The specialist: Buckland Automotive Engineering

The large central rev counter inscribed ‘Buckler Reading’ is a lovely touch, and a Frogeye windscreen is being cut down to fit.

The motor is a Mercury flathead, but that’s not an inevitability because there’s a Rolls-Royce Merlin in the corner – well, a normally aspirated Meteor.

The 27-litre V12 is to power a belly tanker – though, for a very British take on the ‘lakester’, the tank is a 22-footer from a Tornado.

This team is mostly about fabrication, making everything from brackets to complete cars.

A 1928 Ford Model A has its carburettors adjusted

Another recent job was to replicate the tail fairing for a modern Norton ’bike in polished aluminium: “It took two weeks and cost £5k, but he’s coming back for the front mudguard.”

With a background as a maintenance engineer, but rooted in hot rods, Smith started in a workshop behind his parents’ house in 2005, moved to the current site in ’08, then took over the next-door unit five years later: “We’d like one big shop but the original has a nice feel.”

There are usually 10 cars on the go, and the order book is full for the next two years.

“It’s mainly word of mouth,” he says. “We’ve got plenty to be getting on with – and we do classic restoration, too, although it doesn’t look like it.”

Inside Buckland Automotive Engineering’s workshop, near Bedford

Smith’s own cars include the Buckland Special – a Ford Model A chassis with a flathead V8 and handbuilt body that’s run 104mph at Pendine.

The works truck is a ’56 Ford that’s towed the Special several times to the Danish races on the beach at Rømø – an even longer expanse of sand.

Projects in progress during our visit were an incredibly complex but subtle ’51 Cadillac on air suspension, two ’34 Fords, plus a ’32, a ’31 sedan, a ’30 cabrio and a ’37 Mercedes-Benz staff car.

A line of three Fords are all steel – “the hemi’s going in the ’34 and the Chevy is going in the five-window” – with the English ’32 awaiting straight restoration.

Apprentice Ricky Stapleton fabricates new dashboard panels

The Mercedes chassis, with its body away for paint, looks out of place with its swing axles and tiny motor.

That’s going to come out completely stock, too; Buckland has replicated its fuel tank in stainless steel – “just to be safe”.

“I’ve known the black Model A for more than 25 years,” says Smith. “It inspired me to build my first hot rod.

“That was the East Coast A, with a white chassis and blue body.

“The ’34 will come out the same colour. I’ve got spindle-mount Halibrands for that, and a chrome Duval dash.”

The Auto Union–inspired Buckler has a Frogeye Sprite-based windscreen

The only work usually farmed out is paint – mostly for the expensive health and safety implications – and trim.

Each car gets a book of its build, and customers receive itemised timesheets detailing exactly what’s gone into their cars.

This is world-class stuff, but the boss isn’t precious.

We leave him punching louvres into a bonnet for a Vauxhall Zafira: “A pound an inch, plus set-up costs. I can even do them curved.”

Images: Will Williams

This was first in our May 2020 magazine; all information was correct at the date of original publication, information below updated in September 2024

The knowledge

• Name Buckland Automotive Engineering
• Address Unit 5 High Barns Farm, Roxton, Bedford MK44 3ET
• Specialism Hot rod and classic race car engineering, from chassis to engine work and full restoration, plus full body panel fabrication
• Prices £65 per hour plus VAT
• Staff Three
• Tel 07768 058060
• Email adrian@bucklandautomotive.com
• Web bucklandautomotive.com

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