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Buckler Cars Ltd

Company type	Private Limited Company
Industry	Automotive
Founded	1949
Founder	CDF (Derek) Buckler
Defunct	1965
Headquarters	Reading , England United Kingdom
Area served	Worldwide
Products	Automobiles, automotive parts

The Buckler Cars company founded in 1949 by C D F (Derek) Buckler was based at 67 Caversham Road, Reading, Berkshire, England, producing space frames and components for kit cars allowing people to build their own cars using these and other parts from vehicles already owned by the purchaser. The company also built a few complete cars. In total approximately 400 cars contained components from Buckler supplied between 1947 and 1962.

History

Buckler's career started in 1927 when he joined the family engineering business. He had studied law at university and he left to be articled to a firm of solicitors. In 1932 he joined another family business, Watford Dairies as transport and sales manager. In 1938 his father died and he and his brother Murray inherited Johnson Roberts Ltd engineers to the motor trade. Malcolm bought Barkus, an aircraft and vehicle engineering company based at 67 Caversham Road, Reading in 1939, renaming it Bucklers almost immediately. Murray ran Johnson Roberts in London.

In about 1943 Buckler with Mr R. Wells took over the Welco Farm Implements Ltd at Crowthorne, Berkshire. In about 1947 Welco was closed but spares were still produced until the early 1960's. The Crowthorne factory was kept by Buckler and used to build his automotive products. A commemorative plaque is located on the site of the former factory.

Buckler had an interest in motor sport and was a member of the Hants and Berks Motor club. A visit to a friend to see an unfinished single seater racing car with a chassis of two straight tubes stirred an interest and in 1947 Buckler produced a space framed special for his own use, primarily for racing, hill climbing and trialling.

Bucklers was split into 2 on paper in 1958 with Buckler Cars operating from Crowthorne and Bucklers of Reading Ltd out of the Reading premises. The Crowthorne works produced the welded components with a small machine shop but the majority of machining was done in Reading.

After great success in the early and mid-1950s, Buckler's popularity waned during the later 1950s as other manufacturers came on the scene and when the kit-car market suffered a reversal in the early 1960s. However Bucklers had considerable success entering the new Kart market in the 1960s, but ill health caused Buckler to sell Buckler Cars as a going concern in 1962 to Mike Luff and Frank Fletcher. Luff sold his share Neville Evans in 1963. Once Buckler sold the company it seemed to lose momentum and the new owners closed it down in 1965. Buckler died in 1964.

Bucklers of Reading continued until 1968 as a specialist motor engineering company advertising locally in the Reading Evening Post.

Manufacture

Cars

Having had the prototype for two years , in January 1949 Buckler Cars announced their first production model the Mark 5 with a full page advertisement on the inside cover of Motor Sport. This can was an evolution of the original special fitted with a Taylor aluminium body.

The chassis built by Buckler Cars was usually a space frame using chrome molybdenum steel which has proved very durable and corrosion resistant. It was the policy of the company that the specification of all the cars was very flexible around a central design concept, as each car, kit or chassis was built to order. The cars were of high quality and supplied either fully built to order with a works body or in component form for home completion. They were designed to accept a range of alternative mechanical components enabling buyers to create a lightweight sports car suitable for road use and in rallies, trials, speed hill climbs or racing. The first model, based on Buckler's own very successful 1947 Buckler Special, was called the Mark V. Buckler allegedly did not want people to think it was the first car.

The company produced about 12 model types over a period of almost 15 years, with the main ones being Mk5, 90 and DD2.

By 1952 6 frames based on the MK5 were available for the Ford 10 engine and a number of one-off specials for other engines.

In 1953 Buckler competed in the National Fuel Economy Contest winning with an economy of 91.023 mpg. This result was used to promote the engine components That year. In 1954 Bucklers introduced their second major car, the 90, named after its ability to reach 90 mph.

In 1956 the last of the major designs was introduced the DD2 which featured De-Dion rear suspension. This car was a development of the DD1 made and raced the previous year. The DD2 accommodated a number of engines including the Coventry Climax FWA engine.

Buckler cars can be difficult to identify as the cars can be supplied from the frame up to as complete car. In the 1956 SUNBAC Silverstone meeting Autocar reported results that included four Buckler cars. The Porteous Special driven by H Porteous, a Buckler mk5 driven by W. G. Marriott, a BS Special driven by J C Brierley and a BBS driven by H M Barron. All these cars have Buckler frames.

Motoring Accessories

Bucklers manufactured and marketed performance accessories in addition to the cars and frames. The marketed items were items that Bucklers did not make themselves although a number were designed by Buckler such as radiators, coil springs and telescopic dampers. The main items were engine components, exhaust manifolds, close ratio gears clutch components and suspension and drive components.

In addition to its own activities, Bucklers’ made gear sets for other companies including Lotus Cars.

Karts

Buckler designed and produced prototype karts soon after they appeared from America but was worried it was just a passing fad. Buckler entered the kart market in 1960 when it became apparent that karting was becoming established. The karts were named space karts. The prototype was shown at the 1960 Bath Kart Show but was not well received. By the 1961 Race Car Show held in January the press were giving good reviews. Later that year Roger Davis in a Buckler came 2nd in the World Championship Final for class IV karts. From 1962 onwards the main emphasis of the company was kart manufacture. Jack Barlow, who had led the kart development, started his own company Barlotti in Reading. They produced karts until 1990.

Special Orders

The company built a number of specially commissioned frames as well as the in-house designs.

In 1950 a 500 cc open wheel racing can was commissioned for Formula 3 racing by Ken Smith which won the 1953 Autosport National 500cc non-production championship. This car is still raced in the 500cc owner's association races..

Another early frame was made for the Jaguara fitted with a Jaguar XK120 engine used by Gordon Parker. The car continued to record results up to 1958 in various spritis and hill climbs.

The best known car with a Buckler chassis is the Brabham BT1 built for the 1961 racing season, designed by Ron Tauranac in the autumn of 1960

After Closure

In 1971 Malcolm Buckler, Derek's son advertised to see if there was interest in setting up on an owners club which came into being in 1972. The Buckler Car Register was formed to assist and encourage existing owners and identify when possible other Buckler cars. Current records detail over 270 cars with about 122 still in existence. There are 25 karts known to exist, all in the United Kingdom.

Buckler cars and karts regularly compete in motor sport events in the United Kingdom and New Zealand.

Overseas

During the 1950s Buckler's were exported globally and agents appointed in a number of countries.

Australia

Donald Gorringe (Pty) ltd, Hobart Tasmania imported the independent front suspension from 1950 and was appointed a distributor in 1955

Canada

A number of cars were imported into Canada through a number of agents. Campbell Sports Car Company Willowdate, Ontario 1953 - 1955 Autosport Ltd, of Cooksville, Ontario appointment as an agent in 1955.

Ireland

Midland Garage, Cloughjordan, County Tipperary imported three or four cars and a number of independent front suspensions.

New Zealand

In New Zealand Arthur Harris managed Buckler (NZ) Limited. The first Mk90 registered to race in New Zealand in October 1956 was owned by Merv Mayo and powered by a Ford 100E engine. The imported cars were usually fitted locally with Ferris de Joux fibreglass shell. A number of frames were fabricated in New Zealand due to the long time to obtain kits from the UK

USA

Only 1 car is known to exist in the USA, a Mk15/16, with a DD2 exported in the early 1960’s.

Other Countries

Subsequently a number of cars have gone to other countries. A car in Japan was imported from New Zealand following restoration. A car is being restored in Italy. A car is currently being restored in Austria.

A Mk5 is in the vehicles collection in the Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani Museum in Qatar

Car Models

Model Name	Year	Details
Mark V	1949–1955	1172 cc Ford engine. Top speed 80 mph (130 km/h). Open 2 seater. 90-inch (2,286 mm) wheelbase.
Mark VI	1950–1955	Long 94-inch (2,388 mm) wheelbase version of Mark V.
Mark X	1950	1172 cc Ford engine. Open three seat aluminium body.
Mark XI	1950	Long-wheelbase Mark X.
Mark XV	1950	BMC A-Series engined cars.
Mark XVI	1950	MG based version of Mark XV.
90	1953–1957	1172 cc Ford engine. UK Works aluminium body designed by Derek Buckler. New Zealand bodies designed by Ferris de Joux.
DD1	1956	Coventry Climax 1098 cc FWA engine or FWB 1460 cc. De Dion rear suspension. Body as per Buckler 90 model above.
DD2	1957–1962	Various engines up to 2 Litres. Optional De Dion rear suspension. Mostly Microplas Mistral GRP bodyshell, also Convair and AKS etc.
BB100	1958–1962	Backbone tubular steel chassis. Aluminium body designed by Derek Buckler.

Kart Models

Model Name	Year	Details
Class IV Space karts	1960-61	Also available in class I and II format
Supalite Class IV	1962	Short production run superseded by the Ultralite
Ultralite	1962-65	A number of variants were produced
Gold Star Range class I and II	1962-4
G-Type	1964-5
Bambi and Bev-Kart	1965	Promoted at the beginning of 1965

See also

• List of car manufacturers of the United Kingdom

References

• A-Z of Cars 1945-1970. Michael Sedgewick and Mark Gillies. Bay View Books 1993. ISBN 1-870979-39-7

Category:Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of the United Kingdom Category:Kit car manufacturers Category:Companies based in Reading, Berkshire Category:Cars of New Zealand Category:Kart manufacturers Category:Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1949 Category:1949 establishments in England Category:1965 disestablishments in England