Berkeley Bandit
| Berkeley | |
|---|---|
Berkeley Bandit (1960) |
|
| bandit | |
| Presentation year: | 1960 |
| Vehicle fair: | London Motor Show |
| Class : | Sports car |
| Body shape : | Roadster |
| Engine: |
Otto engine : 1.0 liter (28.7 kW) |
| Length: | 3632 mm |
| Width: | 1372 mm |
| Height: | 1118 mm |
| Wheelbase: | 2083 mm |
| Empty weight: | 559 kg |
| Production model: | none |
The Berkeley Bandit is the prototype of a sports car that the British manufacturer Berkeley Cars made in 1960.
In 1961, Berkeley Cars wanted to enter the larger sports car market with the new Bandit model designed by John Tojeiro . The car was powered by an overhead, four - cylinder , four-stroke in - line engine, as used by Ford in the Anglia 105E . The engine called "Kent" had a displacement of 997 cm³ (bore × stroke = 80.96 mm × 48.41 mm), was compressed 1: 8.9 and delivered 39 bhp (29 kW) at 5000 / min.
The front wheels were suspended from MacPherson struts ; the rear of the car also had independent suspension. As with the previous models, the three-part body of the Bandit (floor pan, front, rear) was made of GRP . The chassis, however, was made of sheet steel and was integrated into the GRP floor assembly. In the front there were disc brakes from Girling with a diameter of 203 mm, and drum brakes in the rear. The construction was much more conventional than its predecessor, but still special enough to ensure that the car was lightweight.
The high development costs worsened the financial distress in which the company was already in late 1960. Despite the - also financial - participation of Ford, the bandit did not survive the bankruptcy of Berkeley Cars. So only two prototypes were built. One with the registration number 700CNM was the exhibit at the London Motor Show and was presented to the press. It was later restored. The other, with registration number YRX292, received a 1340 cc engine from the Ford Consul Classic . It was sold to Dursley in 1966 and was last seen in Swindon in the late 1960s .
The cars were supposed to cost £ 798, which would have been more expensive than a Mini or an Austin-Healey Sprite .
Individual evidence
- ^ A b c d G. Robson: A – Z of British Cars 1945–1980 . Herridge Books, Devon 2006. ISBN 0-9541063-9-3 .
- ^ A b c d David Culshaw, Peter Horrobin: The Complete Catalog of British Cars 1895–1975 . Veloce Publishing, Dorchester 1997. ISBN 1-874105-93-6 . P. 85.
- ^ David Culshaw, Peter Horrobin: Complete Catalog of British Cars . Macmillan, London 1974. ISBN 0-333-16689-2 .
