Crayford rhd 914, Genuine car? Options

[pep1]

Hi - JD Classics in the UK have for sale a rhd 914 that they say is a genuine Crayford conversion. Registration number is NRX 538K. The car started life in the US and then was exported to Australia (doesn't say when) where the conversion was done. JD say that it is one of only 9 cars that were converted by Crayford. From the research I have managed to do it sounds like this cannot be true. I have asked for some proof of their claim but they have gone quiet. Could this car however have been converted under licence using genuine Crayford parts or is it more likely to be a conversion just done by some garage in Australia as I understand quite a few cars were converted there in this way.

[KELTY360]

Can't say if it's genuine, but there has been discussion here on Crayford conversions. I did a search on google and got these results: Results for Crayford cars

[KSCarrera]

If it was actually converted in Australia, it can't be a Crayford conversion. It also has an ashtray, a feature missing from Crayford RHD dashboards...

[JeffBowlsby]

Exaggeration and flowery sales ads are seldom accurate and are suspicious.

[SirAndy]

https://woodham-mortimer.com/Cars/For-Sale/...05-08db3b87ad3b

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/popcorn[1].gif)

[arbitrary]

Someone here owns a Crayford conversion - http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?sho...amp;hl=Crayford

[davep]

Wow, a 914 Coupe with 14" 4-bolt Fuchs. That has to be a unicorn!

[dr914@autoatlanta.com]

NO right hand drive 914 is genuine!

[wonkipop]

@pep1

short answer = no.


-----

info.

all crayfords cars converted to RHD were delivered to the UK new.
via this arrangement.



absolutely zero via the USA.

no crayfords conversions were done in australia.
though crayfords did send interior bulkhead moulds and dashboard moulds to an agent they intended to set up in Perth Western Australia in anticipation of a viable market.
didn't happen. the moulds ended up in melbourne in the early 80s.

in 1979 there were known to be 8 914s in australia.
2 914/6s imported by the australian distributor.
2 crayfords converted 914s (both 1973 MY 2.0L cars) privately imported from the UK.
2 914/4s, owned by 2 german mechanics and privately imported from germany and converted in australia.
1 914/4 that came in via the german consulate in melbourne australia.
1 crayfords 1975 MY car privately imported into australia after 1974 Australian Design Rules Legislation. it was never put on the road, the ADRs prevented its road registration. information says it was sold to a singapore buyer in the early 80s.
(i think a former member of this website had it and after he passed away i believe it has made it back to the UK, but its not the car you are inquiring after.).

------

the car you are looking at is a car that would have been privately imported into australia from west coast USA in the very late 80s after prohibitive and protective customs duty/sales taxes were relaxed. a reasonable number of 914s came into australia right through the 90s.
i estimate at least 100. possibly as high as 200. but no more than that.
these cars were all converted to rhd here. the conversions vary in quality.
i recognise the dashboard moulding in the one you are inquiring about, its the same (or very similar) moulding as in my car, though the ash tray fit looks not so good. the conversion was likely done in melbourne. there were two guys operating at that time both doing very high quality conversions.
this conversion industry no longer really exists. regulations regarding historic cars have been relaxed and its possible to road register a left hand drive car on historic plates (25 years and older). as a result the cottage industry doing conversions has shrivelled.
though it is still here but much more specialised. eg dodge RAM trucks. these are all being sold new here by dodge dealers but the trucks come in left hand drive from the USA and are converted to right hand drive here to full factory standard. you would not be able to distinguish them from left hand drive factory. they are sold new and with full warranties.

contrary to some views, these 90s era conversions were to a large extent executed to a very high standard, though there were a few backyard hack jobs done by private owners that were not so good. its pretty easy to screw up a 914. its probably one of the most difficult cars around to convert to right hand drive and get it absolutely right.

i understand a number of those cars converted in the 1990s have now made their way to the UK though private buyers seeking right hand drive 914s. the currency exchange was favorable to UK buyers in the first decade of the 21st C. this car will be one of those.
it could be pretty good. or it could be pretty bad. my guess is its probably OK. i have a feeling this particular car did come from melbourne australia and at one time a fair while back it was for sale at Lorbek's prestige cars. (i designed his car yard in the 90s). i remember him calling me about a 914 he had and did i want to take a look at it, since he knew i owned one. i didn't see it but i can remember him telling me it was "egg plant".
so it could be that car.

------

you would be lucky to find a crayfords car still surviving.
i estimate 3 survive in the UK.
a UK member here has listed that his car is up for sale to the right buyer.
its the #1 car converted by crayfords as the demonstrator.
in my view a valuable car with great historical value.
a green 4 surfaced about 3-4 years back as a barn find.
it was terminally rusted in the photos listed.
finally the 75 that came to aus first, went to singapore and is now back in the UK.
that car has backdated bumpers, a 6 engine fitted and is yellow.

2 cars survive in australia.
both are 1973 2.0L. i have the VINS for both.

thats it.
i doubt any others are left. long gone.

no 6s were converted by crayfords. they are all 4 cylinder cars.

[wonkipop]

NO right hand drive 914 is genuine!

ONE

VIN 9141430042
tangerine.

left the karmann factory as a trimmed lhd 914/6 japanese spec body.


left the stuttgart werks as a finished right hand drive car fitted with a 4 speed gearbox.


ordered by australian porsche distributor Hamiltons.
arrived in melbourne australia via tokyo japan (misawa motors).
still exists. still here in melbourne australia.
owned first by misawa (short time, months) as a demonstrator and then owned by Hamiltons (several years) as a demonstrator at first and in private possession of distributor. on sold and privately owned for a short time in the 1970s. bought back by the distributor and remained in his collection until 1991. has had two owners since.

more research currrently being undertaken - contact with curator of porsche museum.
above details confirmed with aus distributor and staff of the era who survive.

[wonkipop]

If it was actually converted in Australia, it can't be a Crayford conversion. It also has an ashtray, a feature missing from Crayford RHD dashboards...

spot on.

crayfords parked it on the tunnel.
where they also parked the radio.
no room on the left hand side for the depth of a standard radio back then in the space left between dash and bulkhead.

also the glove box is just big enough to put a pair of sunglasses in for the same reason! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

the give way on all crayfords cars is the hand stitched dash over the fibreglass mould.
vinyl skinning was a high end industrial process back then that only the manufacturers had access to. the crayfords dash was pretty good but it still looked hand made.

another give away is that crayfords did not fill in the left hand side hand brake sill panel.
you ended up with two sill panels depressions, one on each side.

and one more was they mirrored the instrument binnacle dial layout.
this was something porsche never did on its other right hand drive models.
a right hand drive 911 has the same binnacle layout as the left hand drive.
it is not mirrored. it is simply transposed.
most of the 914s converted in aus later in the 90s follow porsche practice.

and if you look behind the pedal board a crayfords car doesn't use a 911 right hand drive pedal cluster. it uses the original 914 pedal cluster and they modified it. they cut and welded the brake arm and used a welded section that shifted the allignment of the brake pedal right across to be near the accelerator. they fitted only the straight clutch arm rod piece from the 911 cluster. they did this for a reason and it wasn't being cheap.
a 911 rhd pedal cluster does not in fact work so well on a 914 which is a much wider car than the 911. with a 911 cluster you really do sit very diagonally to work the pedals.
its one thing crayfords got really right. i copied it on my car exactly.
most of the aus converted 914s use a rhd 911 pedal cluster. it made it easy but it also made it not quite so good. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[wonkipop]

@pep1

dug up my filed images.
picture is worth a thousand words.


a crayfords car looks like this if you are staring at the dashboard.
(hand made-ish).

#1 crayfords. very early car. 70 model i think.



one of the UK crayfords still in aus. 73 2.0 L
seat fabric not original. someone changed it from when i knew it.
used to be original cord fabric.



thats what you are looking for in a crayfords.
no mistaking them.
all originally european spec, uk delivered cars. all converted when brand new as part of original purchase by owners from Everest.

-------

later aus conversions from late 80s into 90s.
all will have been sourced from USA. generally from california.
my car. i had it converted and did about 50% of the conversion myself - 34 years ago.
still have the car. so i remember all the esoteric detail involved. also had a access to a crayfords car to guide my conversion.



instantly recognizable. dash is heat shrink vinyl skinned over fibreglass moulding.
there were lots of industry car component manufacturers and specialists attached to the big ford and gm plants here who could do this stuff for you as side jobs.
not all of them had the ashtray incorporated but a few did.
in my case the mould was indeed either the original crayfords mould or had been made using the crayfords moulding with some further modification to house the ashtray.
the mould was sourced from one particular guy in melbourne who had it. he did not do all the conversions but he had the mould.

i have seen other cars that were converted by workshops in other cities in australia that used a technique that involved sectioning up the original dash moulding to produce a mirror dash moulding and then having it reskinned. you can usually spot those as no matter what there a faint ridges that show where it was cut and shut.


---

and i remembered one more give-away.
all the crayfords cars shifted the fuseboard across to the right hand side. quite a job to do and not sure why they did it. its the hard way to do it. most of the aus conversions leave it on the left hand side and extend across or rewire as necessary to get to the switches and instruments. if its got a fuseboard on left hand side its not a crayfords.

[pep1]

Many thanks to you all for answering my query in such detail. I'm amazed at the level of your knowledge. I certainly know where to come now for info on 914s.

[porschetub]

NO right hand drive 914 is genuine!

Relax George no one said these were genuine but just replys here on if the car is legit as a Crayford conversion which I strongly don't think it is as mentioned the cars would have been direct from Porsche and converted from that point in the UK.
I understand they were pretty well done but I think wonkipop would know better as he has checked them out .
To me they are real special due to numbers converted and a real part of 914 history.

[wonkipop]

NO right hand drive 914 is genuine!

Relax George no one said these were genuine but just replys here on if the car is legit as a Crayford conversion which I strongly don't think it is as mentioned the cars would have been direct from Porsche and converted from that point in the UK.
I understand they were pretty well done but I think wonkipop would know better as he has checked them out .
To me they are real special due to numbers converted and a real part of 914 history.

thanks @porschetub
given you are a kiwi you have perspective on this and understand the post british empire period of our poor old antipodean countries and the legacy of right hand drive bureaucracy.

f'n oath the crayfords were legit.
part of their ambitious (but overoptimistic?) business plans back then was to service the colonies trapped in right hand drive dogma. but it never took off.
it was the only way you were going to get a 914 into australia back in the 70s when the car was new. the distributor abandoned his plans by 1972 and he was definitely contemplating either a small production order of factory converted 914s or looking into "doing a crayfords" himself. he did at least one in his own workshops. i know one of the guys who did that one. he still alive. but mr. hamilton was only interested in doing it with the 6.
when porsche killed off the 6 that was the end of that idea.
sure the factory didn't offer the warranty for crayfords but a select group of uk dealers were supplying the cars brand new to order from a customer and offering the conversion. the dealer was backing it. and if porsche thought it was out of bounds they would have closed the door hard on it. they didn't. if anything it must have been an embarrassment for porsche not to be able to offer a rhd 914 to an original and valued distributor like hamilton. (thanks VW because 100 to 1 thats who kyboshed a rhd 914 - peanut numbers for VW the corporate giant).

as i understand it the aus porsche distributor happily serviced the few cars that were here. i've got a copy of the letter dated 1979 that proves it.

the white crayfords car that was featured in the magazine article and still exists was owned for almost a decade by the VW dealer in orange nsw. i believe he purchased it off the private importer who had returned to australia with it. that particular car has become an urban legend. it still exists and is stashed away in sydney somewhere.

and george may be eating his words when it comes to there never was a right hand drive 914 from the factory. have to see if the museum curator can dig up the story from half a century ago. alan hamilton had all sorts of stuff stashed from his time and his father's time as the australian distributor. he cut a deal with export of porsches before even max hoffman i believe. the first two right hand drive 356s ever made came here to australia. special order for hamiltons to start the whole enterprise.

i understand there are a couple of 914/6 stashed away in NZ @porschetub that have been there a long time too. kiwis. total petrol heads. have my respect. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)

my old mate brian who had the green crayfords car and the maybe one and only "factory" rhd 914/6 before he sadly passed away (a little too young too when he went) had photos of the crayfords car that ended up in macau (hongkong). the photos dated from the early 80s.
that one was a wreck even by that time. the customers were out there in the colonies, just wasn't enough of them. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

hell i even remember going down to hamiltons to see if i could get carpet stock to make right hand drive carpets for my car. a phone call was made and i believe hamilton directed his spare parts man to see if they could find me raw carpet stock from the factory warehouse in germany. i got the last 7m of the roll left. hamilton himself was quite interested in the 914 as a car and had a bit of a soft spot for them. why he stashed away one of the demonstrators for 20 years? --- and when he let it go it was only to the right person.


and you are right @porschetub - the crayfords conversion is really well done. top shelf. the way they screwed around with the pedal cluster, most people would not understand it. i did. copied it exactly (or as close as our insecting engineer would allow). boy does it make a difference. you can't just plonk 911 right hand drive pedal cluster in. its not quite right if you do.

i'm promised a look at the red 6 again when i can hook up. what i want to do is take a real close look at the pedal cluster in that one. its been almost 20 years since i have seen that car last.

[porschetub]

NO right hand drive 914 is genuine!

Relax George no one said these were genuine but just replys here on if the car is legit as a Crayford conversion which I strongly don't think it is as mentioned the cars would have been direct from Porsche and converted from that point in the UK.
I understand they were pretty well done but I think wonkipop would know better as he has checked them out .
To me they are real special due to numbers converted and a real part of 914 history.

thanks @porschetub
given you are a kiwi you have perspective on this and understand the post british empire period of our poor old antipodean countries and the legacy of right hand drive bureaucracy.

f'n oath the crayfords were legit.
part of their ambitious (but overoptimistic?) business plans back then was to service the colonies trapped in right hand drive dogma. but it never took off.
it was the only way you were going to get a 914 into australia back in the 70s when the car was new. the distributor abandoned his plans by 1972 and he was definitely contemplating either a small production order of factory converted 914s or looking into "doing a crayfords" himself. he did at least one in his own workshops. i know one of the guys who did that one. he still alive. but mr. hamilton was only interested in doing it with the 6.
when porsche killed off the 6 that was the end of that idea.
sure the factory didn't offer the warranty for crayfords but a select group of uk dealers were supplying the cars brand new to order from a customer and offering the conversion. the dealer was backing it. and if porsche thought it was out of bounds they would have closed the door hard on it. they didn't. if anything it must have been an embarrassment for porsche not to be able to offer a rhd 914 to an original and valued distributor like hamilton. (thanks VW because 100 to 1 thats who kyboshed a rhd 914 - peanut numbers for VW the corporate giant).

as i understand it the aus porsche distributor happily serviced the few cars that were here. i've got a copy of the letter dated 1979 that proves it.

the white crayfords car that was featured in the magazine article and still exists was owned for almost a decade by the VW dealer in orange nsw. i believe he purchased it off the private importer who had returned to australia with it. that particular car has become an urban legend. it still exists and is stashed away in sydney somewhere.

and george may be eating his words when it comes to there never was a right hand drive 914 from the factory. have to see if the museum curator can dig up the story from half a century ago. alan hamilton had all sorts of stuff stashed from his time and his father's time as the australian distributor. he cut a deal with export of porsches before even max hoffman i believe. the first two right hand drive 356s ever made came here to australia. special order for hamiltons to start the whole enterprise.

i understand there are a couple of 914/6 stashed away in NZ @porschetub that have been there a long time too. kiwis. total petrol heads. have my respect. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)

my old mate brian who had the green crayfords car and the maybe one and only "factory" rhd 914/6 before he sadly passed away (a little too young too when he went) had photos of the crayfords car that ended up in macau (hongkong). the photos dated from the early 80s.
that one was a wreck even by that time. the customers were out there in the colonies, just wasn't enough of them. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

hell i even remember going down to hamiltons to see if i could get carpet stock to make right hand drive carpets for my car. a phone call was made and i believe hamilton directed his spare parts man to see if they could find me raw carpet stock from the factory warehouse in germany. i got the last 7m of the roll left. hamilton himself was quite interested in the 914 as a car and had a bit of a soft spot for them. why he stashed away one of the demonstrators for 20 years? --- and when he let it go it was only to the right person.


and you are right @porschetub - the crayfords conversion is really well done. top shelf. the way they screwed around with the pedal cluster, most people would not understand it. i did. copied it exactly (or as close as our insecting engineer would allow). boy does it make a difference. you can't just plonk 911 right hand drive pedal cluster in. its not quite right if you do.

i'm promised a look at the red 6 again when i can hook up. what i want to do is take a real close look at the pedal cluster in that one. its been almost 20 years since i have seen that car last.

Interesting info thanks,remember when I lived Perth in the 80's ,I used to go to Waneroo Part raceway a lot,best meeting was for classics and Hamiton crew turned up with the biggest transporter anyone had ever seen ,bloody huge,inside was 2 Porsche 935's ,spare engines,gearboxs etc .
Impressive cars on the track,the crowd went nuts when they came down the hill on to the main straight,seem to remember that was the only part of the track they could crank up the boost.
Pretty sure there was a guy from Ireland on here that had a RHD car he was convertioning to a "six",it was very rusty but don't know if it was a Crayford conversion as it was a while back and he hasn't posted since.
Didn't know there 2 914/6's in NZ,I do know of one that the owner has had for many years,member on here username neven owns it ,the guy I bought my car off had this car in storage for the owner and various parts were copied and exact dimensions taken during that time.
cheers.

[r_towle]

So cool these exist.
In a rhd car, is first and reverse nearest the driver? On any car?
The dash is simple enough
Steering and brakes requires some engineering.

Really great to know these cars are still out there.

[wonkipop]

So cool these exist.
In a rhd car, is first and reverse nearest the driver? On any car?
The dash is simple enough
Steering and brakes requires some engineering.

Really great to know these cars are still out there.

gear lever and gate stays the same.
even on "official" right hand drive production versions of left hand drive designed european cars. that all stays as it is left hand drive
in a 914 you don't touch the gear lever, linkage or anything on that to do the conversion.

we are used to this in right hand drive countries.
its often funny when it comes to the levers on steering columns.
j cars and aus manufactured cars (when we had manufacturing) had the indicator lever on the right hand side of steering column but most euro cars had it on left. they just put the whole steering wheel assembly across on right hand side. so it used to be funny jumping from one car to another if you borrowed a friends car. first intersection you got to you would set the windscreen wipers off. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

a right hand drive car is not a mirror conversion. its a transposition.
pedals, instrument cluster, steering wheel is simply moved across but not mirrored.
the main dash mouldings and assembly is a mirror. gear lever stays same.

you get some funny things in cars as a result.
my renault clio rs has the front bonnet release still over on passenger side. (left).
the brake master cylinder is buried down behind the engine and is virtually inaccessible, its real fun changing the brake fluid. the clutch cable gets scorched by the headers.
fortunately the throttle is electronic or it would be a contorted cable linkage.
and thats a factory car. thats the right hand drive models.
they basically design most cars left hand drive these days and do a compromised right hand drive version. only the japanese do a right hand drive from scratch. if anything their left hand drive versions might have the compromises. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[wonkipop]

NO right hand drive 914 is genuine!

Relax George no one said these were genuine but just replys here on if the car is legit as a Crayford conversion which I strongly don't think it is as mentioned the cars would have been direct from Porsche and converted from that point in the UK.
I understand they were pretty well done but I think wonkipop would know better as he has checked them out .
To me they are real special due to numbers converted and a real part of 914 history.

thanks @porschetub
given you are a kiwi you have perspective on this and understand the post british empire period of our poor old antipodean countries and the legacy of right hand drive bureaucracy.

f'n oath the crayfords were legit.
part of their ambitious (but overoptimistic?) business plans back then was to service the colonies trapped in right hand drive dogma. but it never took off.
it was the only way you were going to get a 914 into australia back in the 70s when the car was new. the distributor abandoned his plans by 1972 and he was definitely contemplating either a small production order of factory converted 914s or looking into "doing a crayfords" himself. he did at least one in his own workshops. i know one of the guys who did that one. he still alive. but mr. hamilton was only interested in doing it with the 6.
when porsche killed off the 6 that was the end of that idea.
sure the factory didn't offer the warranty for crayfords but a select group of uk dealers were supplying the cars brand new to order from a customer and offering the conversion. the dealer was backing it. and if porsche thought it was out of bounds they would have closed the door hard on it. they didn't. if anything it must have been an embarrassment for porsche not to be able to offer a rhd 914 to an original and valued distributor like hamilton. (thanks VW because 100 to 1 thats who kyboshed a rhd 914 - peanut numbers for VW the corporate giant).

as i understand it the aus porsche distributor happily serviced the few cars that were here. i've got a copy of the letter dated 1979 that proves it.

the white crayfords car that was featured in the magazine article and still exists was owned for almost a decade by the VW dealer in orange nsw. i believe he purchased it off the private importer who had returned to australia with it. that particular car has become an urban legend. it still exists and is stashed away in sydney somewhere.

and george may be eating his words when it comes to there never was a right hand drive 914 from the factory. have to see if the museum curator can dig up the story from half a century ago. alan hamilton had all sorts of stuff stashed from his time and his father's time as the australian distributor. he cut a deal with export of porsches before even max hoffman i believe. the first two right hand drive 356s ever made came here to australia. special order for hamiltons to start the whole enterprise.

i understand there are a couple of 914/6 stashed away in NZ @porschetub that have been there a long time too. kiwis. total petrol heads. have my respect. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)

my old mate brian who had the green crayfords car and the maybe one and only "factory" rhd 914/6 before he sadly passed away (a little too young too when he went) had photos of the crayfords car that ended up in macau (hongkong). the photos dated from the early 80s.
that one was a wreck even by that time. the customers were out there in the colonies, just wasn't enough of them. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

hell i even remember going down to hamiltons to see if i could get carpet stock to make right hand drive carpets for my car. a phone call was made and i believe hamilton directed his spare parts man to see if they could find me raw carpet stock from the factory warehouse in germany. i got the last 7m of the roll left. hamilton himself was quite interested in the 914 as a car and had a bit of a soft spot for them. why he stashed away one of the demonstrators for 20 years? --- and when he let it go it was only to the right person.


and you are right @porschetub - the crayfords conversion is really well done. top shelf. the way they screwed around with the pedal cluster, most people would not understand it. i did. copied it exactly (or as close as our insecting engineer would allow). boy does it make a difference. you can't just plonk 911 right hand drive pedal cluster in. its not quite right if you do.

i'm promised a look at the red 6 again when i can hook up. what i want to do is take a real close look at the pedal cluster in that one. its been almost 20 years since i have seen that car last.

Interesting info thanks,remember when I lived Perth in the 80's ,I used to go to Waneroo Part raceway a lot,best meeting was for classics and Hamiton crew turned up with the biggest transporter anyone had ever seen ,bloody huge,inside was 2 Porsche 935's ,spare engines,gearboxs etc .
Impressive cars on the track,the crowd went nuts when they came down the hill on to the main straight,seem to remember that was the only part of the track they could crank up the boost.
Pretty sure there was a guy from Ireland on here that had a RHD car he was convertioning to a "six",it was very rusty but don't know if it was a Crayford conversion as it was a while back and he hasn't posted since.
Didn't know there 2 914/6's in NZ,I do know of one that the owner has had for many years,member on here username neven owns it ,the guy I bought my car off had this car in storage for the owner and various parts were copied and exact dimensions taken during that time.
cheers.

yes there is no way you could consider those two initial 6s in australia as non legit.
george is way off track with his assertion.

both cars come in via the distributor with full support of factory as assessment cars.

its taken a bit of detective work (and a member here from australia has fully researched one of those cars which is now in sydney - for a long long time that car had disappeared and no one had taken a close look at it). the other car is still here in melbourne.
it was always thought, or it had come to be thought they were both converted here and both the same way. the story is very different. the two conversions are completely different. and it seems very very very likely that one was certainly converted before it arrived in australia. leaves only japan enroute. and thats unlikely. it would appear that car was done at the factory and sent to australia via japan to serve as an assessment and demonstrator car. the other one did come here left hand drive, remained that way for a period of time (year to a couple of years) and then was converted in the distributor workshop. during that time the cars were in the ownership of the distributor and were not owned by members of the public. the whole project was legit, it was not some backyard exercise or hack job as i have heard converted cars described (an ungenerous and inaccurate summation in my view).

as far as i am concerned both of those sixes are legit sixes which have unique and historically significant histories. comparable to significant race cars for instance.

and little needs to be said in defence of the two crayfords cars in australia, or any crayfords cars for that matter. these were cars that were sold brand spanking new from the UK dealers in an arrangment to facilitate strictly right hand drive countries with no provision for allowing a left hand drive car to be road registered.

the subsequent private import and conversion activity in australia is entirely unrelated.
it occurs at least 10 years after the last 914 was manufactured when the cars were second hand. and it occurs because economically viable examples could be purchased on the west coast of the USA and shipped to australia as viable purchases for owners who always wanted 914s. the generation of guys who did that are almost entirely dead these days. i was unique. one of the youngest guys in that circle. i was about 30 years old.
all the other guys i knew as a result of the 914 who did the conversion thing in the 90s were either retired or about to retire. i don't think any of them are alive anymore.
or if they are they are very old. those cars are now out there and being sold and owned by a new generation. anyway its entirely separate from the crayfords project and crayfords era.

[wonkipop]

@porschetub

i think rusty french ended up owning one of those hamilton 935s.
my old mechanic figgurat who has retired to NZ (and taken his 911 with him) used to work on that 935 when rusty was racing it in the historics about 20 years ago.
figgurat also worked on my humble L jet. a great guy who never looked down his nose at my 914. figgurat worked for kremer when he was very young and worked on their 914/6 racer as the mechanic in germany.
anyway we could always get into the rusty french garage down at phillip island thanks to figgurat. a lot of fun being in there while he warmed up the 935 engine.
that thing was terrifyingly fast.