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Goggomobil (Buckle) Dart - arrow-shaped, Australian charmer

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Created on February 24, 2017

Reading time 4min

Written by:

Bruno von Rotz

Photos:

Bonhams

Bruno von Rotz

Archiv

Bonhams

Bruno von Rotz

Archiv

Goggomobil (Buckle) Dart (1959) - attraktives Design beschere einen Verkaufserfolg

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Goggomobil (Buckle) Dart (1959) - der Pfeil aus "Down Under"

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Goggomobil (Buckle) Dart (1959) - mit neckischen Heckflossen

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Goggomobil (Buckle) Dart (1959) - formlich mit dem Technik-Spender überhaupt nicht verwandt

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Goggomobil (Buckle) Dart (1959) - die Kunststoff-Karosserie hat eindeutig etwas "pfeil-haftiges"

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Goggomobil (Buckle) Dart (1959) - niedlich anzuschauen

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Goggomobil (Buckle) Dart (1959) - einsteigen und losfahren

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Goggomobil (Buckle) Dart (1959) - aus jeder Perspektive ein Augenschmaus

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Goggomobil (Buckle) Dart (1959) - Platz für zwei Personen

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Goggomobil (Buckle) Dart (1959) - einfach gehaltenes Interieur

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Goggomobil (Buckle) Dart (1959) - Tacho bis 80 Meilen pro Stunde, mehr als genug

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Goggomobil (Buckle) Dart (1959) - versteckte Goggomobil-Technik

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Goggomobil (Buckle) Dart (1959) - das "G" steht für Goggomobil

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Goggomobil (Buckle) Dart (1959) - die originalen Goggo-Räder

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Goggomobil (Buckle) Dart (1959) - der Typenschriftzug

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Buckle Dart (1959) - am GP Brugger Schachen 2013

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Goggomobil T 250 (1956) - ein frühes Modell mit hinten angeschlagenen Türen, für das Gepäck konnte man auf dem Dach einen Träger montieren

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Goggomobil T 250 (1956) - Röntgenblick durch das Goggomobil - gute Raumökonomie für zwei Erwachsene, zwei Kinder und Gepäck

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Goggomobil T 250 (1965) - Durchsichtszeichung des Zweitakt-Motors mit zwei parallelen Zylindern

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Goggomobil T 250 (1954) - Chassis ohne Karosserie - aus einem frühen Verkaufsprospekt

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Summary

Few small sports cars in its price range turned out as pretty and attractive as the Goggomobil Dart by Australian Bill Buckle. The mechanics of the German Goggomobil T300/T400 were concealed under the doorless polyester body. With 700 units produced, the fair-weather vehicle was one of the most successful sports cars Down Under. This report tells the story of the unusual sports car and shows it in many pictures.

This article contains the following chapters

A robust basis
Two-stroke, two-cylinder engines
A captivating design
The art of omission
Not a super sports car ...
... but a sales success
Few survivors
Comparison of technical data Goggomobil T400 and Goggomobil Dart
Further information

Estimated reading time: 4min

Preview (beginning of the article)

Australian Bill Buckle was the second generation of his family to run a successful car dealership. In the 1950s, after a trip to the London Motor Show, where he had come into contact with the first plastic sports cars, he decided to try his hand at designing his own. Using Ford-Zephyr components, he developed the Buckle 2.5 Litre, which was not only pretty but also fast. However, too many of the cars could not be sold and Buckle looked for a way to produce in larger numbers. He realized that the import duties for chassis and components were significantly cheaper than for finished cars. However, in order to achieve the targeted quantities, the car had to be inexpensive. Buckle found the ideal basis for his venture in the German Goggomobil.

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