Ok I’m kidding about the “racer” part. While several brave souls raced Berkeley cars, including Pat Moss (1958 Liège-Brescia-Liège Rally), mostly Berks preferred to throw their chains, overheat, slam their pistons around or simply refuse to ascend the Alps in other than reverse. But they looked good! Today, few of these diminutive, motorcycle-engined fiberglass sports cars survive, especially in the US. Here’s one listed on facebook Marketplace, described as a “late 1950s two stroke”. The optimistic asking price is $15,000. Retrieve it from Waterford, Michigan.
Berkeley rode the wave of micro-car popularity starting in the mid 1950s. Originally a caravan company, it began making cars when Lawrie Bond came calling on Charles Panter in Biggleswade, Bedfordshire. The market was ready for cheap, economical runabouts, and Berkeley was keen to develop a new line of business to fill the seasonal gaps in its sales. With Bond’s design sensibilities and Berkeley’s fiberglass expertise, it was a match made in heaven. The company’s first car arrived in 1956, powered by a 322 cc Anzani two-stroke, backed by a column shift manual sending power to the front wheels. Strong early sales – generated ahead of performance and reliability disappointments – encouraged further production. After fewer than 200 of these early cars were made, Berkeley appeased its buyers by switching to the nearly ubiquitous Excelsior Talisman 328 – another two-stroke, but good for 18 hp! The 700 lb car could finally attain 60 mph in only half a minute. Larger engines were available as Berkeley’s models evolved, topping out at 692 ccs (a Royal Enfield four-stroke).
Interiors are not as rudimentary as one would expect. At least you’re not sitting on wicker! But seat construction is a few straps tied onto a metal frame, clothed in vinyl. Finding a complete car means side curtains, the top and its bows, even a spare tire. I admit to being a Berkeley owner: I managed to find a factory jack, laughably extraneous since me ‘n a buddy can lift the car anywhere we want to put it. There’s no boot lid – you’re bugeye-sprite-ing it, ie, shoving your travel gear behind the seats into the rear cavity.
Driving a Berk means oscillating between disbelief that such a contraption can actually be transportation, then wonderment and exhilaration, interspersed by stabs of fear as new noises and smells arise – so not unlike your average 1950s Ferrari ride but at a fraction of the price. Speaking of price, project Berks should sell for less than $10k – someone was a little frisky when the bidding was underway on this example, so despite its tattered appearance and non-running condition, the seller managed a sales price of almost $11k. Meanwhile, the best Berkeley in the world won’t cost much more than a project, but you’ll spend a lot of time and money chasing parts for these rare microcars. Today’s barn find is too expensive unless it can be brought to running order posthaste. Have you ever been tempted to own a microcar?
You’ve done it again, Michelle!
Berkeleys are thin on the ground, especially in the States, and this one comes close to “Nicest One Left?” status. Most I’ve seen — and these have held a strange fascination for me since the early 1960s — were thrashed, crashed or trashed. After 1965 or so, I never came across one that was even in good enough shape to drag home and work on.
Was there not a three-wheeler as well? I’m pretty sure I’ve seen photos of one….
Yes! That is the T60, allowed buyers a tax break because it qualified as a motorcycle. Still with the 328 Talisman….
There was a 3-cylinder stroker one as well, wasn’t there?
Yes! That three-cylinder Talisman almost single-handedly sunk Berkeley, it had a bad habit of burning pistons. “Thermally unreliable.”
Hi ray i own a 1960 Berkeley t60 3 wheeler mine has been converted and fitted with a 998 mini engine
This is a neat little car. And I also enjoyed Michelles personal experience with Berkeley cars as well. This one looks really nice all things considered, and hopefully someone can get it on the road again.
Tempted? Why yes, so my first new car was a Honda AN600 which I still own. Set aside for a redo sometime in the future. That 600 was big compared to the Berkeley. At 6 ft 3 inches tall, I imagined modifying one of these and putting the steering wheel right in the middle to allow for locating the seat further back into that rear well. Optimized for comfort and a 50/50 weight distribution with me in it. Not this one though, a bit too nice and pricey.
Very cool, that first car, and fabulous that you still have it!
Yes, and contrary to the Honda reputation for reliability today it was not particularly reliable, and yet I learned so much about working on cars from that experience. I even rebuilt the roller/pressed together crankshaft at around 70K miles. Replacement parts not available from Honda so I salvaged the good parts from two other used crankshafts to make one good one.
If my old man brain still serves, I think I remember watching one of these race at Mid Ohio and the Pittsburgh Grand Prix. These are indeed tiny, and would make a splendid addition to any Masonic parade.
If you want a little sports car, you are probably better off finding a good Midget or Sprite. Unless you want to chase down parts or are a masochist, this car is probably not for you. They are kinda neat looking though… however that would be the end of it for me…. just looking!
This one looks fairly complete and original, but there are no underhood pics. It should have a two or three cylinder Excelsior engine with a Ciba Dynastart starter/generator. $15,000 would buy the best Berkeley in the world. This one is more realistically $1500-$3500 tops.
I doubt they went anywhere is reverse being it was fitted with a motorcycle engine/box.
The Albion gearbox does have reverse.
Live and learn, huh?
I’d love to drop an RD350 engine in this, if I could figure out a practical way to start it. $15k, though?
Hayabusa
Probably too wide
Facebook marketplace: Toys and games.
:)
It’s a shame that the 105E version came too late too save the company. Are there any 105E survivors?
I got to drive one for an article I wrote for AutoWeek. What a hoot. It made my Fiat 850 look huge.
Leon Mandel, orieseditor at AW at the time, said he wanted “-st” stories—biggest, fastest, whateverz—and the Berkeley certainly lived up to that in several ways. Fortunately I own the rights to the words and pictures and could republish it.
I remember a quote from the review in Road & Track; “You ca t send the kid in a crate like that.”
Nice job on your story. I didn’t know about tje caravan connection.
I was an AutoWeek subscriber all the way through Leon’s tenure until the magazine version went away. I still miss it – no other automotive magazine has filled the void for me.
I loved Leon’s column “Jaundiced Eye” and most likely also read your articles, Carbuzzard.
The same for me! Also enjoyed Satch Carlson and my favorite Reno writer Corey Farley. When John Power was leaving Autoweek, he stopped in to see my boss. We sat in my bosses office for several hours while he tried to convince my boss to take his place at Autoweek. And to explain to us his next venture and how he proposed it to work. I personally didn’t see the merit in his plan. But evidently J.D. Power (and Associates) is a lot smarter than me.
Oh yeah, Corey Farley’s off the wall articles were also a favorite.
Cute little buggy. I’d love to play with one and maybe drop in a different drivetrain but the price on this one precludes such an endeavor.
LOL, Is Barn Finds fun or what? Today’s first posting is a Berkeley which would fit in the trunk of the second post: a 1972 Olds 98. :-) Terry J
In case you want to carry a spare?
Call it a dinghy for your land yacht.
I’ve only ever seen one Berkeley in the flesh… and it was tired, but running and driving. They are indeed quite tiny. I have several small sports cars in my fleet, but attempting to drive a Berkeley on public roads I think would make me nervous… winding up like a rock wedged between treads on your average F-250.
Yes, Berkeleys ran in SCCA in the early 50’s. They raced in I Production. Bill
Back in the 1980s a guy named John Burnham established the Front Drive Museum in Brighton, Colorado, and of course he had a Berkeley, along with about 20 other unusual cars. He vintage-raced it, too.
Drop a 455 in that thing and tear it up!! (If it wasn’t over priced by about 600%)
I’m pretty sure that the chassis wouldn’t even support an aluminum 494! However a hot Ducati 2 cylinder might fit! Now they would be a blast at the local autocross!
Been listed for 8 weeks and still hasn’t sold. I had one years ago but traded it for an 850 Spider. I considered one tiny and the other small.
I owned a 1981 Fiat 850 Spider, probably the best year, biggest (903cc) engine with little if any smog devices and put probably 30,000 miles on it. Premium fuel cost about 30 cents per gallon and the Fiat got 30+ mpg, my fuel cost was one cent per mile. As I was being reimbursed (if I remember correctly) 14 cents per mile, I was getting $13 per mile.
Considering the number of miles I was driving on business, I was getting about $3,000/per year with a car I bought for $1,200 in 1972 with about 4,000 miles on it. To put that in perspective, by base salary was less than $7,000 per year. And the mileage I was reimbursed for wasn’t taxable.
Dang, I had never calculated that before now. I guess I wouldn’t have done much better with a Berkley.
Your Berkeley looks very pretty, Michelle.
I once had a BMW 700 Sport Coupe that had been raced. 50 HP and 90 MPH. One of the ones I’m sorry I let get away.