Ireland is a country known for many things, but automobile manufacturing is not one of those. Back in the late 1950’s, Shamrock Motors, LTD had lofty aspirations to change that.
American businessman James Conway joined forces with William Curtis of Castlebury, Co. Monahen to form Shamrock Motors, LTD. With their office in England, the pair’s goal was to produce a large luxury car aimed for the export market, with the United States as the primary target. They assigned Alvin “Spike” Rhino, a Canadian who formerly raced in the 500cc Formula 3 series, to design the car.
Production goals were, to say the least, ambitious. Conway and Curtis set sights on manufacturing 3,000 units in their first year, which would be for the 1960 model year. Their car was designed with a 98-inch wheelbase X-frame chassis sporting fiberglass body panels. Power was sourced from a 1500cc four-cylinder Austin A55 and corresponding four-speed transmission. The design featured coil springs on all four corners and independent front suspension. Production was commenced at a factory in Castlebury.
Problems arose almost immediately. The 1.5L Austin powerplant displaced just over 50 horsepower, making the car seriously underpowered compared to the vehicles it sought to compete with in the luxury market. The fiberglass body panels at the rear of the car shrouded the rear tires, making it impossible to remove a wheel without dropping the rear end. Financial issues also quickly came about, resulting on the production of eight finished vehicles when production halted after only six months. According to a magazine article published about these cars in 2013, all the remaining parts for the cars were dumped into an area lake.
That article also stated that it is believed five of the original eight cars survive, two in Ireland and three in the United States. All of the cars left the factory painted white with green interiors and green convertible tops. One of the United States cars has been repainted in a light green color and one of the cars in Ireland reportedly has a removeable fiberglass hardtop believed to have been a factory prototype.
This 1960 Shamrock bears serial number SH121 and is a very well documented car. One of the three known to remain in the United States (the other two are in California, according to the 2013 article) this car at one time was a part of the famed Harrah’s Collection in Reno, NV. The car was owned by a private collector in the Kansas City area for about a decade and was acquired in 2004 by Seattle, WA car collector Dan Holms. The Shamrock spent about a decade in Mr. Holms’ care at which time he entrusted the sale of the car to Memory Lane Motors in Reston, WA. That dealership negotiated the sale of SH121 to the present owner in June 2014 and the car has been housed in a humidity-controlled environment since that time. Under his ownership the vehicle has been driven sparingly and shown occasionally at local and regional events.
The car appears to be exceptionally correct, and we believe the odometer reading of slightly over 10,000 miles to be correct but in accordance with Missouri statutes regarding the sale of motor vehicles by licensed dealers the car will be sold “mileage exempt” due to age. The white paint on the vehicle still presents well and the limited brightwork on the vehicle is in excellent condition. Both the car’s interior and convertible top appear to be in very good condition.
Evergreen Digital Showroom offers this exceptionally rare 1960 Shamroc
NOTICE
Because of the number of vehicles we represent we cannot drive every vehicle for long distances. These vehicles have been part of static displays for long periods of time, in some cases for decades, and are subject to the flaws and imperfections consistent with that. While we do our best to disclose all issues we known about a vehicle in our advertising, these are old cars and something that has always worked in the past might not function properly today. Please check the requirements of your state regarding the licensing and registration of classic vehicles and make sure the vehicle you are looking at meets those if applicable. Unless otherwise noted, all vehicles represented by Evergreen Digital Showroom possess a clean (non-branded) title which will be provided the new buyer when purchase funds clear our financial institution. Virtually all our vehicles are sold as mileage exempt due to their age. We do not warranty any vehicle, nor any part of the vehicle including air conditioning systems, brake systems, electrical systems and gauges, fuel systems, accessories or powertrain components.
These are old vehicles and it is very common for them to require certain maintenance and upkeep for them to be operational. In many cases issues with leaks may develop when being driven after a long period of not being used. This is common, as classic cars at some point will leak fluids. For this reason, we do not encourage buyers to attempt driving their purchase home as we cannot guarantee functional reliability of these vehicles. We strongly encourage prospective buyers to be sure they are comfortable with these issues before purchasing a classic car.
Descriptions of vehicles represented by Evergreen Digital Showroom are intended to be informational in nature and do not in any way constitute any sort of warranty, expressed or implied. Again, these vehicles are presented “as-is, where-is” without guarantee or warranty. Vehicles manufactured prior to 1981 will likely not be included in the databases of companies such as CarFax and AutoCheck that provide vehicle history information to consumers. If you have specific questions regarding a vehicle we urge you to contact us at 417-532-8000.
k for sale at a price of $69,900 USD. Pre-purchase inspection is welcomed and encouraged. We will be glad to assist with any needed transportation arrangement at buyer’s expense or will work with the shipping company of buyer’s choice. For additional information or to make an offer on this vehicle, call sales manager Steve Russell at 417-532-8000.
