As a follow up to his successful XP series sports cars , Denver Colorado-based car builder Bob Carnes decided to take his same XP-6Â* front-mounted 471 blown SBC engine backed by a Borg-Wa... <BR><BR>To read the rest of this blog entry from The Jalopy Journal, click here.
That's really cool that it's still around in what looks to be original paint and all. Are there any pictures of the interior or engine bay?
I read about these years ago. Balls of steel to not only design it but to drive it! Blown Chevy turning corners, as American as it gets IMO. Thanks, 'bomber.
What a rad looking car and the fact that it's got a healthy 283 in it is even more awesome!! I need an interior shot and would like to see the knock off wheels.
I took these photos at the Monterey Historics in 2005. Sorry I don't have any shots of the whole car though. How many red, road race cars with front mounted blowers could there be?
Here's a few more pics of 1 of the 2 surviving '59 Bocar Stiletto's: images by Richard Owen (from Supercars.net - 2010 Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance) ... and there's even more pics of this same car on the restoration shop's website: click logo to view
Bocar....I like that last name! And thanks Hemi32!!! That engine is just as good as I thought it would be!
All of the Bocars I have seen are great looking machines. I was lucky enough to see Dean Butler's Bocar from England race in Australia. Awesome looking and sounding monster.
I saw the Stiletto race at the NHIS vintage races a few years ago. It made some amazing sounds, but looked to be a bit of a handful in the corners.
It says in that link that the XP5 had a beefed up VW rear suspension up front. The pre-production X1 started out with Jag XK120 front suspension. But was modified later with a VW trailing link front axle. The XP series cars also had VW front axles. The rear suspension was also partly VW. It used the complete torsion tube, springs and sideplates out of a bug. But( if I remember right) modified to act as the lower links in a 4-link setup. That gave a nice compact and affordable setup. Springrates were probably pretty close too, the Bocars were light and had a lot of rear wheel bias ( weight distribution ) The car I saw had Buick finned aluminum drums on all four corners, and a early Halibrand Quick Change...
Its great to see this car again.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o> I went to college at the U of Colorado in 61-62.<o></o> I would hang out and lend a hand part time at the old Bocar factory in Denver.<o></o> I remember this car well as it was Bob Carnes personal driver and he would take it home daily.<o></o> I remember him driving it to the shop putting it on a trailer and taking it to CDR raceway for a sports car race where I was one of the pit crew <o></o> At the time I was there it had a Potvin front mounted blower with Hilborn injection, and as I drove it a few times, it was actually pretty smooth even with the with the injection.<o></o> Bob would cut the front suspensions off Jags, and other foreign cars and graft them on the front of his custom designed space frames. I dont remember what he used on that car.<o></o> Bob was a bit of a character and when I returned from my Christmas vacation the factory had burned down under suspicious circumstances and that was the last I heard of him.<o></o> I built my old car at the Bocar shop using a 4-71 blower and B&M hydro out of their parts bin.<o></o>
Thought you guys might be interested in seeing this beauty. Bocar XP-7R 003 Corvette engine 350 cubic inches. 650 HP Rochester fuel injected – injector rebuilt by Jack Podell, the Rochester Fuel injection guru. Baha Beetle front end suspension. Potvin setup, GMC 4-71 supercharger driven off the nose of the crankshaft pressurizes the fuel injection system. Muncey M-22 “Rock Crusher” 4-speed gearbox. G.M. rear axle Disc brakes Suspension modified to add coil over springs and shock absorbers. Borrani wheels (rear slightly larger than front)
The Bocar is a very rare and truly historical automobile for American motorsports. Only three of these are thought to have been built. This is one of the two survivors and the only supercharged Stiletto. This ex-Bob Carnes "team" car was built to compete against the Scarabs. Carnes raced this Stiletto at Daytona, Pikes Peak (in the snow!) and even drag raced it. After Carnes, the Stiletto was raced by Bob Spooner (who ran the Purple People Eater Corvette) including competing at the 1963 USRRC race at Road America. The Stiletto retains its 1963 USRRC livery to this day.. The Bocar Stiletto recently went through some major safety modifications and upgrades. The suspension, fuel tank, and engine were all updated as well as the addition of a roll cage. Of the three Bocar Stilettos known, this is the only one in running condition and is Bob Carnes' "factory" race car built to compete with the Scarabs. Carnes entered drag races, road races, and hill climbs including Daytona and Pikes Peak. In 1961, his factory burned, destroying the molds and damaging this Stiletto. Carnes was able to acquire a couple of spare bodies and rebuilt the car using the original chassis, suspension, brakes and transmission; but with a new engine and Hilborn injection. Several owners have raced the car in various SCCA and USRRC races. The Bocar Stiletto, with its unique front mounted supercharged injected engine and Kurtis torsion bar suspension, is perhaps the most recognizable and outlandish American special prior to the rear-engine revolution. This is part of a dvd on the Meister Brau team at Continental Divide It is Harry Hauer in the Scarab vs, Bob Carnes in his Stiletto (this car) running a "match"race (just the two of them). Clearly the Stiletto is faster but the Scarab brakes made the difference. The Stiletto used drums and the Scarab discs. Not many cars ever "blew the doors off" a Scarab http://www.tamsoldracecarsite.net/BocarStiletto.html
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