What you are describing sounds like the work of Nade Bourgeault. I know
he built racing specials in the 50's and 60's. I own his only Formula
Junior race car. He was known to have made street specials, and to have
raced an MG TD at one point. He was a master crafstman in Aluminum. He
worked at a shop in Sausalito, later Mill Valley in Northern Cal.
He also liked slab-type fuel tanks, Aluminum drums, and wire wheels,
all of which my car has. He also experimented with unusual rear
suspension techniques. My Junior has a low-pivot swing axle on a VW
transaxle modified for double-jointed axles (on a split-case, no
less).
Unfortunately, very little documantation of Bourgeault's work
survives. He passed away in the 70's. Some of his original drawings
went up in the Oakland Hills fire a few years back. Do you have any
photos of the car, especially period photos? There are still people
around who remember him, and some of his work. With a good picture
of the car, it might be possible to jog somebody's memory on this. I
constantly have people coming out of the woodwork at vintage events
who remember him building my car.
...
>
> Now that we have more people with memories here, I'll repeat a question that
> I asked on W2W a few years ago- Does anyone have any idea where the Belnap
> Hillclimb was held in the 50's? I have the remains of an MG TD based hillclimb
> special, that has very little to identify it, other than a plaque from that
> event. Here's what I've been told, or observed about it:
>
> MG Hill Climb Special
> -Built in the 50's in California (?)
> -MG TD engine, tranny, front end/steering, rear axle, radiator.
> -Torsion bar rear suspension, running side to side.
> -2 seater Aluminum body, 2 main tubular side rail chassis, w/small
> interconnecting tubes.
> -Had a slab-style gas tank behind the drivers head.
> -TD/TF brakes with Alfin drums
> -15" Wire wheels
>
> -Dash-plaque: 1st @ Belnap 1957 in under 1500cc Modified
> -May have run Pikes Peak at some time or the other. (?)
> -Brought East in the early 60's by Paul Gorman (to R.I.), and
> driven around for a while.
> -Left sitting out in RI from 1968, less drive train and many other parts
>
> There supposedly used to be a lot of other dash plaques...
>
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