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StarLight Garage releases another classic very rare car, the Bosley Mark I G/T from 1953.
Rare? Yes, very rare because this is a one-off car so only one built.
Wanted in the GT series in the future?
Just start with given at like or two .... enjoy!
A horticulturist by trade, Richard Bosley was a sports car enthusiast, who owned an Oldsmobile Rocket 88 and a Jaguar XK120 in 1952, when he was just 21 years old. He dreamt about building a sports car of his own and grew even more determined when he saw Luigi Chinetti arrive at Sebring in a beautiful Vignale bodied Ferrari. Despite having received no formal engineering training, Bosley had to rely on himself for most of the work as his hometown of Formal, Ohio was far away from Detroit or the booming custom car scene in California.
Bosley built a chassis from scratch using four-inch diamater steel tubes. The double-wishbone front-end was derived from a Ford, while most of the components of the rear suspension came off a 1948 Mercury. The young Ohioan had read a detailed description of the rear axle used on the Le Mans-winning Jaguar C-Type and used this as inspiration to make some modifications to the design. These included the addition of triple trailing arms and coil springs instead of the torsion-bar springs originally used. Sizeable drum brakes from another Ford subsidiary, Lincoln, were fitted.
To power his new sports car, Bosley looked beyond the blue oval and instead installed a Chrysler FirePower or HEMI V8. This mammoth of an engine, with its famous hemispherical combustion chambers, tipped the scales at over 900 lbs (408 kg). Equipped with the optional four-carburettor manifold, it produced around 220 bhp. The big HEMI V8 was mated to a Borg Warner four-speed gearbox with overdrive. This was connected through an open prop-shaft to a Halibrand quick-change rear-end. Prepared for long distance runs, Bosley fitted the car with a massive 55 gallon fuel tank.
Bosley really outdid himself with the design and particularly the creation of the fibreglass body. The lines of the dramatic Coupe were inspired to some extent by the Vignale bodied Ferrari, which had been the work of Giovanni Michelotti. Using a male body buck, Bosley carefully laid up sheets of fibreglass to create the body. Even though the technology was still in its infancy and Bosley had received limited guidance from an expert, he achieved a near perfect finish. Many of the trim and the windows were sourced from existing cars. Like the Ferrari that had inspired it, the Bosley Mark I G/T was painted red.
Built in a home garage, the car took several years and a reported investment of over $9,000 to complete. Understandably very proud of his achievement, Bosley looked at the opportunity to race the car and/or to build additional examples for customers. For a variety of reasons neither plan materialised. The car was an oft seen guest in racing paddocks, including at Sebring, as Bosley regularly used the car on the road.
Richard Bosley pursued his dream and the result was a spectacular one-off that has never failed to impress. In period, it was featured in major publications like Road and Track and Hot Rod Magazine but also made waves across the Atlantic in Britain's Motor Magazine. Although not always cherished, it has survived and is today part of the superb collection of the Petersen Museum.
Specifications
Overview
Country of origin: United States
Produced in: 1953
Numbers built: One-Off
Designed by: Richard Bosley
Engine
Configuration: Chrysler FirePower 90º V8
Location: Front, longitudinally mounted
Weight: 410 kilo / 903.9 lbs
Construction: Cast-iron block and head
Displacement: 5,426 cc / 331.1 cu in
Bore: 96.8 mm (3.8 in)
Stroke: 92.1 mm (3.6 in)
Valvetrain: 2 valves / cylinder, OHV
Fuel feed: 6 Stromberg Carburettors
Lubrication: Wet sump
Aspiration: Naturally Aspirated
Drivetrain
Body: Fibreglass
Chassis: Steel tubular frame
Front suspension: double wishbones, coil springs, shock absorbers
Rear suspension: live axle, coil springs, twin shock absorbers
Brakes (front/rear) Lincoln drums, 305mm (12 in)
Gearbox: Borg Warner 4 speed Manual
Drive: Rear wheel drive
Dimensions
Weight 1,524 kilo / 3,360 lbs
Length: 4,267 mm (168 in)
Width: N/A
Height: 1,219 mm (48 in)
Wheelbase: 2,591 mm (102 in)
Track front: 1,473 mm (58 in)
Track rear: 1,524 mm (60 in)
Performance figures
Power to weight 0.14 bhp / kg
Power: 220 bhp / 164 KW
BHP/Liter: 41 bhp / liter
THE OTHER BOSLEY IS HERE
OTHER CLASSIC CARS ARE HERE
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