Top Car

92 TOPCAR.CO.ZA|January 2016

Feature: SASpecials

Highest

credentials

but destined

to be anon-

starter

The mock-up of the vehicle was made in a

garage in London and once the design was

finalised, a mould for the glass fibre body

was made and shipped to SA in early 1957.

Willie was already back homeand well

advanced with th e car’s mechanicals. Once

body met ro lling chassis, the Dart was born

and two cars were built, fitted with th e Ford

100E side-valve 1172cc four-c ylinder motor

and three-speed gearbox, and took part in

the 1958 False Bay 100meeting at Gunner’s

Circle driven by Bob and Willie. They

finished 5th and 6th in the scratch race , and

11th and 14th in the 100competing against

some ex-GP single-seate rs. The car was

intr oduced to the public the follo wing

month, and the legend of the Dart bega n,

which today is kept alive by the enthusiastic

and always active GSM Car Club

Driving the car, the reason for the Dart’s

Protea’s

interiorisbasic,

symbolised

bytwo-spoke

plastic steering

wheel

appeal soon becomes clear. The steering is

light and communicative, the ride firm

but not harsh, and the handling is superb

thanks to a chassis/suspension that is

basic in concept but brilliant in execution.

The engine is set well back in the frame to

optimise overall weight distribution.

Performance-wise, 0-96kph took 13.3

seconds and the top speed was 135kph.

While the Dart was being developed, the

Witwatersrand was hometo a similar

project, th e Protea, a sports car ‘for the

enthusiast’, coincidentally also the

brainchild of three men, Dr Alex Roy, John

Myers and Bob Fincher. Roy

was mainly responsible for the

design of the glass fibre body,

the mould of which was made

on a framework of timber and

chicken wire layered with

plaster of Paris. Myers and Fincher

developed the ladder-frame chassis and

tubular spac eframe. Suspension was

independent up front and the rear axle was

located by equal-length trailing arms and a

Panhard ro d. Coil springs and telescopic

dampers were fitted all ro und. The

running gear was all Ford 10 0E, exce pt

the worm-and-roller steering box was

mounted upside down to qu icken the

steering ratio.

The Protea was also powered by the Ford

100E 1172cc engine and ge arbox, in this

application positioned 200mm behind the

front axle line, but as with th e Dart, the

ratios were less than ideal beca use the cars

were lighter than anall-metal 100E saloon.

Neverthele ss, 136kph was achievable and

0-96kph took 14.5 seconds. A Willment

overhead inlet/side exhaust valve cyli nder

Dartboasts a

sporty, spoked

aluminium/wood

rimsteeringwheel.

Cowled faciafeatures

Ford instrumentation