    
Austin-Buckler in New Zealand ?
At Oct 2001 has all
Austin A40 running gear front and back.
This car is a bit of a mystery. We obtained
the car from a deceased estate, so its
history has gone. The car was constructed as
far as we know in the late 1950's, but never
completed. It had been stored in a garage
during the interim period.
There is no doubt that the body is a deJoux
Mk1. The car was registered under the name
Austin-Buckler at the time it was
constructed. I realise that the name
"Buckler" was used quite loosely in NZ to
describe this general type of car. The
origins of the frame are completely unknown
to us. We wonder if it looks at all familiar
to you.
The space frame seems reasonably
straightforward from the pedalbox aft, and
the workmanship seems good. Front of the
pedal box it is a different story. The front
of an Austin Devon chassis has been cut off
just behind the wishbones, and grafted on to
the space frame. Strange, but if done
properly, I guess effective enough.
Unfortunately the workmanship at this end is
not so good. We will definitely have to
rework the front end. The question is to
what design? We have a few ideas, but if the
chassis is a genuine Buckler (or a copy),
then that clearly will influence things.
I have the publication "Buckler - The Kiwi
Connection" by Kelvin D Brown", and the
there is no mention of anything like our
car. I have also talked to Bruce Sutcliffe,
and he does not know of the car. Perhaps
none of this surprising, seeing that the car
was never completed, and thus has no
history.
We belong to several cars clubs, and the
engineering involved in completing it is not
a big problem (the time involved is!!). Any
thoughts you may have would be welcome.
Bill, Rob Whitley
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