Goggomobil Dart · 1957–1959
Buckle Sports Coupe
The Buckle Sports Coupe is a fibreglass-bodied sports car which was produced in Australia by Buckle Motors from 1957 to 1959. The 2-door coupe used a combination of Ford Zephyr Six and Ford Zephyr Mark II components, including a straight-6 engine from the Mark II. Thanks to its fibreglass body, it had a relatively light weight of 865 kg (1,907 lb) and a top speed of 160 km/h (99 mph). It also featured a box chassis frame, transverse leaf spring front suspension and a conventional Ford rear axle. A total of twenty Buckles were produced, including two incomplete examples sold for racing purposes. Bill Buckle, the person behind the creation of the car, would go on to a successful business venture building Goggomobil cars in Australia, the highpoint of which was the production of the Australian designed Goggomobil Dart.
Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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Motorsport
The Buckle performed well in hillclimb events and circuit races and held many records. Sixteen of the twenty Buckles built competed in motor sport, a highlight being Dick Newell's victory in the 1963 New South Wales GT Championship. A special Buckle (Body#93-883) was built specifically for racing purposes and was raced by Bill Buckle himself circa 1960–1961. It featured a lightweight body moulded around a tubular chassis, a Raymond Mays-developed cylinder head and three SU carburetors.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0); text is shortened. Read the full article for the complete history and citations.
Specifications
- name
- Buckle Sports Coupe
- Manufacturer
- Buckle Motors
- aka
- Buckle Coupe
- Production
- 1957–1959 , 20 produced
- Assembly
- Punchbowl, New South Wales
- Body style
- 2-door coupe
- Class
- Sports car (S)
- Layout
- FR
- Engine
- 2553 cc Ford Zephyr straight-6
- Kerb weight
- 865 kg
- Top speed
- 190 km/h
Specification summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Measured facts from Wikidata (CC0). Check the linked sources for citations.
More photos
Sources
- Wikidata — https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q999750CC0 1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-01
- Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckle_Sports_CoupeCC BY-SA 4.0 · Text © Wikipedia contributors; revision 1311161711 · retrieved 2026-10-01
- Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1956_Buckle_GT_coupe_(6102421761).jpgCC BY 2.0 · Photo: sv1ambo · retrieved 2026-10-01
- Car Model Index — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/Compiled record. Sources that do not permit reuse are not copied; this index is credited instead.