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The N. H. Buchanan Motor Company used racing to promote the
fibreglass bodies they were producing at their factory in Annandale, NSW.
Nat Buchanan, his partner Jock Morgan and "Works" driver Bruce Maher, built
up the first "Works" racer on a MG TD chassis with a TF engine.
The "Works"
Buchanan MG went on to record 12 1st.
place finishes in its first nine weeks of competition, a fact they were keen
to promote in their
magazine ads
and
press releases . With the success
in racing came the orders, 80 bodies were built by the end of 1957.
The second "Works" racer was a
Buchanan Fiat built up
from a Fiat 1100 engine and mechanicals on a Rizzo twin tube chassis. In the
hands of Bruce Maher this was equally as successful as the MG based Buchanan
"Works" racer that had been sold off to the Tasmanian Buchanan
distributor, Max Stephens in Hobart, and re-painted red.
After the Buchanan Fiat had crashed in practice at
Bathurst in Easter 1958, the next "Works" racer was a Buchanan built up on a
"Works" chassis designed by Jack Pryor and constructed by the Pressed Metal
Corporation. It used the Holden Grey motor, Holden mechanicals and narrowed
suspension.
The Buchanan Holden debuted at Bathurst in October
1958 with a hardtop fitted (Buchanan had introduced the hardtop as an
option) sporting Bruce Maher's race number "74" but in Pink rather than the
white of the preceding "Works" cars. The body/chassis package was
subsequently offered for sale by both Buchanan and J & S, who bought the
moulds and rights to manufacture the cars from the N.H. Buchanan Motor
Company.
The final "Works" race car was planned to fit on a
Buchanan/Pryor designed chassis fitted with Standard 10 engine, suspension
and mechanicals. It was never completed but the design evolved into the
Buchanan Cobra and was marketed as a complete car. Unfortunately only 7 were
finished before Buchanan closed the business down and became involved
building fibreglass boats and consulting with other fibreglass car body
builders. |
