Buckler Cars Karts and Specials 1947-1968
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WELCOME TO THIS FORUM for all matters relating to Buckler Cars, Karts and Specials resulting from the designs of the late Derek Buckler and the products of the Buckler companies of Reading and Crowthorne Berkshire England.
BUCKLER SPORTS/RACING CARS IN BRIEF
‘Derek’ Buckler (C.D.F.Buckler) designed his own sporting special in Berkshire England just after the second World War and had it ready for the road in August 1947. Over the next few years he entered it in all manner of motor sports events from circuit racing to off road trials and speed hill-climbs and economy rallies and is reputed to have won over 200 awards driving this car.
In 1949 Derek produced a tidy production prototype replica of his successful Special, and these cars are believed to have been the first multi-tubular space framed sports cars available for sale.
Because of post war difficulties and Government restrictions, the cars were advertised in 1949/50 as being “in limited production for export only”. To start with, the restrictions made it impossible to purchase essential new parts from the Ford Motor company in order to start a Buckler production line and it was therefore decided to offer the chassis and basic components of the car and for the enthusiast to source the Ford engines etc. and to complete the car themselves. Although this was not mandatory, most enthusiasts took up this option, to save any delay and to also save the high cost of Purchase Tax.
Derek Buckler went on to design at least twelve successive models for the motor sports enthusiast, with some models being particularly suited to circuit racing and speed events and others better suited to off road trials. Apart from single seaters, all were suitable for using on the road, with the later DD2 model being the most civilised.
Design progressed from a chassis using single transverse leaf springs front and rear, with torque tube and rod operated drum brakes, to chassis’ accepting very streamlined bodyshells, with a variety of British power units including the Coventry Climax 1100 and 1500 OHC engines. Suspension progressed to lightweight coaxial suspension all round with De Dion rear end and hydraulically operated disk brakes. Derek’s final design departed from his space frame in favour of a multi tubular “backbone”; this Buckler car, type BB100, weighing in at only 7.5 cwt.
Bucklers also undertook a number of special orders, including manufacturing close ratio gear boxes for Lotus 1172cc models, the first chassis or two for Jack Brabham, modified Cooper chassis for the Cooper School of Racing and Gordon Parker’s record breaking, twin supercharged, 3.4 litre ‘Jaguara’ A number of Buckler cars were exported, with known agents in Canada, Tasmania and New Zealand , with a handful of cars also being exported to the U.S.A., Australia and South Africa.
Derek Buckler was one of the first designers of a racing kart in Britain with an experimental model in 1959 and production of a revised design not long afterwards. These proved to be a tremendous success on the circuits of Britain and hundreds were produced under the Buckler label until the death of the company around 1968. However Buckler karting manager Jack Barlow continued to develop and improve the design and his own ideas under the Barlotti label well into the 1970’s.
About 300 to 400 cars wore the Buckler badge and production ended not long after the death of Derek Buckler in 1964.