Description

The Berkeley Bandit was a prototype sports car developed in 1960 by Berkeley Cars, marking the company’s final attempt to break into a more mainstream and competitive automotive market before it ceased operations. Unlike Berkeley’s earlier fiberglass microcars powered by motorcycle engines, the Bandit was a significant departure in both design and engineering.

The Bandit featured a sleek and modern fiberglass body designed by John Tojeiro, the engineer also known for his work on the AC Ace, which later evolved into the AC Cobra. The car had a low-slung, aggressive profile with distinctive lines, pop-up headlights, and a more substantial presence than Berkeley’s earlier lightweight models. It was intended to compete directly with small sports cars like the MG Midget and the Austin-Healey Sprite.

Under the hood, the Bandit was designed to be powered by a four-cylinder Ford engine—specifically the 997cc engine from the Ford Anglia 105E—mated to a four-speed gearbox. This marked a move toward more conventional car construction, giving the Bandit the performance and reliability advantages of mass-produced components. Unlike its front-wheel-drive predecessors, the Bandit featured rear-wheel drive, a proper ladder frame chassis, and more advanced suspension, giving it more in common with contemporary sports cars.

Although the prototype showed considerable promise and even generated some excitement among dealers and motoring enthusiasts, only two or three examples were built before Berkeley went into receivership. The company’s financial struggles, partly due to the collapse of its primary engine supplier (Excelsior), meant the Bandit never made it to full production.

Today, the Berkeley Bandit is considered one of the great “what might have been” stories in British automotive history. It’s an incredibly rare collector’s item and a testament to the ambition and innovation of a small company that punched well above its weight.