Lynx A
Lynx Cars was founded in the mid-1960s by Bill Riley and John Mills. Their first Formula Vee racer was constructed in 1965 and dubbed the 'A. The car was given a fiberglass body and a space-frame chassis. The mechanical components conformed to Formula Vee specifications and included a 1200cc Volkswagen engine, four-speed Volkswagen gearbox, and drum brakes. The front suspension was a trailing link setup with wing axles located in the rear.
The Lynx A was a good car, but it was not a strong seller, and only a few were ever made. It was the company's first attempt at building an entrant for the newly formed Formula Vee class, and much had been learned in the process. Their next design followed in 1966, and it was very different from its sibling and many other FV racers of the era. Instead of the common space-frame chassis setup, Riley decided to use rectangular steel side rails due to their rigidity and easy construction. It was easy to repair and offered several other advantages over the popular space-frame construction of the time. The design had been created by Riley, with Mills handling most of the assembly.
The bodies were created from fiberglass, and drum brakes could be found at all four corners. There were around 200 examples created and proved to be solid contenders for top honors. James Purcell drove a Lynx MKII/B FV racer to the SCCA runoffs in 1967. The car failed to finish. Jim Herlinger drove his car to a respectable ninth-place finish in 1968.
The Lynx company dabbled in Formula Ford and Formula Super Vee Competition in the early 1970s, but only a few examples were ever constructed. Riley left the company in 1971. He remained in the business, designing Indy cars and Sports prototypes.
Ford purchased the Lynx name in 1979 and continued the production of FVs under the name 'Caracal.'
By Daniel Vaughan | Aug 2007
The Lynx A was a good car, but it was not a strong seller, and only a few were ever made. It was the company's first attempt at building an entrant for the newly formed Formula Vee class, and much had been learned in the process. Their next design followed in 1966, and it was very different from its sibling and many other FV racers of the era. Instead of the common space-frame chassis setup, Riley decided to use rectangular steel side rails due to their rigidity and easy construction. It was easy to repair and offered several other advantages over the popular space-frame construction of the time. The design had been created by Riley, with Mills handling most of the assembly.
The bodies were created from fiberglass, and drum brakes could be found at all four corners. There were around 200 examples created and proved to be solid contenders for top honors. James Purcell drove a Lynx MKII/B FV racer to the SCCA runoffs in 1967. The car failed to finish. Jim Herlinger drove his car to a respectable ninth-place finish in 1968.
The Lynx company dabbled in Formula Ford and Formula Super Vee Competition in the early 1970s, but only a few examples were ever constructed. Riley left the company in 1971. He remained in the business, designing Indy cars and Sports prototypes.
Ford purchased the Lynx name in 1979 and continued the production of FVs under the name 'Caracal.'
By Daniel Vaughan | Aug 2007