Sportscar
Chassis #: 006
Sportscar
Chassis #: 003
This vehicle was originally purchased from Bob Carnes (Bocar) by Meister Brau for their race team in 1959. It was partnered with one of the original Meister Brau Scarabs. It was built in Denver, Colorado, and it first raced at Meadowdale International Raceway in May of 1959. It also raced at Road America and Riverside. Augie Pabst finished the year at Road Atlanta and the Bahama Speed Weeks where he sat on the pole. The car has changed hands three times since, with the previous owner keeping it for 45 years. It was found on Craig's List and is now in its original livery. Records indicate the XP-5 had a factory price of $8,700 in 1959.
Bob Carnes produced the Bocars during the late 1950s and early 1960s in Colorado. The vehicles were available in both kit or assembled forms. The vehicles were intended for track use and competition but could also be driven on the road. Carnes entrance into the racing sport occurred in 1953 when he raced a Glockler Porsche Spyder in hillclimb competition and road races. The following year he piloted a Jaguar XK-120 to an impressive third-place finish at Pikes Beak. Within a few years, he modified automobiles to feed his need for speed. He transplanted a Cadillac engine into a Jaguar and dubbed it a 'Jagillac.' In his capable hands, he won the 1956 Buffalo Bill Hillclimb. In 1957, he began work on a car of his own design.
The X-1 was entered in the 1958 Pikes Peak Hillclimb where it finished in fifth place in the sports car class. The car was promising but needed more refinement and power. After several iterations, the XP-4 was born. These were available near the close of 1958 and offered as a kit car or as a complete package. The fiberglass body sat atop a 90-inch wheelbase. A Volkswagen or Porsche suspension could be found in the front and given extra modifications by Carnes. In the back was an Oldsmobile live axle with torsion bars. One vehicle was given Jaguar disc brakes, but most were outfitted with either Chevrolet or Buick drums. The engine was eight-cylinder units from either Pontiac or Chevrolet and matted to a Borg-Warner T-10 four-speed manual gearbox. Engines varied. A completely assembled example would set the buyer back about $6450. The Bocar XP-5 was very similar to the XP-4. The main changes were to the brakes, which now incorporated Buick Alfin drums. Weight distribution was improved; the XP-5 had a 44% of its weight in the front and the remaining in the rear. This was achieved by moving the engine back into the frame and offset to the right. This improved weight distribution enhancing the vehicle's balance and gives it better traction. The Bocar XP-6 incorporated a supercharged version of a Chevrolet V8. The chassis was enlarged by 14 inches to accommodate the supercharger. Horsepower was around 400, which required changes to the suspension. The suspension was beefed up to include a solid axle with torsion bars in the front and a live axle with torsion bars in the rear. The car was quick but never really gained much national attention. Only one example was ever created.The Bocar XP-7 was the next evolution of the Bocar racers. It was similar to the car it replaced and had a Volkswagen front end. At a price tag of nearly $9000, the cars were produced in very few numbers. Bocar's last racer built was for the 1960 season, the Stiletto. Less than three were created and carried a price tag of about $13,000. The car was intended to race during the 1960 season. Power was from a supercharged Chevrolet V8 engine mated to a four-speed Borg-Warner T-10 transmission. It had a space frame chassis and a fiberglass body.
By Daniel Vaughan | Mar 2010
His first creation was the Bocar X-1. It comprised a Jaguar suspension and brakes in the front and a Lincoln live axle in the rear. The powerplant was a 283 cubic-inch Chevy engine. The body was fiberglass which aided in lightweight characteristics while maintaining rigidity.
The early Stiletto was raced at Pikes Peak by Carnes but encountered problems. A second example was built and sold to Tom Butz for driver Graham Shaw. This second car had a Hillborn-injected small-block engine. A third example is believed to have been built.
By Daniel Vaughan | Mar 2010
Sportscar
Chassis #: 003
Bob Carnes of Denver, Colorado, was an aeronautic engineer who took up sports car racing in the early 1950s. The American post-war road-racing scene was a barrage of creativity and fueled by Detroit powerplants and clothed in lightweight and exotic materials, such as fiberglass. Standard production vehicles were 'hot rodded.' New racing specials were created, often inspired by designs from factory teams. After racing a Glockler-built Porsche Spyder and a Jaguar XK120, Carnes came to the realization that he would only be satisfied driving a car of his own design. As the 1950s were coming to a close, he combined his first and last names and founded BOCAR. His entry into the market put him in competition with builders such as Kellison and Devin, who were also building sports racing cars that were powered by American ingenuity and bodied in lightweight European-inspired chassis and coachwork. BOCAR's early cars were named the XP-1 through XP-4. In early 1959, Carnes introduced the Bocar XP-5. In a similar fashion to the preceding cars, the XP-5 had a space-frame design constructed with high-strength chromoly steel with a torsion-bar suspension (just like a Porsche 356). Braking was handled by Buick drum brakes. Power was supplied from a 283-cubic-inch Corvette V8 which was placed far behind the front axle to help with weight distribution. Since there was no passenger, the engine was laterally offset slightly toward the passenger's side to counterbalance the weight of the driver. The fiberglass roadster body was equally impressive and had a similar aerodynamic design similar to Maserati, Devin, and Byers sports racers.
Although the BoCar XP-5 was a capable competitor, its Achilles heel proved to be the limitations of the Corvette 283 engine against an ever-evolving field. The Bocar days of racing came to an abrupt end, not due to competition, however, but by a fire that destroyed Carnes' fabrication shop in 1962. He made claims of building 30 Bocars during 1959, but historians estimate that no more than 15 examples of the XP-5 were produced in total.
By Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2016
Sportscar
Chassis #: XP5043
Sold for $159,500 at 2017 RM Auctions : Amelia Island.
Bob Carnes began his racing career with a Glockler-Porsche Spyder in road races and hill climbs in the Denver area. In the early 1950s, he switched to a Jaguar XK 120. He later fitted a Cadillac V-8 into the Jaguar and called it the 'Jagillac.' Bob Carnes of Denver, Colorado, began building the Bocar in 1957, and no two examples were alike, with each built to the owner's needs. Most were fitted with Chevrolet engines.Production of the Bocar continued through 1961 with six iterations. Production ceased after a fire engulfed the Bocar shop after around 40 examples had been built, including an estimated 15 XP-5s.
The XP-5 was introduced in early 1959 and, like the previous Bocars, was given a unique space frame design constructed of high-strength chromoly steel. They had Buick drum brakes and a suspension system sourced from a Porsche 356/VW Beetle. The engine remained a Chevrolet 283 or 327 cubic-inch V8 that was mounted far behind the front axle. They were clothed with a lightweight fiberglass body helping achieve a total weight of around 2,100 pounds.
By Daniel Vaughan | May 2017
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