Aussie Special saw it all – but is it original?

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Apart from the last driver’s name on its side, this neat little Special wears another three names on its side and that’s because it comes with quite some motorsports history from Down Under. To mention just a few more names: Julian ‘Gib’ Barrett, John White and Alan Ashton, gave the ‘BWA’ its name when they built it in 1938, using a blown four-cylinder 1.5-litre Meadows engine from a Fraser Nash that had been raced during an earlier part of the 1930s. Front suspension, brakes, steering box, gearbox and wheel hubs were Lancia-sourced.

That was its original state, and it earned the car a name of its own. Rather than BWA Special it became known under the poetic name of ‘Bloody Work of Art’ to some. But as so often with Specials like this, they are modified over the years. In 1949 it was redesigned as a monoposto and in this form raced at the Australian ’53 Grand Prix – coming twelfth overall. In the late-1950s a supercharged MGA engine was fitted, followed by a 1.5-litre Lea Francis engine mated to a GM supercharger and Lancia gearbox in 1988, enabling it to run as a Group K Historic car. Next step was a restoration back to its 1949 specification in 1997…

And that’s what it still looks like today, now that it is offered for sale in our online Marketplace once again. Perhaps not a far cry from its original condition, but with so many different mechanical bits and in a different shape than it was back in its early days also a totally different car. Just like it should be, with all the racing provenance and stories of old times attached to it? Or too far away from the original Special? Let us know by commenting below.

Words by Jeroen Booij.

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