Buckle Sports Coupe

The Buckle Sports Coupe is a fibreglass-bodied sports car that was produced in Australia by Buckle Motors from 1957 to 1959 . The 2-door coupe used a combination of Ford Zephyr Six and Ford Zephyr Mark II, including a straight-6 engine from the Mark II. Totaling a weight of 865 kg and a top speed of 160 km/h, it also featured a box chassis frame, transverse leaf spring front suspension and a conventional Ford rear axle.

A total of twenty Buckles were produced, including two incomplete examples sold for racing purposes. Bill Buckle would however go on to a successful business venture building Goggomobil cars in Australia, the highpoint of which was the production of the Australian designed Goggomobil Dart.

Buckle Sports Coupe
Overview
Manufacturer	Buckle Motor
Also called	Buckle Coupe
Production	1957-1959 (20 produced)
Assembly	Punchbowl, New South Wales
Body and chassis
Body style	2-door coupé
Layout	front-engine, rear-wheel-drive
Powertrain
Engine	2,553 cc (156 cu in) Ford Zephyr straight-6
Dimensions
Curb weight	865kg (1907 lb)

Motor sport

The Buckle performed well in hillclimb events and circuit races and held many records. Sixteen of the twenty Buckles built competed in motor sport, a highlight being Dick Newell's victory in the 1963 New South Wales GT Championship.

A special Buckle (Body#93-883) was built specifically for racing purposes and was raced by Bill Buckle himself circa 1960-1961. It featured a lightweight body moulded around a tubular chassis, a Raymond Mays-developed cylinder head and three SU carburetors.

Buckle GT Lightweight of John Ashwell, pictured in 2012. This car was raced by Bill Buckle himself circa 1960-1961

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Last updated on 13 December 2013 at 09:30.

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Goggomobile Dart

Goggomobil Dart
Overview
Manufacturer	Buckle Motors Pty Ltd.
Production	1959 – September 1961
Assembly	Sydney, NSW Australia
Designer	Bill Buckle
Body and chassis
Class	Microcar
Body style	Roadster
Layout	RR layout
Platform	Goggomobil
Related	Goggomobil
Powertrain
Engine	Two-stroke straight-two engine Standard: 293 cc, 14.8 PS (10.9 kW) Optional: 392 cc, 18.5 PS (13.6 kW)
Transmission	4-speed manual
Dimensions
Wheelbase	1,800 mm (71 in)
Length	3,050 mm (120 in)
Width	1,370 mm (54 in)
Curb weight	380 kg (840 lb)

The Goggomobil Dart is an automobile which was developed in Australia by Sydney company Buckle Motors Pty Ltd. and produced from 1959 to 1961.

Goggomobil Dart rear

The Dart was based on the chassis and mechanical components of the German Goggomobil microcar, which was a product of Hans Glas GmbH of Dingolfing, in Bavaria, Germany. The car featured an Australian designed fiberglass two seater open sports car body without doors, the whole package weighing in at only 345 kg (761 lb). It was powered by a rear mounted twin cylinder two stroke motor available in both 300 cc and 400 cc variants. and had a small luggage compartment built into the nose. The Dart was designed in 1958 and went on sale the following year with around 700 examples produced up to the time that production ceased in September 1961.

Interior

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Last updated on 17 March 2013 at 12:52.

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Goggomobil Dart Assecorries and Parts in Australia

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Buckle Motors Pty Ltd is an Australian car dealership chain and former manufacturer that produced the famous Goggomobil Dart. Currently, under the name Bill Buckle Auto Group, the company sells Toyota, Subaru and Volkswagen vehicles.

History

Buckle Motors was founded in 1927 in Sydney by William "Bill" Buckle Snr. as a Triumph and Talbot dealership on 127 William Street, becoming the sole dealership for those brands in New South Wales at the time. Buckle had previously as an Amilcar salesman in Melbourne. The dealership subsequently acquired the New South Wales franchises for Citroen, Armstrong Siddeley and DeSoto. In 1947 Bill Buckle Snr. died causing Bill Buckle Jr. to enter the family business.

A Buckle 2.5 Litre

In 1952 Bill Buckle Jr. traveled to England and found fibrelass-bodied sports cars being manufactured and a plastic sports car body at the 1953 London Motor Show. Upon his return, Buckle persuaded the company's other directors to construct a unique fibreglass-bodied sports car. With development lasting through 1945 and 1955, a prototype roadster was finally created in mid 1955 using Ford Zephyr components. After testing and minor design changes, the finished vehicle was first manufactured in June 1957 as the Buckle 2.5 Litre in a factory in Punchbowl, New South Wales. The coupe proved successful in racing however only around 25 were made.

In the late 1950s, Buckle realised that Australia's import taxes could be substantially reduced if a chassis was imported instead of a complete vehicle. In 1958 Buckle traveled to Dingolfing, Bavaria to discuss the manufacture of Goggomobil vehicles in Australia with Hans Glas. An agreement was reached in which the chassis, engine and running gear would be imported and the body would be manufactured in Australia at the Punchbowl factory. A few whole vehicles were initially imported to make fibreglass moulds from. The Buckle Goggomobils were almost identical to their German counterparts with the exception of Buckle's Goggomobil Transporter being more rounded. Thousands of Goggomobils were produced by Buckle Motors. At this time the company also began to sell Borgward, Goliath, Lloyd-Hartnett, Hillman and Humber vehicles.

A Goggomobil Dart

From 1959 to 1961 Buckle Motors also produced the original fibreglass-bodies Goggomobil Dart two-seater sport car bassed on the Goggomobil Coupe. Originally doorless with a 293cc engine, later models featured small suicide doors, a hardtop and a 400cc engine. Nowadays the Goggomobil Dart remains as an iconic Australian vehicle

In 1961 Buckle Motors was purchased by Hong Kong investors and in 1963 Bill Buckle created Bill Buckle Auto Conversions, specialising in left-hand-drive to right-hand-drive conversions of American vehicles.

Last updated on 7 October 2013 at 21:07.

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