Solved NIC#56 - 1962 Bulant Mk I/Morris 8 engine.

[nicanary]

What is this? Please tell me the name, year and type of engine.

[nicanary]

Experts?

[D-type]

A DKW powered Formula Junior
An Elva?

[nicanary]

A DKW powered Formula Junior
An Elva?

It's not actually a DKW engine. So not an Elva either !

[D-type]

Wartburg engine? From the DDR? Scampolo?

[nicanary]

Wartburg engine? From the DDR? Scampolo?

No German connection.

[D-type]

"Not actually a DKW engine" and not a Wartburg.  Is it powered by the only other DKW-related engine, SAAB?  Or am I following a false trail?

[nicanary]

"Not actually a DKW engine" and not a Wartburg.  Is it powered by the only other DKW-related engine, SAAB?  Or am I following a false trail?

Sorry for not giving clear leads. It's not DKW, Wartburg, Saab or any other 2-stroke engine. It is not German or Swedish. Far from it.

(The unusual position of the exhaust pipe is a red herring)

[nicanary]

Up early for an easy point!

[targhediferro]

Front wheels look like Fiat's...any connection?

[Paul Jaray]

It's a Bulant mk1 from 1962!

[nicanary]

It's a Bulant mk1 from 1962!

Yes. What engine powered it? Locked for you.

[nicanary]

 

Paul Jaray - locked for you until 7.37pm tonight. You've done the hard work. The rest is easy!

[Paul Jaray]

Sorry...being busy.
Here you are:
"The very first Bulant, this offset single-seat race car was constructed in 1961 and was the forerunner to a line of very effective sports cars built for clubman racing in Sydney between the 1960s and 1980s and by Brian Rawlings. His first car was built while Rawlings was still an apprentice and, it is said, was ready to race for the princely sum of 37 Pounds and 10 Shillings. Rawlings cut up a bicycle to get frame tubes and robbed his Morris 8/40 to obtain an engine and gearbox. The Mark 1 Bulant was inspired by the front-engined Nota Formula Juniors and like them, had Ford-derived swing-axle front suspension, offset engine and gearbox plus an offset rear axle with the driver sitting on the undertray. The Bulant proved remarkably successful on the track and is a great example of an Australian-made racing car, displaying all the ingenuity and skills of the builder.
The first competitive outing for the Bulant Mark 1 was Oran Park on the 25th of March, 1962 and it was soon terrorising more powerful opposition. Brian Rawlings raced this clever little car for three years at circuits like Catalina Park, Oran Park and Hume Weir. After the car had passed through several subsequent owners and been somewhat altered, Rawlings bought it back during the 1980s and set about restoring the car back to the original specifications. The project took much longer than anticipated and the Bulant changed hands several more times before it was eventually completed. A new chassis frame was made by Bob Winley to replace the original, Rod Hoffman made new alloy panels and Robert Rowe built a strong engine, with a Needham gearbox. The Bulant project was finally completed by Grant Burford. The car retains the Morris 8/40 diff with its 5.5:1 ratio, but the gearing is helped by the use of larger 16-inch rear wheels (pre-WW2 Buick items turned inside out!). Another nice touch is the original all-aluminium steering wheel which weighs just 14oz. The Bulant competed in the 2006 Eddington Speed Trials and was displayed and demonstrated with all the Great Aussie Specials at the 30th Historic Winton, also in 2006. Since then, CAMS has issued a full Historic Car Certificate of Description and Group L Historic Log Book, which not only further endorses the authenticity of the vehicle and its racing history, but means this fantastic piece of Australian motor racing history can be fully enjoyed on the track as well as a sensational display piece"

[nicanary]

Yes indeed. A very complete answer! Powered by a mighty Morris 8 engine, but they could be tuned very well.