Bucknall B prime for long overdue revival
Lt Colonel Rixon Bucknall was a regular at race meetings in the early 1960s, the perfect gentleman who always turned up in his Jaguar Special, a new XK120 chassis clothed with his own design of pre-war-style bodywork and an engine to C-type specification (C&SC, September 2006). This car had been designed by Bill Slack and built by Hastings Motor Sheet Metal Works (The specialist, June 2020), supervised by Alan Jenner.
In 1963 he decided he wanted an MGB with four seats that would be capable of taking him and his friends on long Continental trips. Slack and Jenner got together again, and a brand-new MGB was bought in 1963.The bulkhead to the rear of the cockpit was cut out and mounted further back, requiring a new bootlid and a bespoke hood. The original dash was removed, the front bulkhead and pedals were moved forwards and the steering column was shortened. The twin batteries in the rear were exchanged for a single unit sited under the bonnet, the spare wheel was relocated under the boot and new petrol tanks were incorporated into the rear wings.
Meanwhile, the engine was uprated to 110bhp and fitted with an HRG head; to accommodate these mechanical modifications the bonnet line was raised and an MG 1100 front grille was installed, and the car was finished off with a set of desirable Borrani wire wheels.
The car has had a slightly turbulent career since, with owners taking it to pieces, an engine fire and then in the 1980s a new keeper who got it running again and used it until 1985, the final year during which it is recorded as having been taxed. This owner had the intention of rebuilding it back to Bucknall’s original plans but, having taken much of it to pieces, he died in around 1990 and his widow did nothing with the garage full of bits.
Earlier in 2021 the car was rescued from long-term storage and offered for sale by auctioneer Barons, where it failed to reach its reserve. It will be interesting to see, when it does eventually change hands, whether the new owner restores it to its unique Rixon Bucknall specification.