I then ended up reading through an old Radio Race Car Series magazine article which I actually featured in, and at that meeting the TOP Models team were running their newly imported car; the Pro Radiant. TOP Models was one of the largest UK RC based models shops in the UK at that time, and the period adverts in the subsequent Radio Race Car editions all touted the shop as the main AYK Pro Radiant distributor for the UK. A plan was developing in my head....
I set about trying to locate and contact the team manager and shop owner from that time.... a guy called Dave Vine, and with a bit of online poking about I eventually came up with an email addy, dropped him a line asking if he still had any of his old spares, and waited..... He eventually replied and we exchanged a few emails before he told me he still had a box of Race Prep Pro Radiant spares stashed away in his lock-up, and that I was free to buy it all if I wanted. He couldn't really remember what was in there but I was just pleased to have discovered something. Over the next 3-6months I sent the odd email prompting him, but he always replied to say he had been too busy and eventually I started to give up hope.
About another 12months went by and then I unfortunately heard that Dave has very sadly passed away. I have friends who were very close with him and it was certainly a loss for the RC community as a whole.
Fast forward until about 3 weeks ago and I get a random Fb message from a fellow racer stating that Dave's widow had contacted him to help clear out his old lock-up, and my name popped up in conversation in relation to the AYK stash. His wishes were followed through and I was offered the lot.
I collected it at the weekend, and MY LORD was I surprised when I got my hands on it all. Knowing how rare any Pro Radiant parts are in any condition, to see this many new in bag items all in one pile was just something else. There are multiples of everything, optional saddle pack chassis, steering set-ups, diffs and diff hardware, tie-rods and ball joint sets, shocks, slipper clutches, spur gear adapters and even the hens teeth gold rear bumpers and front one-ways. More spares than I will ever need, and will keep me on the track for a long, long time.
I have posted these pictures up on a few Fb pages over the past couple of days, but here they are again.
That really is a motherload. Nice! I had a Pro Radiant bitd. I sold it and have regretted that decision for a while now. Your posts do not help! 
