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Hi,
My names Charlie, I'm 19 and a proud owner of a Berlinetta!
The first time I came across the brand Marlin was the day I first saw my Marlin (21st November 2017). My Dad and I had gone to collect his car from a garage and as we were walking in we saw it.. literally rotting away in the corner of a yard full of scrap. I had no idea what it was, but I liked it. The owner of the garage said that it belonged to a friend of his who had moved away, he had been meaning to put it on the market for him but never got around to it. Apparently the guy bought it off a gentleman who was suffering with terminal cancer and had made the decision to sell on his pride and joy. It was then driven for a summer or two and then left until I found it. I have no idea how accurate anything I've been told about the car is. The car had a current MOT and started right up, the interior was damp and wet as the soft top had not been secured properly. It really was a sad sight seeing such a beautiful car left to be forgotten. I asked how much he wanted for it (expecting him to say around 5K as I had quickly looked up Marlin and the only Berlinetta on the market at the time as about 9K). To my surprise he said that he would take £1,000 if we made a cash deal. So I agreed and a week later he drove it 40 miles to my house! The car is fitted with a Pinto engine, its registered as a 2.0 but someone told me that it was actually a 1.6. The car was left in my garage for a couple of months and driven around the garden often. Then it started overheating and needed a new head gasket. So I ended up rebuilding the top end. She now runs like a dream. Engine wise she is lovely, the wiring is my next task. Its like a nest under the dash so I haven't taken her out yet - a full rewire is booked in for next week. Once that is done she will be mechanically perfect. Aesthetically she is a bit rough but for the time being I don't mind - all I want is to have an amazing summer with the car and really drive it and get to know it. Since getting the car I was also fortunate to find a hard top on eBay.
So thats my Marlin story so far. I will attach some photos of her below. If anyone knows anything about her specifically and can tell me more about the Berlinetta then I would love to know. I also bumped into a marlin owner the other day and he was telling me that he had just successfully got his car off Q plates and onto a 'proper' plate - could anyone advise me on how to do this and whether its worth it? As I have no contact with him.
Apologies for my current lack of knowledge on all this - I am very eager to learn though.
Many thanks!
P.s I am also on the hunt for a roadster project - there was one on eBay about a month ago that went for about 600 quid. It was triumph based. Theres not a day that goes by that I don't regret not bidding on it!
My names Charlie, I'm 19 and a proud owner of a Berlinetta!
The first time I came across the brand Marlin was the day I first saw my Marlin (21st November 2017). My Dad and I had gone to collect his car from a garage and as we were walking in we saw it.. literally rotting away in the corner of a yard full of scrap. I had no idea what it was, but I liked it. The owner of the garage said that it belonged to a friend of his who had moved away, he had been meaning to put it on the market for him but never got around to it. Apparently the guy bought it off a gentleman who was suffering with terminal cancer and had made the decision to sell on his pride and joy. It was then driven for a summer or two and then left until I found it. I have no idea how accurate anything I've been told about the car is. The car had a current MOT and started right up, the interior was damp and wet as the soft top had not been secured properly. It really was a sad sight seeing such a beautiful car left to be forgotten. I asked how much he wanted for it (expecting him to say around 5K as I had quickly looked up Marlin and the only Berlinetta on the market at the time as about 9K). To my surprise he said that he would take £1,000 if we made a cash deal. So I agreed and a week later he drove it 40 miles to my house! The car is fitted with a Pinto engine, its registered as a 2.0 but someone told me that it was actually a 1.6. The car was left in my garage for a couple of months and driven around the garden often. Then it started overheating and needed a new head gasket. So I ended up rebuilding the top end. She now runs like a dream. Engine wise she is lovely, the wiring is my next task. Its like a nest under the dash so I haven't taken her out yet - a full rewire is booked in for next week. Once that is done she will be mechanically perfect. Aesthetically she is a bit rough but for the time being I don't mind - all I want is to have an amazing summer with the car and really drive it and get to know it. Since getting the car I was also fortunate to find a hard top on eBay.
So thats my Marlin story so far. I will attach some photos of her below. If anyone knows anything about her specifically and can tell me more about the Berlinetta then I would love to know. I also bumped into a marlin owner the other day and he was telling me that he had just successfully got his car off Q plates and onto a 'proper' plate - could anyone advise me on how to do this and whether its worth it? As I have no contact with him.
Apologies for my current lack of knowledge on all this - I am very eager to learn though.
Many thanks!
P.s I am also on the hunt for a roadster project - there was one on eBay about a month ago that went for about 600 quid. It was triumph based. Theres not a day that goes by that I don't regret not bidding on it!
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