B8/44

B8/44 is the Nagari coupe currently raced in Europe by Leo Kusters. I know a little bit about the history of the car but not heaps and maybe there's a few people out there who can fill in the gaps. Despite newspaper reports of a healthy export market in South Africa, B8/44 is the only Nagari I am aware of to go to that country. It must have been sent there minus engine and gearbox because as late as 1997 there was no engine number stamped on the chassis plate. It is my belief that it lived in that country for many years, but in the nineties it turned up in the UK. Victorian branch member and UK resident, Chris Camp, owned it briefly in the early nineties but it was advertised for sale in Nov/Dec. 1999 English Motorsport magazine.
However, in between those 2 occurrences it lived in Spain. On the 14th July 1997, Ramon Lopez Villalba of Andorra, Madrid, wrote to Australian Automobile Association in Canberra asking for information to assist with the restoration of his car, Bolwell Nagari B8/44. This letter was passed on to the NSW club at the time. Ramon was the proprietor of a company called Hispakart, competition kart fabricators. It is interesting that Leo's young son, Jordy, races karts. I wonder if there is any connection. Leo has campained B8/44 for some time now. I wonder if he bought it in England or whether there is another country on the way to Belgium/Holland/Germany.

Meanwhile, UK Bolwell fanatic, Chris Camp, is racing a Mk.7 in historic events over there. (At least I think he still is). His car is featured in the gallery section of the UK Holden Register website. Hence the link.