DeJoux and Fang for sale in the Antipodes

New Zealand's best known Mini based sports car has to be the DeJoux Mini GT; Australia's the Nota Fang. And in both countries one of each is offered now for sale. The DeJoux is listed as a 1971 'unfinished project', but it seems that most of the hard work has been done to it and comes with a long list of brand new parts, including just about all the mechanical stuff needed as well as a laminated windscreen plus a mould for the rear window. It is fitted with a (non-homologated) roll cage. The price of 15,500 NZD seems absolutely fair to me. See the ad on Trademe in New Zealand here. 

The Nota is least as bright green in colour and was seen for sale at a show in the Sydney area recently. I don't think there is an ad for the car, but I seem to recall this to be a well-known car in Nota circles and I'm sure if you cannot read the phone number in the windscreen but are eager to contact the seller, you will be able to find him through the Nota Sports and Racing Cars Group's Facebook page here.

Made in New Zealand and now for sale in New Zealand: a DeJoux Mini GT

Picture Trademe.co.nz

A whole lot of work has gone into this car, but it needs some finishing touches

Picture Trademe.co.nz

Engine is a 1275 A+ from a 1989 MG Metro with a long list of goodies bolted on

Picture Trademe.co.nz

You'll have to like that: the interior is fully 'caged', modern racing seats added

Picture Trademe.co.nz

Made in Australia and offered for sale there now: a Nota Fang, one of 108 made

Picture Sydney Minis

Rear engined, these cars were built between 1968 and 1975 in Parramatta

Picture Sydney Minis

This surely looks to be another 1275 engine with another dual Weber carburettor

Picture Sydney Minis

The car was named the Nota Type 4 officially, but is better known as the Fang

Picture Sydney Minis

Notas at Grafton hill climb

It's the 70th anniversary of Nota Cars this year and I understand quite a few of them will make it to the Grafton historic hill climb this weekend, among them several Nota Fangs. It would be great to see pictures of them, so if you happen to be around and have your camera ready - do feel free to share them. Enjoy the weekend folks.

John Seymour enjoying his Nota Fang

Picture Craig Watson

Nota Formula Libre racer is shrouded in mystery

Nota enthusiast Jon Scott of Australia contacted me about a Mini based racer. Jon owns two Nota Fangs himself and believes this car to link to Nota's history, too. He wrote: "It's an open wheel hill climb race car built as a prototype in the late 60s by Nota Engineering for what is believed to now be Formula Libra. It's got a Morris Mini 850 in it… thats all I know. I'd love to know more about it."

It's an interesting find. As you may know both Biota as Stimson played with the idea of a Mini based Formula Class at around the same time - see more about that here. But this effort from the other side of the world is new to me. Apart from the Fang, Nota Engineering also made the Nota Mini, but I doubt it links to this racer. Do you know more? Both Jon as myself would love to hear from you.

The supposed 'Formula Mini' by Nota Engineering of Parramatta, Australia

Picture Dave Greaves, via Jon Scott

It's an open wheel single seater with attractively lined fiberglass body. Were there more?

Picture Dave Greaves, via Jon Scott

Full Mini subframe and Morris 850 power in the back. Who knows more about this car?

Picture Dave Greaves, via Jon Scott

UPDATE 15 February: Jon has managed to trace two more pictures of the car, showing a bit more of its chassis and front wheel suspension, see below. He adds: "I have found out from the thread these pics are in it's located in Mornington, Victoria (same state as me). I'll try and see if I can get to see it."

Picture Dave Greaves, via Jon Scott

Picture Dave Greaves, via Jon Scott

UPDATE 20 February: It's got a name! Plus some historic photos unearthed. Click here
UPDATE 12 December: More Brickette racers unearthed. Click here

Guy Buckingham dies at 94

Guy Buckingham made a name in motor sports in Australia, but had begun racing earlier when he lived in the UK. In fact he was a clockmaker in Buckinghamshire who became an engineer for the RAF in WW2. He moved to Australia in 1952 where he decided to do things slightly different and set up his own workshop, soon known as Nota Cars. ‘Nota’ stood for ‘motorcar' pronounced as ‘notacar’ by Buckinghams then-baby son Chris. In Parramatta, just outside Sydney, Guy built various racing and hill climbing specials, mostly one-offs. One of them was rear-powered by a Mini-engine as early as 1962 - more here. By 1968 he'd build another Special, based on a crashed Morris Cooper S. Chris had designed it and it was named Nota Type 4, but was soon called ‘Nota Fang’ to its sharp appearance! Replicas were sold for $1999 and were soon a hit under Australian racing enthusiasts. The Buckinghams sold 64 Fangs before Guy returned to England in the early 1970s. There he introduced the Fang in the UK in 1972, but after the demonstrator was flattened by a Frysian bull, Buckingham Sr. decided to stop his exploits as a motor manufacturer. Chris continues to run Nota Engineering to this very day. Guy was reunited some two years ago with one of the first cars he designed, built and raced back in 1954, which was known as 'Arnold'. It was the first time he had seen the car since the late 50's.

The man who made the Mini based sports car big in Australia: Guy Buckingham

Picture courtesy Charles Best

Buckingham's first Mini based car came about as early as 1962

Picture Jeroen Booij archive

The Nota Fang - or Type 4 - was the car that put Nota on the map

Picture Jeroen Booij archive

Fangs for sale

Not all of the Nota Fangs may have been Australian (see here), but most certainly were. In fact every now and then one comes up for sale Down Under. I understand a grand total of 107 Fangs was built, but not all of these came with Mini power. Reader Don Clayton was kind enough to point out not one, but two Fangs that are currently for sale: one in Victoria and one in New South Wales, both of them are Mini engined. See the ads here and here. Thanks Don!

Fang's sharp appearance is said to have inspired the name for this Aussie sports car

Picture courtesy photobucket.com 

I think this is a Nota Fang Mk2 as it uses the big rear lid that later cars have

UPDATE 1 July 2019: It's a Mk1 that's been updated, see comment below

Picture courtesy photobucket.com

This NSW based Fang definitely is an earlier one. It's even said to be #3 built

Picture courtesy justauto.com.au

The non-Australian Nota Fang

You know the Nota Fang and you know it was Australian. Right. But did you know that the sharply styled, rear wheel driven and Mini powered Fang (or Nota Type 4) was built and offered for sale in the UK, too? It was. As a matter of fact Nota instigator Guy Buckingham was an Englishman. He used to be a clock maker in Buckinghamshire before he moved over to Australia in 1952 and started building the Fang there. He made a few other models first, of which one was featured here before as a legendary motor (see here and here). But with the Fang production grew more rapidly. Buckingham's son Chris helped building the cars and expanding the company and in the 1960s they'd become a small motor manufacturer in Parramatta, New South Wales.

But while Chris stayed Down Under to run the company, Buckingham senior returned to the UK in the early 1970s. And it didn't take long before he decided to set up a branche of Nota Engineering there. In fact the Fang was offered for sale from Wootton Bassett, Wilts in early 1972. I'd seen a press picture of the UK-built Nota and there was a report in Custom Car magazine, too. But more recently Richard Heseltine sent me a copy of a brochure I'd never seen before (thanks!). It shows the same car as in the article, registered 'EUD 715K' and I wonder if it's the only non-Australian Nota Fang? According to Peter Filby "It seems no more than two or three cars were ever built here" but is that true? And if so, where did these cars go? Questions, questions...

A press shot of the British-built Nota Fang with back drop that cannot be other than English

Picture Jeroen Booij archives

According to Guy Buckingham 'EUD 715K' was hastily put together. Is it still with us?

Picture Richard Heseltine archives  

The same Fang was road tested by Custom Car magazine in their July 1972 issue

Picture courtesy Custom Car 

On a London roof top. But were there ever more Nota Fangs in the UK?

Picture courtesy Custom Car 

This is the British brochure of the car I never knew existed

Brochure via Richard Heseltine

The last days of Summer (and how to spend them)

Summer holidays are just about to end and the same goes for the Summer weather. Here at least. If it's raining it may be an idea to spend the last days of Summer in a museum. There are a few with Mini derivatives on display. I made a selection below, you just click on the museum's names to get to their websites. Let me know if you know of other cars in other museums or public collections.

Jeff Lane of the Lane Motor Museum in Nashville, Tennessee has a Peel Viking Minisport

Picture courtesy Lane Motor Museum

And you will also find a Midas Bronze in the same collection, focussing on small cars

Picture courtesy Lane Motor Museum

The British Motor Heritage Centre in Gaydon have had the 'Michelotti Mini' for ages

Picture Jeroen Booij

It's back to back to the 'Pininfarina Mini', also on permanent display in Gaydon

Picture Jeroen Booij

Australia cherishes the Nota Fang in the Science & Design Museum in Sydney

Picture courtesy powerhousemuseum.com

While the Southward Car Museum in Paraparaumu, New Zealand has an Elswick Envoy

Picture courtesy flickr.com 

This Ogle SX1000 can be found in the Bentley Motor & Wildfowl museum in Kent, UK

Picture Jeroen Booij

The car is on loan and is modified in a typical 1970s fashion

Picture Jeroen Booij