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Bulant Motors, Brian Rawlings and the Bulanti at Amaroo Park (1970–1972)
Bulant Motors operated from a workshop immediately adjacent to the entrance of Amaroo Park. It was here that Brian Rawlings built XXXXX —and the Bulanti—at precisely the time Amaroo Park itself was emerging as Sydney’s new home of motorsport.
Bulant Motors at Amaroo Park
When the Australian Racing Drivers Club (ARDC) reopened Amaroo Park in May 1970, the precinct rapidly became more than just a race circuit. It attracted engineers, fabricators, racing teams and specialist workshops. Bulant Motors was one of these early businesses.
Brian Rawlings established his workshop beside the circuit entrance, giving him something almost unheard of for a small constructor: immediate access to a racing circuit for testing. Contemporary accounts describe Amaroo Park as effectively becoming Rawlings’ proving ground, allowing development drives to be undertaken on a genuine competition circuit rather than public roads.
For a low-volume Australian sports car manufacturer, this was a remarkable advantage.
Brian Rawlings
Before establishing Bulant Motors, Rawlings had already developed a reputation as an inventive engineer and constructor, building racing specials and developing Mini-based competition cars. Rather than simply modifying existing vehicles, he wanted to design an entirely new Australian sports car that combined lightweight construction with proven Mini mechanicals.
His philosophy was straightforward:
- keep weight extremely low
- use reliable, inexpensive Mini components
- create genuine sports-car handling
- produce something Australians could realistically own.
The Bulanti
The resulting car was named the Bulanti—a contraction inspired by “Bull Ant”, reflecting the tiny Australian insect renowned for being far stronger than its size suggests.
The name perfectly matched the concept:
- compact dimensions
- very low weight (around 535 kg)
- mid-mounted Mini engine
- tubular steel chassis
- fibreglass coupe body (following the aluminium prototype)
- exceptional power-to-weight ratio for the period.
The prototype was hand-formed in aluminium before moulds were produced for fibreglass production bodies.
Amaroo Park as the test track
Perhaps the most unique aspect of the Bulanti story is its connection to Amaroo Park itself.
Because Bulant Motors sat immediately beside the circuit entrance, Rawlings could test suspension geometry, braking and handling under genuine race conditions. Several contemporary sources specifically note that Amaroo Park served as the development circuit for the prototype.
For a tiny independent Australian manufacturer, this effectively provided a private development facility that larger manufacturers would have envied.
Production
Although Rawlings envisioned small-scale production, reality intervened.
Only:
- one aluminium prototype
- two fibreglass production cars
were completed.
Prospective buyers wanted individually customised cars rather than standard production examples. Each request required redesign and additional fabrication, making the project commercially impractical for such a small operation.
Rawlings later decided his time was better spent elsewhere and ceased production.
Only three examples are known to have been built.
The aluminium prototype has survived, and in recent years enthusiasts have recovered one of the original cars along with some of the original moulds, sparking renewed efforts to document the marque’s history.
The workshop became a meeting place for Sydney’s Mini enthusiasts.
One first-hand account recalls that groups of young Mini owners regularly visited Brian Rawlings’ garage at Amaroo Park after discovering the remarkable little sports car being developed there. The workshop became something of a local attraction for enthusiasts during 1970–71.
Historical significance
Although Bulant Motors existed only briefly, its significance extends well beyond the three cars produced.
The Bulanti represents:
- one of the few completely Australian-designed Mini-based sports cars
- an example of Australian low-volume specialist manufacturing
- Interviews with Bob Winley and Peter Della Valle +other Bulanti historians
