23 ceased in 2008.

He bought the chassis in 2002, and started a project that took a further 16 years until the car was approved for use on the UK’s public roads. He can now drive his Martyni 23 any time, any place, anywhere, provided the roads are not too rough, and there is ample ground clearance for this very low-slung sports car.

Under the bonnet is a 1490cc twin carburetor boxer engine connected to a five-speed gear box, both of which were manufactured by Alfa Romeo. They were ‘donated’ from a 1982 Alfa Sprint Veloce. As these are the largest and most important components from any one manufacturer the use of the Alfa Romeo badge on the bonnet is fully justified. The front wheel hubs were donated from a 1987 Ford Sierra. The front brakes are Ford Sierra vented discs. While the rear brakes came from an Alfasud.

Normally in the UK, when a car is built up from a kit and donated components, over a period the registration number begins with a ‘Q’ followed by three numbers and three letters. However, as the owner used two major components (the engine and gearbox) he was able to register the car with an age related label. Hence with an ‘X’ at the end of the registration the car is dated from 1982, the same year the engine and Gearbox were manufactured.

Why is the car racing number ‘27’?

One of the owner’s favourite Formula One drivers is Gilles Villeneuve (1950-1982) whose race car numbers had the number two in them. As for the continental seven. Barry Sheen (1950-2003) is the owner’s favourite motorbike racer, and the distinctive continental seven was his racing number.

The owner’s most embarrassing moment, and let’s admit it, as we have all had those moments with our cars, was when he had been working on the car at home, and decided to take it out for a test drive around the block where he lives. Almost within sight of home and his workshop, and witnessed by neighbors, a wishbone snapped, rendering the car unmovable. It had to suffer the indignity of being winched on to a rescue vehicle, and transported a few hundred yards back to the workshop for repair.

As far as the owner knows, only five Martyni 23’s were built. One has been traced to the Czech Republic, and another one is under construction in Belgium. The other two were demonstrators for potential customers to try. One was recently sold, and the other one, liveried in pale blue cannot be traced.

And the mileage on the model I saw, just 315, yes ‘315’.