Duchess

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#237682
Paul Mossberg
Keymaster

@pmossberg

Andre,

Sorry to disagree with my on-line friends out there, but there is no difference in the kit itself. Classic Roadsters’ MG kit was properly called the “Grand Duchess”. I’ll show you the front page of my assembly manual if you want. 🙂

It’s simply easier to refer to the car as the Duchess. And that’s what we wll do.

Royale might have been a packge of options that were otherwise available separately. My memory is foggy on that one.

I’m not sure about Andre’s comment on “hidden” luggage space. All Duchess had space behind the seat. It’s not covered. And the standard roof cover covered only the folded roof. it did not cover the behind the seat storage. Class Roadsters did sell an optional tonneau cover for the entire passenger compartment.

Beyond front vs. rear engine, the only difference you will see are options.

Not sure about the front engine Duchess, but all of the VW based Duchess are a bit off on the rear wheels.

When I built mine in 1982…I thought I had messed up. Over the years, as I have seen others, I realized I had done fine.

I did trim back the front edges of the rear wheel wells. The cut as it came from the factory had to much flat area. Cutting it back made the off-center wheel look less off center. And it also corrected the profile of the rear fenders to more closely match an original TD.

Except for that, the Duchess is a great kit. Good quality fiberglass. It uses reproduction MG parts for the grill, door handles, etc. Some other kits did too, but not all of them. It’s also very close to the original in terms of overall dimensions.

I’ve got 26 years and counting on my Duchess.

PMOSSBERG39751.8158564815

Paul Mossberg
Former Owner of a 1981 Classic Roadsters Ltd. Duchess (VW)
2005 Intermeccanica Roadster

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