Undiscovered for 54 years this Yimkin MK3 Chassis 'No.7' was reported to have hung from the rafters at the Yimkin garage in Cadogan Lane, London SW1. It then emerged from a barn in Sussex in 2015. The following images show a side by side comparison of a Yimkin MK3 chassis featured in a period edition of the book 'Special Builder' and the recently discovered chassis.
During Don Sim's tenure at Yimkin, 6 MK3 chassis are reported to have been constructed with a 7th prototype being developed by Yimkin after his departure. The comparison made here shows chassis No. 7 to be a direct match to a MK3 Yimkin in the front two bulkheads, the floorpan and across the back axle line with severel tubes also chopped and relocated to create a new wider cockpit.
Detailed inspection of this chassis and confirmation that a 7th chassis was developed by Yimkin at Cadogan Lane suggests that this is a prototype or perhaps even a basic mock up for a new car.
Most likley provenance:
Yimkin MK3 chassis No. 7
Developed in 1961 by Yimkin after Don Sim's departure
Modified to create a two seater design with enclosed rear wheels
Built on a complete MK3 Yimking chassis that was later chopped and modified
The photo above was taken to enable a side by side comparison of the two chassis. Plate 5 has been scanned from the pages of 'Special Builder' and is slightly distorted but when both chassis are overlayed there is a direct match for all the tubes featured below in red.
When all the original tubes from the MK3 chassis have been highlighted and overlayed in their original position a considerable amount of the original chassis layout can still be seen to exist. Not forgetting that the modified chassis was still produced by Yimkin!