The Ausca was a one-off Australian special built by Paul England of Repco fame.
Styled from the Maserati A6GCS it’s as fast as it is beautiful.
England was working at the time in the Repco “Skunk Works” and one of their projects was the Repco ‘Highpower’ crossflow cylinder head (designed by legendary engineer Phil Irving), and England secured the first one produced. Cloaking the Ausca’s advanced componentry was a striking one-piece fibreglass body, finished in racing red.
The car caused quite a commotion when it made its debut in this configuration at Bathurst’s 1956 Easter meet.
Pitted against highly-developed machines like Doug Whiteford’s Maserati 300S and David McKay’s Aston Martin DB3S, the Ausca’s performance was impressive, so much so that England received a personal letter of congratulation from Repco’s chairman, Sir Charles McGrath.
Five outright wins at Phillip Island, a 4th in the Argus trophy at Albert Park, a similar result at the Bathurst 100, and a string of records and class wins at hillclimbs, sprints and circuit events around the country were amongst the results England achieved in the Ausca.
England rated his best drive as 1957’s International Sports Car Championship at Ardmore, New Zealand, where he finished 3rd outright behind Bob Gibbons’s D-Type and Jack Brabham’s Cooper Climax.
