Guy Buckingham
Encyclopedia
Guy Buckingham is an English aircraft engineer who established the Australia
n automobile
manufacturer ‘Nota
’ in 1952. Buckingham employed his expertise in English racing car and aircraft
design in the manufacturing of new Australian racing cars. He used aircraft technology to help build triangulated, multi-tubular, space frame
d racing cars, which had in the past been seen in Australia only as imported automobiles.
Buckingham returned to England
in 1971 and has since then retired from the motorcar industry. He recently retired from playing trumpet in the Bucks, Berks & Oxon Big Band and his son, Lee Buckingham's "Big Band Swing".
While in Australia in 1959 Guy built 5 Formula Junior class racing cars. The first 2 are the only Australia built front engine cars. These still exist and are known as the "89" and "90" cars. The 1959 car won the first FJ race held in Australia at Warwick Farm with Guy as the driver. Their history was short racing through to 1963/4. The 89 car has a continuous history to the present day. The 90 car was never raced from 1964 onwards until it was rebuilt in 2004. They are raced under the historic register HSRCA in Australia as 1959 and 1960 Nota FJ.The third car was rear engined Nota FJ Renault. History unknown.
The fourth car is a rear engine FJ with a Ford 105e engine. This is in Europe at the present time. The fifth car was a chassis only and this was cut down the middle of the space frame and made into to Nota Tace with a Hillman engine and ran in the Clubman series This being similar in style as the Lotus 7 and super 7 of the era.
In 2006 Rod Moore & Bruce Bloodworth published a book entitled "The Nota Files, a marque of two men". It is a detailed book capturing all the details of the Nota car company from the day it was founded up until the present day.
ISBN - 0-646-46481-7
Guy has recently had his Biography published, covering all his Royal Airforce, Music, Motor Racing and other life exploits. It is available to order only via the family.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
manufacturer ‘Nota
Nota
Nota is an automobile manufacturer in Australia. The company was founded by Guy Buckingham in 1952. He was an aircraft engineer and used his expertise to build triangulated spaceframed sportscars. Possibly Australia's first space-framed cars. In 1958 the company built a series of all-enveloping...
’ in 1952. Buckingham employed his expertise in English racing car and aircraft
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
design in the manufacturing of new Australian racing cars. He used aircraft technology to help build triangulated, multi-tubular, space frame
Space frame
A space frame or space structure is a truss-like, lightweight rigid structure constructed from interlocking struts in a geometric pattern. Space frames can be used to span large areas with few interior supports...
d racing cars, which had in the past been seen in Australia only as imported automobiles.
Buckingham returned to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 1971 and has since then retired from the motorcar industry. He recently retired from playing trumpet in the Bucks, Berks & Oxon Big Band and his son, Lee Buckingham's "Big Band Swing".
While in Australia in 1959 Guy built 5 Formula Junior class racing cars. The first 2 are the only Australia built front engine cars. These still exist and are known as the "89" and "90" cars. The 1959 car won the first FJ race held in Australia at Warwick Farm with Guy as the driver. Their history was short racing through to 1963/4. The 89 car has a continuous history to the present day. The 90 car was never raced from 1964 onwards until it was rebuilt in 2004. They are raced under the historic register HSRCA in Australia as 1959 and 1960 Nota FJ.The third car was rear engined Nota FJ Renault. History unknown.
The fourth car is a rear engine FJ with a Ford 105e engine. This is in Europe at the present time. The fifth car was a chassis only and this was cut down the middle of the space frame and made into to Nota Tace with a Hillman engine and ran in the Clubman series This being similar in style as the Lotus 7 and super 7 of the era.
In 2006 Rod Moore & Bruce Bloodworth published a book entitled "The Nota Files, a marque of two men". It is a detailed book capturing all the details of the Nota car company from the day it was founded up until the present day.
ISBN - 0-646-46481-7
Guy has recently had his Biography published, covering all his Royal Airforce, Music, Motor Racing and other life exploits. It is available to order only via the family.