Lot Ended
Description
New old stock Briggs & Stratton engine; recent bare metal repaint;
re-upholstered; starts and runs; not driven in anger since being restored; one
of only around 300 made
The first Barnard
Formula 6 was designed and built by Tom Barnard for his seven-year-old son to
drive, although it would accommodate an average-sized adult at a push
too.
Barnard Senior was an experienced racing
driver and BRDC member, his 150cc 3.5hp Briggs & Stratton-powered kart
immediately catching the attention of his motor racing friends, who pressed him
to make more for their own sons and daughters to drive. A properly engineered
kart by any standards, it had full bodywork and looked like a scaled-down
Formula 1 car of the day incorporating a safety roll bar and even a
seatbelt.
A small racing series started at
Detling Airfield in Kent, quickly growing into what we know today as Formula 6.
Barnard took a stand at the 1967 Racing Car Show where the karts were offered at
£185 in kit form, or could be bought ready-constructed for considerably more,
prices that would have acquired some quite juicy full-size machinery at the
time. Some 300 or so are thought to have been sold, although most led a hard
life so survivors are few and far between today.
This example survives after a substantial restoration by our vendor –
an experienced man in such things!
He acquired an
original 'new old stock' Briggs & Stratton engine, completely stripped
the bodywork and repainted it. The upholstery has been replaced too, and
although it has been started and run, it has not been
raced……..yet
So much more than a toy, this rare
Barnard represents a piece of British Motor Racing history and will be a hoot to
drive - although it could equally well ornament one's man cave,
showroom or trendy bar too...
Contact –
[email protected]