POWERHOUSE COLLECTION

1971 prototype RT series Nota Type IV 'Fang'

Object No. 90/557

This Australian-designed and built sports racing car is the prototype for the Nota Type IV 'Fang' in the RT (Road Track) Series. It was manufactured by a small Sydney-based automobile manufacturer, Nota Engineering, of 40 Smith Street, Parramatta, probably the oldest specialist manufacturer of sports cars in Australia. The Nota Fang was designed and manufactured in an attempt to fill a niche market for inexpensive sports racing cars at a time when the traditional roadsters such as MGB or Austin Healey were increasing in cost and luxury. The aim was to produce a sports car capable of both road and competitive track work which offered racetrack performance and style for a bargain price. In 1971 it sold for $2000, not much more than a 1969 Datsun 1200, but with very little luggage space and few creature comforts. The Nota Fang is of design and technological significance for its positioning of a Mini Cooper 'S' transverse mounted engine in the rear, which gave the car a power-to-weight ratio similar to a Ferrari or a Phase III GT Ford Falcon. The car was designed by Chris Buckingham and built in 1971 with 105 production cars made between 1968 and 1975. Over the last five decades Nota Engineering have produced a wide variety of low-budget specials, sports, and racing cars but the Nota Fang was their most popular road car and largest production model. The car is also representative of local sports car production by small workshop manufacturers in the Clubman class (production engines in light frames). These were typified at the time by makers such as Canstel in NSW and Elfin in South Australia. Of the 30 serious Australian sports car manufacturers, the Nota is considered by some to have been the most successful, with victories not only on the track but also hill climbs and rallies. Margaret Simpson Curator, Science & Industry June 2008

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Summary

Object Statement

Automobile, full size, Nota Type IV 'Fang' sports racing car, prototype for RT (Road/Track) Series, chassis No. 224/71, metal / fibreglass / vinyl, made by Chris Buckingham, Nota Engineering, Parramatta, New South Wales, Australia, 1971

Physical Description

Automobile, full size, Nota Type IV 'Fang' sports racing car, prototype for RT (Road/Track) Series, chassis No. 224/71, metal / fibreglass / vinyl, made by Chris Buckingham, Nota Engineering, Parramatta, New South Wales, Australia, 1971 The Nota Type IV 'Fang' is an open, two-seater, sports roadster finished in red with a doorless body of aluminium and fibreglass over a space frame tubular steel chassis. There are alloy side panels, a semi stressed alloy floor pan and an incorporated alloy roll bar. The complete chassis weighs only 106 lb (48kg). The body panelling is readily detachable for easy and inexpensive replacement. A BMC Mini Cooper 'S' sub frame, engine and front suspension were modified and placed in the rear of the chassis while the front suspension is from a modified Hillman Imp. The front suspension comprises independent wide base 'A' arms, with adjustable height and dampening through Koni shock absorbers. The rear end has independent unequal length 'A' arms with telescopic shock absorbers and compressed rubber cone springing. The 1275 engine and gearbox are mounted behind the driver but in front of the rear wheels. The nose design is from the Nota Formula III. The sloping bonnet provides good aerodynamics, with storage for a spare wheel and access to the pedals and steering. The cockpit features two black vinyl parallel quilted seats in a semi-reclining racing-style position for both driver and passenger. The seats are fixed but the pedals can be adjusted. The steering column is collapsible and adjustable and the steering wheel is a 12 inch (30.5 cm)-deep dished leather/alloy type which turns the car in 27 feet (8.2 m). The car's interior and boot are carpeted and the dashboard is timber with a padded surround. Instruments comprise a speedometer with trip odometer, tachometer; oil pressure, temperature, and fuel gauges; warning lights; high beam; and blinkers. Specifications Chassis No. 224/71 Engine capacity: 1275 Cylinders: 4 in line Bore & stroke: 70.61 mm x 81.28 mm Power: 82 bhp at 6000 rpm (61 kW) Max torque: 81 lb.ft at 3000 rpm (110 N m) Compression ratio: 9.75:1 Steering: rack and pinion Brakes: 8 inch drums front, 7 inch drums rear Carburettors: 2 x 1¼ inch SU Wheels: 12 inch (30.5 cm) diameter Performance: 0-60 mph (0-97 kph) in 9 seconds Top speed: 120 mph (193 kph) Wheelbase: 89 inches (2.26m) Overall length: 133 inches (3.38 m) Overall width: 54 inches (1.37 m) Ground clearance: 5 inches (13 cm) to 2 inches (5 cm) (adjustable) Weight (dry): 990 lbs (450 kg) Kerb weight 1064 lbs (483 kg) Fuel tank: 8½ gallons (32 litres) -1 Car -2 Cover -3 Petrol cap -4 Keys

DIMENSIONS

Height

1042 mm

Width

1600 mm

Depth

3480 mm

PRODUCTION

Notes

The Sydney firm of Nota Engineering was established by former aircraft engineer, Guy Buckingham, who began building racing car specials in England in 1952, which he called Arnolds, based on the Austin 7. Guy brought to Australia expertise from both the racing car movement and the aircraft industry. The curious company name was inspired by the inability of Guy's infant son, Chris, to pronounce 'motor'. Applying his knowledge of aircraft engineering technology, Guy Buckingham is thought to have been the first in Australia to introduce triangular tubular space frames into his hand-built racing cars. By 1958 the firm was building a sleek aluminium sports car called the 'Streamliner', later referred to as the Nota Mazengarb, which took out the 1960 Australian Sports Car Championships. One-off specialist sports and single-seater racing cars for hill climbing events were also made for drivers such as Barry Garner and competed with great success. In 1963 Nota introduced a mid-engined Mini-powered sports car, Formula Junior, the first in Australia and possibly the world. During this time most of the Nota body designs had been by Jack Wiffen, a former Rolls Royce coachbuilder, who worked just down the road from Nota's Parramatta factory and was responsible for the bodywork on Donald Campbell's land speed record breaking Bluebirds. In 1964 Nota began making their first purpose-built road car in the form of a sleek roadster, called the Nota Sapphire. It was the first car body designed for the firm by Guy's teenage son, Chris, who went on to producesp most of the subsequent Nota bodies. With the establishment of the Australian Formula Vee movement in 1965, Nota built Australia's first Vee's for the Australian Automobile Racing Club at the Warwick Farm Race Course in which Peter Findlay became a championship winner. During the 1960s, Nota introduced the 'Sportsman' a Clubman-style sports and racing car and went on to produce what is thought to be the most consistently successful Clubman type car in Australia with almost 64? or 100 being made up until 1972. Clubmen are basically inexpensive racers which could be used as road cars. In 1968 the aluminium monocoque Nota CP3 Chimera coupe was begun as well as the Nota Formula III and Formula Ford open wheelers. During the 1960s Guy Buckingham's contribution to Australian motor sport was considerable. He was largely responsible for laying out Oran Park raceway, spoke on racing car design in a weekly television show called the "Westinghouse World of Sport" and introduced low-cost motor sport in Australia with the Formula Vee. In 1970 Guy returned to England and passed the running of the company over to his son, Chris, who had learnt much from his father and was well equipped to take charge of the company. In 1971 Chris Buckingham built this prototype Nota Type IV which he named the 'Fang'. In the 1960s the term 'fang' meaning, 'to drive a car at high speed', was in common use amongst young Australian men, being derived from the famous racing car driver, Juan Fangio. Printed references to the name date back to 1969, as used by the Australian playwright Alexander Buzo, "Let's hop in the B and fang up to the beach". Chris's body styling for the Nota Fang was minimalist. The car has no doors, a bare minimum of instrumentation and little room for the two occupants. More time was spent in search of optimum aerodynamics at the University of NSW's Fluid Box test facility than trying to produce a particularly aesthetically pleasing design. Nevertheless, the result was certainly eye catching and appealing. The cockpit of the Fang, a steel under tray and polished alloy sides, was constructed in a similar way to an old open wheeler while the fibreglass panels were designed to be lifted off like a racing car. The unusual front suspension was mounted on a single, wide-based wishbone and four-wheel independent suspension provided excellent handling. Its distinctive appearance was achieved with the then-radical transverse mid-mounted engine set behind the driver but in front of the rear wheels. This gave the car good weight distribution (60 rear/40 front) making it predictable and safe to handle. At this time the only other sports cars to use this configuration were the expensive 246 Dino Ferrari and the Lamborghini Miura. The engine could be easily removed by undoing five bolts, jacking up the back of the car and wheeling it out from underneath. The Nota Fang came in three basic models, the SL (Sports/Luxury), TS (Track/Sports) and the RT (Road/Track). Initially BMC Mini Cooper S engines were fitted followed by the larger BMC 1300cc Clubman. All were modified from the standard and fitted with SU carburettors. These more powerful versions gave a competitive edge in their respective racing classes as well as providing a more potent road car. Options included a canvas hood and tonneau and GT console panel. Between 1971 and 1975 a total of 105 Nota Fang sports cars were manufactured by Nota Engineering, the firm's largest production run. The car was an immediate success and the company was forced to move from its Parramatta premises to a new, larger, factory in the western Sydney suburb of Blacktown. Sales were made not only in Australia but New Zealand, England, South Africa and Papua New Guinea. Because of its cheeky styling the car appealed in the early 1970s to professionals because of its appearance rather than its undoubtable sporting ability. Nota began production on an upmarket Fang, called the Marauder, in 1973 but Leyland discontinued production of both the Cooper S and Clubman engines. This decision was to ultimately end the production of Nota Fangs. Undaunted, Chris went on the hunt for replacement engines and for a time the Marauders and Fangs were made with 2-litre Fiat twin cam Beta engines but they too were discontinued. One of the last engines on the drawing board for the Marauder was a Leyland P76 V-8. During the early 1980s Chris travelled to England and the Continent. He worked in the racing car industry and brought back new ideas for road and racing cars. Back in Australia he established a design team experienced not only in cars but aircraft and motorcycles to implement a modernised version of the Fang called the Nota F1, a 3-litre V6 quad-cam sports car, which was five years in development. Another car, the Nota Le Mans, was produced for the 2003 Confederation of Australian Motor Sport AMS 2C Super Sport category and the firm still provides traditional Clubman-style cars and specially-built sports and racing machinery. Information provided by Chris Buckingham Information provided by Steve Normoyle Davis, Tony, "Aussie Cars", Marque Publishing Co, Sydney, 1987, p.124 Davis, Pedr, 'Australia's Own Sports Car', in "Modern Motor", Vo.36, No.4, September 1989, pp.84-87. Heseltine, Richard, 'A Notable Guy', in "Classic & Sports Car", March 1998, pp.98-101. Normoyle, Steve, 'The Nota Notebooks', in "Sports Driver". O'Reagen, Gerry, 'Hey Big Nota', in "Australia's Sports & Classic Cars", June/August 1996, pp.62-64. Sewell, Tony, 'Notable Aussie', in "Sports & Classic Cars Australia", Vo.2, No.2, October 87-March 88, pp.80- http://www.notasportscars.com/History.html

HISTORY

Notes

This car was developed as a prototype for the RT series of Nota Type IV road and track racing cars by Chris Buckingham of Nota Engineering. The car was featured in articles in 'Modern Motor' and 'Sports & Classic Cars Australia'. It was selected as one of the Bicentenary 'Dawes Classic' rally cars in September 1988 and represented the Nota Fang model at three 'Dulux Autocolour Motor Shows'. The car was purchased by the Museum in 1990.

SOURCE

Credit Line

Purchased 1990

Acquisition Date

28 May 1990

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