Description:

This car is in auction on THE MARKET by Bonhams website. The auction is LIVE now. The price shown is the lower estimate.

All bidding takes place on The Market (see photos for web address), plus you will find further text, over 90 photos/video fully illustrating the car and its service history, and the ability to ask questions directly to the seller. The text below is just a brief summary of our full description.

This FJS (meaning unknown) was self-built by 500cc F3 entrant Lucien Quoidbach of Haccourt, near Liège in Belgium and raced in the early 1950s. The car has a number of mentions in the book “La Bible du Racer 500” by Henri Julien, which covers half-litre racing in Europe from 1949-1959. The races in this period were typically local events and not usually recorded formally.

Powered by a 500cc (obviously) JAP engine, the frame would have been fabricated and, as was apparently quite common in period, the hubs were taken from a Fiat Topolino.

The car later became the property of Luc Dupanloup - better known as cartoonist Dupa who penned the Cubitus character for the TinTin magazine. As part of a programme of repairs in 2000, he sent the JAP engine away for a rebuild but sadly Dupa passed away and the engine has never been recovered.

A Swiss gentleman bought the car from the deceased estate and fitted a 650cc Norton Twin engine. It was then sold to an enthusiast from Germany. In readiness for a would-be buyer from the UK, the engine was removed - as it wasn’t to formula - and it was paired once again with a JAP 4B motor before being cosmetically restored and put away into storage in Warwickshire.

The current owner, our vendor, bought the FJS in 2017 and set about recommissioning the car for racing. He’d tried for many years to acquire one as in his youth he was an apprentice at Austin and helped build a 998cc F3 car. He’d also had racing Minis before.

The JAP engine - fed by a Gardner carburettor - was rebuilt by a recently retired and very capable enthusiast from Ipswich. Likewise the laydown gearbox was overhauled by an acknowledged Norton authority and the gearing and drive has been set up to match the engine with the assistance of the 500 Owners Association.

The rebuild is almost complete, with a few jobs to sort:

The vendor suggests new brake washers, as the current ones have been in the cylinders for 4 years
Fit the master cylinder supplied
Fit engine cut-off cable on magneto to switch on dash
Fit throttle cables, both hand and accelerator
Fit clutch cable
Purchase and fit a fire extinguisher
For competition and technical support the vendor would recommend that the buyer joins the 500 Owners' Association. It comes with a 500 Owners Association Vehicle Identity Form - number 117 - which validates it for competition.

Having had his right knee and foot operated on a few years ago, the owner now finds it difficult to stand for long periods and even more troublesome to operate the throttle and brake pedals. He also lost his helper a year or so back, who moved away for work, so he has decided to sell the car not quite finished.

This car is perfect for someone who either knows these cars already or is willing to immerse themselves in the world of 500cc racing and the machinery involved. It should be noted that as a historic racing car, it is not the most spacious of vehicles. On arrival on site with us, several staff members tried it for size. A colleague of 5ft 9 and slight build could just about fit; for further tailoring, the currently-fitted seat could be removed and a custom-made seat formed with the foam that comes with the car.

For much more description and photos see THE MARKET by Bonhams website.

The vehicle can be viewed with us at The Market HQ, Abingdon.

We are running online classic auctions continuously, please sign up on our website to receive a weekly auction-listing update

Keyword Search Terms:

F1, Single Seat Race Car, FJS, 500cc