Here’s a rare one! The original Bocars were made right here in Denver in the late 1950s, by Bob Carnes, and were intended to be very competitive racers rather than comfy street cars. Bob was a gifted engineer, and designed & built the lightweight tube chassis that originally used VW front suspensions and Buick drum brakes. They were powered by 283 Corvette V8s, although the XP4 we restored a couple years ago had been fitted with a 289 Ford. (see link) Being hand made, virtually each Bocar is unique, though. This car is a continuation chassis and is considered an XP5 (developed after the original XP4.)
It has been completely redesigned and engineered to incorporate modern technologies including fabricated front suspension with modern coil-over shocks and disc brakes. The rear diff is an independent Jaguar unit with inboard brake discs. The engine is a new Chevy 350 topped with four side-draft Weber carbs and a Tremec Super T10 transmission. For greater stability and interior room the original chassis was widened slightly and the car was fitted with all-new wiring and plumbing. A completely new body shell was made from original Bocar molds and faithful replicas of the famed Halibrand knock-off wheels are featured with period Dunlop race pattern tires. Being extremely light, the performance is pretty exciting!
The interior was completely custom-done with modern electrics. It even has a clock and a radio! (Bob Carnes’ cars usually had minimal fiberglass shell aircraft seats and no real finishing) The car was displayed at this year’s SEMA show in Las Vegas and drew lots of attention. It was never intended to be serialized, so this one will always be unique, and a real head-turner. Everything on the car was new and it has a fully street-legal title. Over $300,000 was invested in the build. Interesting trades considered.
