THE 1935 R TYPE - RA 0259

CUSTODIANS - THE BUCKNELL FAMILY

MG R-type RA0259

Factory Built Racing Car.

Engine: MG 747cc, 4 Cylinder, OHC, Zoller Supercharged 
Gear box: ENV 75 Preselector

RA0259 is the 9th R-Type built of 10 only.  It was bought in May 1935 by Bobbie Baird, the Editor of the Belfast Chronicle.  Bobbie having registered the car in Belfast drove it from the factory in England back to Ireland.  He did manage to crash it on the way which says more perhaps about his driving ability than the car as Bobbie was later killed in 1953 in a crash in a 225 Ferrari.  The minor panel damage sustained on this first “outing” to the front of the R-Type nose cone can be seen in photos from its first race outing at Mannin Beg where it finished 4th.  The car went on to compete in the Limerick Grand Prix, Shelsley Walsh, Phoenix Park, to name a few.  It is an interesting aside that in Sept 1935 this car competed together with Phillip Brady’s K3030 at Donnington.

The car then passed through a couple of owners hands with little recorded competition before passing to Geoff McRae in 1948.  It was in the hands of Geoff McRae that the car achieved it greatest competition successes.  There are many recorded first in class, first outright and FTD earned particularly in HillClimbs in Ireland up until 1952.  One memorable first was at the July 1949 500 Motor Racing Club of Ireland Downhill Hillclimb at Derry.  Second was a very grumpy Bobbie Baird.  There is a great photo of the car and Geoff McRae surrounded by the trophies from just one season of racing.  Please bear in mind this was 15 years after the car’s original design; it is clear that Geoff had unleashed the car’s potential.  He achieved this all without resorting to any diversion from the original design.  McRae ultimately sold the car in 1957.

From here the car passed through a couple of hands until in May 1964 my father, with the assistance of Geoff McRae, tracked the car down, bought it and returned with it to Australia. It was a wreck.  An MG TC motor had been fitted to the chassis, the bodywork was incomplete, all radiator and fuel caps were missing, no steering wheel, as I said a wreck.

So began a 30+ years restoration project.  Why did it take so long? Well raising two kids together with my Mum, as well as running your own business does tend to get in the way.  In addition the fact that almost all parts on this MG are unique to this car baring the engine and gearbox slowed us down a bit.  Suffice to say though, as I was growing up the R-Type was a part of our lives and provided for many amusing anecdotes and the trafficking of parts all over the world by various people.  My major personal contribution to the restoration besides encouragement to Dad, was the cutting back of the original bonnet to establish the original colour of the car.  Suffice to say a great deal of detail went into the car you see today.

RA0259 Modern Outings
As the restoration progressed over the years we exhibited the car as a “rolling chassis” in a static form at various MG Car Club National Meetings. Progress was slow but steady.  By the time I left home we had an untested but complete car.

In late 2003, John Blanden twisted my father’s arm and invited us to the 2004 Historic Garage at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.  We really had to pull our finger out so we were in a position to present the car in a running form.  When I say we, I really mean Dad.

For me a test day at Wakefield Park in Qld in early 2004 was the highlight.  I had been waiting all my life to drive this car and that was the day.  Allan Henry, our friend and mechanical genius had a few nervous days and nights after I destroyed the diff at that test day but the car was ready for Melbourne and ran faultlessly albeit a little bit slower than Stirling Moss in his Masserati who lapped me quite a few times. He is still very quick for an Octogenarian.

In September 2004 we also took the car to Speed on Tweed.

My father and I have tried to make the vehicle available at any request.  My personal philosophy is that the vehicle is not mine to own and hold, I am only the custodian.  I do believe the vehicle is designed to be run, not just shown, and I will continue to follow this philosophy for some time yet.

In late 2007 I decided to bring the car to South Australia, which was only possible because of the National Motor Museum agreeing to take the car as part of their exhibitions.  I cannot thank them enough for this.

In 2008 I have been honoured to show the car at the MG Car Club Show and Shine, a static display and talk at the Sporting Car Club, racing at Vintage Collingrove, and finally Lobethal Grand Carnival.

In 2009 we return to the Australian Grand Prix as part of the Historic Demonstration to highlight the years of evolution of the race car.  Hopefully too we will see a return to Lobethal.