Makes › Rex-McCandless › McCandless sports car (1950s) · Prototype · Visionary project · 1953
Rex-McCandless
McCandless sports car (1950s)
Aluminium-bodied two-seat sports car by Belfast engineer Rex McCandless, with a 1172cc Ford engine, a rigid gearbox and torque-tube spine and independent front and rear suspension; only a handful were built.
Still being researched: identification guide, full specifications. Everything shown is checked against the cited sources. Know more? Send us a source.
Contents
01Overview
At a glance
- Built
- Not yet verified
- Years
- 1953
- Engine
- Not yet verified
- Power
- Not yet verified
- Top speed
- Not yet verified
- Body
- Not yet verified
- Designer
- Rex McCandless
- In this archive
- Not yet verified
- Surviving
- Not yet verified
Sources and any conflicting figures are in the sections below.
Why it matters
Rex McCandless is best known as the designer of the Norton Featherbed motorcycle frame. His 1953 racing cars applied unusual ideas, such as four-wheel drive and an engine used as a stressed member, to a small racing class.
How rare is it?
Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.
Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.
02Production & history
Production
Every figure says what it counts.
No production figures recorded yet.
History
In 1953 McCandless built two 500cc cars of his own design. Each had a forward-mounted Norton engine, four-wheel drive and enclosed bodywork, which the source contrasts with the torpedo style of most constructors. The source judges that the additional weight and complexity would have outweighed any traction or aerodynamic gain.
A photo caption places Rex McCandless in the Staride during the Earl of March Trophy at Goodwood in April 1953, where he finished eighth.
Variants
How each version differs from the standard McCandless sports car (1950s).
No variants documented yet. Have a source? Contribute it.
03Specifications
Technical specifications
Engine
| Engine manufacturer | Norton (motorcycle engine, mounted forward)1 Independently researched |
|---|---|
| Engine family | Not yet verified |
| Engine code | Not yet verified |
| Layout | Not yet verified |
| Displacement | Not yet verified |
| Bore | Not yet verified |
| Stroke | Not yet verified |
| Compression ratio | Not yet verified |
| Fuel system | Not yet verified |
| Power | Not yet verified |
| Power at | Not yet verified |
| Torque | Not yet verified |
Transmission & drivetrain
| Gearbox | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Gears | Not yet verified |
| Driven wheels | four-wheel drive1 Independently researched |
Chassis, body & dimensions
| Chassis | frame with a backbone; driver seated low alongside it1 Independently researched |
|---|---|
| Front suspension | Not yet verified |
| Rear suspension | Not yet verified |
| Brakes | Not yet verified |
| Steering | Not yet verified |
| Body construction | enclosed bodywork1 Independently researched |
| Wheelbase | Not yet verified |
| Length | Not yet verified |
| Width | Not yet verified |
| Height | Not yet verified |
| Front track | Not yet verified |
| Rear track | Not yet verified |
| Kerb weight | Not yet verified |
| Dry weight | Not yet verified |
Performance
| Maximum speed | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| 0–100 km/h | Not yet verified |
| Fuel tank | Not yet verified |
“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.
04Colours & options
Factory colours & interiors
Original paint and trim, with the number of cars in each where a source gives it.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Factory options & codes
Codes are shown exactly as written by the manufacturer.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
05Individual cars
Chassis register
Every documented car, with its colours, history and where it is now. Open a row for the full record. Known chassis are not automatically authenticated originals.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Competition history
Every race result of the individual cars, in date order. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Auction & sale history
Documented public sales of the individual cars. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
See one in person
Museums where an example of this car can be seen.
No example is documented on public display yet. Have a source? Contribute it.
06Reference
Identification guide
How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Sources
Each number links to the exact facts it supports.
-
1
McCandless 500 (marque page, 500race.org archive) Level C 500race.org (Wayback Machine capture) · 2008-03-04
- a forward mounted Norton engine
- four wheel drive
- alongside the backbone of the frame
- The enclosed body-work was in sharp
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