Last year OB Joel McNally (07-18) and his father Nigel travelled to Amsterdam to purchase a 1935 Riley Kestrel 9 that had been discovered rotting in a barn in Holland where it had languished since 1965. Now the story of its “blood, sweat and beers” transformation from rusted heap to cutting edge racer is to be the star of a brand-new Amazon Prime TV series scheduled to launch in September.
The car was handed to head engineer at Webster Engineering at Santa Pod raceway to transform the vehicle into a multiple UK speed record holder (9 in total) with a Turbo charged 2.5 litre Audi RS3 engine, with 900 bph and capable of speeds above 200 mph. Whilst this car will be capable of reaching extreme speeds, the originality and craftsmanship of the vehicle are being held true – using as many original parts as possible. The record attempts will be taking place over the next few months.
The car was unveiled for it’s first test run on 30th July by Rachel Riley (Countdown) at Santa Pod Raceway. See link to video below.
Find out more about the car’s journey at www.theflyingkestrel.com