I took delivery of the rolling chassis and body in November 2000 and as I drove home with it all loaded on the back of the truck I had to keep looking in the mirror to make sure the dream was now a reality. I was sold on a GD for two main reasons - the engineering of the chassis and the quality of the gel coat. What also played a big part was the attitude of the whole team at GD - one expects Andy, as boss, to be polite when he is taking your money but it really goes much much further than that with GD. They really DO care and not just while they are taking orders - everyone at the factory seem naturally pleased to help and answer queries. This attitude has remained throughout my build.

So, armed with two very large pieces of car and a depleted bank account, I set about the build. My wife now considers me to be a real sad case as I spent hours thinking about the types of nuts and bolts I needed, days considering the routing of pipes and cables and months and months rolling about the garage floor in my bright new overalls wielding huge bits of exhaust pipe. I became firm friends with the suppliers of clips, pipes, grommets - indeed they now invite me to their staff Christmas parties! I also have nearly every special tool or device known to man - all bought under the guise of "I really need to have that tool - although I'll only use it once, it has to be done right!!" I fully able to fit widgets, threads, jack nuts to any poor component silly enough to remain stationary for a mere second......why? because I now have the special tool!

The build progressed at a comfortable pace - I quickly moved away from a specific deadline and focused on doing it properly. My budget also went straight out of the window when I started to yearn for silicone hoses, braided fuel lines and stainless fittings. That said, I bought most of the essential components from GD and that part of the budget was spot on. If only I could have left the 'goodies' catalogues alone!

I found that GD were happy to answer any of my dumb questions very quickly - I tend to deal with them through Email and always get a response by return. Latterly and as the SVA has approached, I seem to call them hourly for advice and reassurance - it's a bit like the waiting period just before the birth of the first child......

I have not stuck to the typical GD build - I knew, specifically, the 'look' I wanted with my car and have been really delighted with the way GD are able to take very sketchy ideas delivered in a garbled fashion and produce exactly what was in my mind. Their prices for this 'bespoke' work is extremely reasonable and the standard of work is as you become accustomed to with GD - first class. I asked Andy to make me some brackets to fit the fog/reverse lights to the car to avoid drilling holes in the upper bodywork - the end result was superbly thought out and made to a very high standard - all at a reasonable cost. It is obvious from my dealings with the GD team that, whilst they are in business to make money, the main focus with them is on customer satisfaction.

I am just in the last phases of my build and, whilst I have had moments of swearing and cursing (apparently it goes with building any car from components), I have got great satisfaction from the end result. I can vividly recall the high spots - delivery of the basic kit, fitting the engine and gearbox, completion of the rolling chassis ready for the body, when the battery is connected and all the lights work, starting the engine and the first time it rolls out of the garage - magic moments that will stay
with me for ever. The highlight, however has to be driving the car for the first time. I imagined the car would feel primitive and notchy with a number of teething issues. Not so, the car drove really well and, excluding some minor adjustments, runs perfectly. It should be tested this month and I hope to get it registered early May in time for Stoneleigh.

All in all I would thoroughly recommend a GD427 if you want a good quality sportscar that also has wonderful classic lines. I would also recommend GD as a company to buy your dream from because of the engineering quality but, more importantly for me, the quality of their care during my build. Nothing was ever too much trouble and I was never made to feel as if I was asking daft questions - although I know that at times most of them were!

If you are thinking of buying - go on and just do it - life's too short and the Gardner Douglas product is too good to leave it any longer. I took the plunge and have no regrets - just a sexy car in the garage!"