Autoavia Rochdale F Type - Bristol Barb Photograph

 Digital copy, image size approx 5.5 x 3.5 ins / 14 x 9 cms from an original factory photo of a Rochdale Type F kit car.

Rochdale Motor Panels was founded in 1948 by Harry Smith and Frank Butterworth and initially made aluminium bodies to fit Austin 7 racers for 750 Motor Club race series. Although the company was quite successful hand forming metal bodies was a long process so the partners decided to look for an alternative material and settled on using Glass Fibre which was then in its infancy.

 Having had some success with their MKVI. Rochdale launched both the C Type and F Type bodyshells during 1954/55. The F Type had a wheelbase of 7ft 6 ins and was similar in style to the Ferraris of the period. It was very low and streamlined making it ideal for racing and sold for £55. The F type was fairly basic compared to some other body kits available at that time as the owner had to cut the wing edges, door openings bonnet and bootlid from the one piece shell and this may have affected sales. A total of about 50 were sold and they clothed some of the more successul club racers of the era. Three cars are known to survive.

 The photo is an original factory photo of the Bristol Barb. The Barb was based on a Cooper Bristol MKII which Alex McMillan bought and converted for sports car racing initially by fitting cycle wings. It was soon fitted with the Rochdale F Type body seen here and was a successful and well known club racer. The car was sold to Neil Campbell-Blair who continued to campaign it successfully unti it was all but destroyed in an accident at Oulton Park in October 1956.

The original works photo is stamped 29 September 1956 so assuming this is the date the photo was taken the car must have been destroyed soon after.  

 You are buying a digital scan of an original factory photo. The selling price buys one copy of the photo which may not be reproduced or published by the purchaser. Other size prints may be available. Please email with size of print required for a price.