Description
PBA racing cars were built by Paul Bolle from Aachen in West Germany, and the name was an acronym of his name and home town. The first PBA was front-engined, but in 1961 Bolle constructed the rear-engined PBA DKW II using many parts from DKW, Volkswagen and Porsche.
The PBA II features a DKW engine, gearbox, steering rack and track rods, brakes from very early VW Transporter T1, Porsche 356 wheels, modified DKW/ Goggomobil combination driveshafts, bespoke hubs and uprights, motorcycle springs and dampers, a twin wishbone front suspension and low pivot-point swing axle to the rear. Interestingly the dashboard is stressed and made of alloy and wood laminate.
Built for the 1000cc 360kg Formula Junior class, the PBA is a very short wheelbase car. In 1961 it was entered by the famous Scuderia Colonia (which had previously supported local hero Wolfgang von Trips) and in total it ran for 3 years in German Formula Junior, with little success.
The PBA then spent some time in the late 1960s/ early 1970s as an advert on the roof of a repair shop in Hamburg. When it was recovered the car was found to be in poor condition. It was later sold at auction and went to the USA where it was cosmetically restored and returned to the circuit. The car proved troublesome due to extreme tuning of the engine by the US owners and it was advertised for sale. Rudolf Ernst decided to rescue this piece of German motor sport history and brought it back to Europe.
Two-stroke specialist Tim Bishop restored the car and it was granted HTP papers. Rudolf subsequently drove it at Goodwood in 2015 and 2017 where it was maintained and run by Simon Hadfield Motorsport.
A very attractive and unique Junior.
