Hi Colin,
Great find mate! As Ron said, they dont happen like that much anymore!
I was wondering what your plans were for this girl? (i`m not offering to buy it, dont worry!).
I think i am picking up the vibes of restoration?
While obviously its none of my business what you do with her, i just thought i would suggest something apart from restoration, and that is....... Dont restore it.
I`m not sure in carrier world how much information is known about the finer details of a vehicle- bolts, nuts, washers, placement and order of the above, shape, finish, colour, placement, orientation and configuration of original parts etc etc. All of these things, i`m guessing your carrier would have still in their original, as left the army, style, in general. As i see it, its an encyclopedia of information as it sits now. To find a jeep or blitz (or any vehicle, military or not) after such a period of time since being sold, in this condition would provide a wealth of information to other restorers and collectors and people interested in the vehicle and i cant see how this carrier is any exception.
Basically what i`m trying to say is that it is a great example of a ww2 carrier in original, excellent condition and i think it would be a shame to restore her- restoration would just make it another carrier running around the paddock (dont get me wrong, thats still great too!), but ih original condition and running around? Can you really top that?
Its the same scenario with jeeps and blitzes- to find one in a condition like your carrier is, is very difficult now. That means that they are either rust buckets, stripped bare or good parts and are shells, broken up for parts or restored. Very few are running around or held in original (unrestored), army configuration, which i would think makes the ones which are in original configuration (of any army vehicle), rarer or more interesting than the restored (no matter to what level) ones.
In my opinion, a running unrestored vehicle in excellent condition stands out much more than a restored one, no matter how rare the vehicle is.
I think (again, a personal thing) she would be best served by cleaning her up, getting the dust and much out, fixing anything broken and preserving rather than restoring for future carrier buffs to admire and learn from.
If preserved, then you would have the best of both worlds- a prototype carrier and an original condition, complete version- who could ask for more in their garage?
Anyway, i hope this has presented it in another light for you to think about of the future of this vehcile. Either way, she's a beauty!
Keep up the great work on that prototype too- i love looking and reading your posts on its progress- very inspiring work!
Cheers,
Ian.