This is a very important bit of history in the development of Hot Rods in South Africa and the main player here is Derek Smith from the Bedfordview area.
Derek Smith had another angle on the Hot Rod dream and after tracking him down to his home in Sunningdale, he sent me this interesting story of the beautiful “STILETTO” Hot Rod sports car that he built. When I read his story, I can still hear the sound of his V8 roarin’ up van Buuren Avenue TBV. Thanks Derek.
Hi Dave
You asked me for a story on the Stiletto and I have put together information regarding the car and other details as to how it originated. At an early age while still at Primary School, I was interested in anything that had wheels. I built a soap box car, tandem bicycle and made a side car bike.
Around 1948 at High School, I tried to persuade my Dad to buy a MG TC which was the sports car of that era, as a family car and he wisely told me it would not be at all practical. I then saved all my pocket money and bought an old wooden framed Austin 7 body for a few pounds. This I rebuilt to look like an MG TC, with steel body work and hydraulic brakes converted from the original cable brakes. Before I turned 21, I thought I needed a Ferrari and hoped my parents would oblige as a coming of age present but all I got was a jersey and an electric drill. Armed with the drill I decided to build my own Ferrari. I roped in my good friend, Colin Brocklebank, who had helped with the Austin and started planning our next project. Getting inspiration and ideas from the then current Ferrari cars and because of the Italian influence, decided to call it the Stiletto.
First step was building a tubular space frame with wishbone front suspension and leaf spring rear. A small block 4.3 litre Chevy V8 sub assembly was purchased and all the necessary Corvette parts, camshaft, pistons, manifold, two four barrel carbs, together with 3 speed close ratio. Corvette gear box were imported from the USA. Next, the time and labour consuming task of making a fiberglass body begins. A plug made from timber formers covered with mesh and plaster, a fiberglass mould and then the final body was completed after nearly 2 years hard work.
After the body and chassis were combined and the motor installed, a test run with a friend resulted in destroying a lamp post, the front left hand side of the car and 13 criminal charges against me. On the morning of the court appearance, I cornered the relevant prosecutor and told him the sad story, 3 years work and my life savings destroyed by one lamp post. I got off with 12 charges dropped and a small fine.
Derek made a MG out of an Austin. He had no money and had to make do and let his imagination take over. A step in the direction of building the STILETTO.
The great STILETTO at Rhodes park, for those of you who remember going for a romantic stroll during the time of Hot Rods and Rock n Roll.
When the car was repaired; a roadworthy certificate and license was obtained in 1959. The Star then published a half page write up on the Stiletto. Before I got home from work that afternoon, the Customs and Excise Department had visited my home, impounded the car and taken the keys. It took 3 months, a lot of arguing and a payment based on the car’s weight, to get my keys returned because they maintained excise duty was due to them as this was a new car.
As disc brakes were only just appearing on the latest cars when the Stiletto was built, it only had rather ineffective drum brakes and could in effect, accelerate faster than it could stop.
Colin Brockelbank’s ‘39 Chev with 283, V8 engine.
It was therefore never used for circuit racing and only partook in hill climbs and standing quarter mile sprints. I held the quarter mile record for a few years and had several 2nd place finishes at the Krugersdorp hill climb, being beaten only by a single seater race car. After building the Stiletto, we decided Colin’s father’s 1939 Chevy needed some attention. We fitted a Chevy V8 motor and Jaguar rear end. Great fun was had upsetting the Triumph TR3 and Austin Healey owners by out accelerating them at traffic lights. Colin only recently sold the Chevy.
During 1981 on a trip to America, I bought a replica kit based on the 1928 SSK Mercedes, modified it to take a Chevy V8 motor and BMW 5 rear end and then decided I had had my fair share of building or modifying cars. Finally during 1983, I bought a 380 GTSi Ferrari and realized my 21st birthday wish.
(This article has been researched and compiled by Dave Herbst)
