Goodall Special Sports

The British have a tradition of lesser visionaries who put immense time and resources into projects that are just plain silly

by Thor Thorson

According to information supplied by the vendor, this intriguing two-seater special is believed to have been constructed in 1926 by one Cleland C. Castleman. Built around an inverted ladder frame (hence the ground-hugging stance), it’s equipped with a beam front axle, “live” rear end, leaf springs, and Andre-Hartford-style friction dampers. Clothed in a mixture of aluminum and steel, it rides on 19-inch wire wheels and features unusually large finned rear brake drums (those at the front appearing somewhat smaller). Reputedly first registered in Surrey around 1930–32, an accompanying modern V5C document suggests a 1,479-cc displacement for its OHV straight six. This is mated to a manual gearbox, and it’s a conventional-looking powerplant with water pump, dynamo, tubular exhaust manifold and twin SU carburetors. Although it was supposedly converted to road use in late 1945, the car has not run for several decades. Full of ingenious touches such as the...