Tour De France 244
 

244 advice

So, here we go. I'm new so please be kind. I'd quite like to build a Tour de France Eddy Merkcx Molteni Team Car replica. I think i have attached a pic.
The ideal car to be period correct would be a 1975 244 in Orange but the chances of finding one is slim. So, i'm on the look out for any round headlight car for around 3.5 - 4k. There's a couple for sale at the moment, a Red 1975 on Ebay and an Anniversary Ed but i'm in no great hurry so happy to wait for the right car. It will get used for shows and events and taken over to belgium and france few times hopefully. i'd be happy to hear any advice, a red car may get a respray, an anniversary would get a vinyl Wrap so it could be reversed. Is there much difference between a 1975 car and slightly later ones ? looking forward to any suggestions, considerations or ideas. Cheers.

What a lovely idea, and what a nice product at the end.

The red car on eBay looks nice, and I noticed the dealer has just dropped his price (I think it is about £4500 now, which I think is still a bit high, but he might take less if offered folding money).

Good fortune with this project, let us all know how you get on.

Alan

PS. If you bought the red car I think it would be a pity to re-spray it (it has survived in that colour for 45 years and it matches the interior) - getting the whole car wrapped would be a better idea (in my humble opinion).

Morning Steve,What a Good idea!, how about a replica team bike on the roof? Good luck with your project,more grease to your elbows. Allez allez allez!


Regards,Keith.

I do like the replica team bike (or 5) on the roof idea :-)

Thanks guys,

I already have the team Bikes, that's what started off this crazy idea. I have a feeling if I go to look at one I'll be buying it! I guess it's a case of how long do I hold out for an orange one, as far as I can tell theres only 1 or 2 in the country.

You would have to go for a pre-1978 model for complete accuracy: if you want an RHD example then it has to have the wipers sweeping towards the passenger side of the car. The round headlamps can be retro-fitted to later "big-bumper" cars but the boot style changed in 1978 to a more rounded type, with wrap-around tail light assemblies.
You might have more luck looking for a European LHD car to start with.

Vinyl wrapping would save you the hassle of re-painting the car.

Thanks all,

That's great encouragement. I have a couple of contacts for Vehicle Wrapping, so it's almost certainly the way i would go, unless there are some big bodywork repairs needed first.

I seem to have read somewhere that the 1975 car has a slightly different engine than the '76-'78 car - Pushrods, Am i right there ? & is there much noticeable difference between them in use ?

The Blue Interior of the Anniversary car looks to me that it would go well with an Orange exterior & I also like Auto boxes. I know it seems a bit wrong to wrap an anniversary car, but hey if it doesn't harm it & it's always reversible, it would certainly be a talking point.

Unless of course the owner of HMB 6459 below is lurking on here somewhere and would like to sell me their car ?

Great idea- you may struggle to find a really early 244 but good luck.

I know someone who is selling two 1979 244s, photos of one attached. The square front lights could be swapped for round ones, I don’t know how easy it would be to swap the rear lights - perhaps the rear lights shape is a minor detail?

Cheers

Unless you acquire an American-spec 1975 car you will get something with a B21 engine; the pushrod OHV B20 unit was only fitted to those cars, everyone else got the SOHC lump.

Not terribly feasible.
 

The square-to-round conversion is easy if you can find the lamp housings for the round lamps; the rear bodywork is seriously different: the early 244 used the 144 rear end with a squared off boot, as per the photo of HMB645N rather than the style common to later cars so new rear wing and sail panels woud be needed to retrofit.