The Ausper is a

racing car Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts were organise ...

that was made in the United Kingdom from 1960 to 1962 by Competition Cars of Australia.{{cite book, last=Hodges, first=David, title=A-Z of Formula Racing Cars, year=1990, publisher=Bay View Books, location=Bideford, UK, isbn=1870979168, pages=279 It started life as a normal

Formula Junior Formula Junior is an open wheel formula racing class first adopted in October 1958 by the CSI (''International Sporting Commission'', the part of the FIA that then regulated motorsports). The class was intended to provide an entry level class ...

car, with a rear-mounted

Cosworth Cosworth is a British automotive engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in high-performance internal combustion engines, powertrain, and electronics for automobile racing (motorsport) and mainstream automotive industrie ...

engine An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy. Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power gen ...

set in a tubular

space frame In architecture and structural engineering, a space frame or space structure ( 3D truss) is a rigid, lightweight, truss-like structure constructed from interlocking struts in a geometric pattern. Space frames can be used to span large areas with ...

, with a

Renault Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English; legally Renault S.A.) is a French multinational automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company produces a range of cars and vans, and in the past has manufactured ...

gearbox. Originally, it was based on the Tomahawk, a design from

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Au ...

Tom Hawkes that was intended for export to his home country. One of the unusual features of the Ausper was the bodywork, which was very low, with an upswept tail and the drivers roll bar faired into the headrest. The Ausper was revised in 1962, with sleeker bodywork, and a total height of 24 inches to the top of the body. Results were encouraging, and Ausper developed plans for a

Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...

car using a Clisby V-6 engine, but these plans never eventuated, which led to Ausper closing down.

References

External links

Ausper history
Cars introduced in 1960 1960s cars Racing cars