Barrett's #223 - Solved - Rotarymotive prototype, 1969

barrett · October 28, 2011, 02:33:57 PM

What's this car? Full details of what it is will be rewarded with a point

wingroad · October 29, 2011, 12:45:03 PM

Is it by a major manufacturer ?

barrett · October 29, 2011, 03:30:28 PM

No, far from well known

barrett · November 03, 2011, 09:22:39 AM

Experts?

wingroad · November 03, 2011, 03:02:11 PM

Glas?

barrett · November 03, 2011, 04:27:35 PM

No

Siata1 · November 03, 2011, 05:45:30 PM

From Russia?

bentleybob · November 03, 2011, 06:33:19 PM

Is this the Anadol from Turkey?

barrett · November 04, 2011, 05:23:05 AM

Not from Russia or Turkey, and much more obscure than an Anadol

thorax · November 04, 2011, 10:01:07 AM

from Israel?

barrett · November 04, 2011, 12:41:01 PM

Not from Israel either

thorax · November 04, 2011, 06:01:40 PM

Greece?

barrett · November 06, 2011, 02:17:23 AM

Not Greek

wingroad · November 06, 2011, 11:36:17 AM

Hungary ?

barrett · November 06, 2011, 11:52:12 AM

Not from there either

Facel · November 06, 2011, 02:40:50 PM

Wartburg prototype?

barrett · November 12, 2011, 11:10:09 AM

Sorry, didn't see that. This isn't a Wartburg.

Let's see if the Pros know?

woodinsight · November 12, 2011, 11:23:16 AM

British?

barrett · November 12, 2011, 11:53:58 AM

Not British

Allemano · November 12, 2011, 11:54:32 AM

The man with nerd glasses and Lincoln beard is the designer? He looks so familiar....

woodinsight · November 12, 2011, 12:09:24 PM

Quote from: Allemano on November 12, 2011, 11:54:32 AM
The man with nerd glasses and Lincoln beard is the designer? He looks so familiar....

I agree that I'm sure he's appeared somewhere on AP before..... $:-\$

barrett · November 12, 2011, 01:39:13 PM

Quote from: woodinsight on November 12, 2011, 12:09:24 PM
Quote from: Allemano on November 12, 2011, 11:54:32 AM
The man with nerd glasses and Lincoln beard is the designer? He looks so familiar....
I agree that I'm sure he's appeared somewhere on AP before..... $:-\$

I'm not sure exactly who the two gentlemen pictured are. The man with the glasses may well be the stylist of this car, who has had several of his other designs featured here in the past.

Facel · November 12, 2011, 03:03:56 PM

Now I know what is is. It looks so familiair to me but I forgot the story.

It is a Rotarymotive and developed in New Zealand by Hamilton Walker.
It was a prototype and had a plastic body and a rotary engine.
The prototype was built in 1969 and series production was envisaged for 1970 but never started.
Te car was to be sold at a very competitive (750 pound) price, because it was 90 per cent produced in New Zealand and at the time a Australian firm was prepared to import 5000 cars a year.
The rotary engine weighed just 40 lb, and was said to give anything between 60- and 100 bhp. The prototypes were tested with both water and air cooling and the car was to use DAF-type transmission made in New Zealand.
Sligthly bigger than a BMC 1100, the rotarymotive used all-independent suspension, and special attention was paid in the design so that parts could be made locally and cheaply - the side windows were uncurved and the front and rearbumpers were interchangeable.

barrett · November 12, 2011, 04:48:44 PM

An excellent answer, well done.

Hamilton Walker was an engineer who designed several Rotary engines in his lifetime (it seems he was quite obsessed with the idea), the body was styled by Ferris De Joux and all in all it looked like a very neat little package. I would LOVE to see some more images of the car but I fear that it has never been reported on outside the original story in New Zealand in period, and the later source where I took it from.

Allemano · November 13, 2011, 03:51:37 AM

Cool story!
Think the man must have had several doppelgangers as I've never heard of Hamilton Walker and never saw a pic of Ferris De Joux.

News:

Barrett's #223 - Solved - Rotarymotive prototype, 1969