1963 Formcar MKI

Hubert Brundage was an avid racer and owned the first Volkswagen distributorship after Volkswagen dissolved its relationship with Max Hoffman near the close of the 1950s. He was the owner of Brundage Motors which was later shortened to 'Brumos' which is a very familiar and popular word with Porsche owners and enthusiasts.

Formula Vee racing is a popular racing series for armature racers due to its low costs and high degrees of competition. The cars are built for competition which means the best driver finishes first, rather than the fastest vehicle providing the podium finish for the driver.

Brundage ordered a one-off Formula Junior racer from Nardi, a company based in Italy. Brundage sent a Volkswagen sedan to Nardi which they used to construct the racer. The design was inspired by Auto Union's Grand Prix car. On the racing circuit, Brundage's one-off car was no match for the competition. Brundage lost interest in the sport and sold the Nardi racer along with a spare chassis to Bill Duckworth and George Smith for the sum of one dollar. Both Duckworth and Smith had been impressed by the Nardi and were interested in creating a new series based on Volkswagen components, which they termed 'Formula Vee'.

The idea was to regulate nearly every component of the racer including dimensions, parts, weight, design, and more. They used the dimensions of the Nardi as a base and approached the SCCA with a set of regulations and ideas. SCCA was reluctant and wanted to see if there was interest before making any commitment. The duo set out to popularize their idea and their racer, which they sold under the name Formcar.

The design was simple, utilizing a space frame chassis and Volkswagen components. Weight was set at around 825 pounds thanks to the aluminum body and fiberglass body panels. The 1200cc VW engine was mounted mid-ship and sent power to the rear wheels. The cost of the kit was set at just under $1000, selling for $945. A network of dealerships throughout the United States began selling the Formcar. Soon, the Formula Vee began the most popular SCCA class and continues to be a popular favorite even to this day.

The design of the Formcar remained similar throughout its lifespan. The MK1 was introduced in 1963. The MKII was introduced a year later and the MKIII followed in 1965. After 1965 the production of Formcar's ceased.

by Daniel Vaughan | Jan 2007