History

Barry Watkins has designed, built, created  and marketed leading edge motorcycles and high performance automobiles since 1971. These vehicles have in many instances led the industry in new directions in design, styling and performance. The list includes over 100 magazine articles of various prototype motorcycles and automobiles, including publication on covers of some of the most significant publications related to these vehicles. In addition, there have been joint ventures, participations with several famous individuals and corporations, including the following: Ing. Giotto Bizzarrini, Bill Devin, Bob Bondurant, Jim Hall, Carroll Shelby, Roman Slobodynskyj, Brayton Engineering, Yamaha International, US Suzuki Corporation, Luis Romo, Jones Motorcross, Goodyear, etc.

Automotive Developments:

The BZ 2001: An avid love of high performance sports cars and automotive racing led to the design and construction of  the BZ 2001 as a joint venture with Italy’s most significant automotive engineer- Ing. Giotto Bizzarrini. Bizzarrini was responsible for the development of Ferrari’s most successful race cars in the 1960s, including the Testa Rossa, the 250 GTO as well as design of the Lamborghini V-12 motor. The BZ 2001 was a challenge to the European and American design studios for the right of creating the most beautiful sports car in the world. The project began with a Ferrari Testarossa and was completed in 1993. The project was then delivered to the automotive media. The results were published in over 60 worldwide media magazines and television publications. The prototype was voted by many automotive journalists as the most beautiful sports car prototype in the world. 

The Devin SS: 

In about 1988, I read a book by Rich Taylor about a wonderful sports car made in the late 1950s by Bill Devin. These cars were light in weight and were powered by a small block Chevy Corvette motor. A Road And Track Magazine road test showed 0-60 times in 5.7 seconds, with a low powered Corvette motor. That matched my 30 year newer Ferrari Testarossa acceleration times. Then I saw a Scarab, driven by Don Orosco, at Laguna Seca Raceway, lap the entire field, including Phil Hill in a Ferrari Testa Rossa, in a 10 lap race. I wanted to race in the 1959 and under, “Run what you brung, over two litre Sports Race Car class” at Stephen Earle’s Monterey Historics.

A Devin SS appeared to be the best vintage race car I might be able to afford, so I set out to see if Bill Devin was still alive. He lived about 60 miles east of me, so I arranged to meet him in 1989. Over a period of time, Bill and I became close friends. In June of 1989, he agreed to sell me what I consider to be the most significant of all Devin cars, the one he owned for 30 years and that appeared in all the magazine articles. In 1992, this car was presented at the Pebble Beach Concours D’Ellegance and Bill and I drove over the viewing ramp together in his favorite car. The chassis number was SR4-8, and was the last series of cars. Later on that year, on my birthday, he sold me one of the first Devin prototype SS Kit Chassis and parts to complete number SR 1-2.

I raced SR 4-8 for a few years and after a significant crash in my first race a Laguna Seca, went on to have a very enjoyable vintage racing effort. The totals included three class wins at the Palm Springs Road Races, including one with Bob Bondurant at the wheel, a second to Don Orosco’s Scarab at the Wine Country Classic at Sears Point Raceway and a first at The Phoenix Road Races, also driven by Bob Bondurant.

Bill Devin lived into his mid 80s and died in the fall of 2000. I completed the Devin SR 1-2 restoration in 2001.

Bill loved his cars and enjoyed watching the owners of Devin’s race them across the country. Bill attended several races and was a great supporter of my efforts. Bill and I once attended a Ferrari Club track day event at Laguna Seca Raceway and I was driving my car with the fast group, which included a couple of twin turbo 288 GTOs and a couple of F-40s, Ferrari’s fastest street cars of the mid-90s. I started last in the group and about the fourth lap I had caught up with the leaders. As we entered the last hairpin turn near start / finish, I ducked inside of all the Ferraris, got on it, and by the time I was at the top of the bridge, all the other cars were tiny dots in my mirror. My Devin could not corner nor brake near as fast as any of the Ferraris, but there was no comparison in the acceleration. The Devin’s 425 HP and 2,000 pounds of weight make one very confident that they would race for pink slips with practically any street legal production car.

BZ Mystry Car:

The BZ Mystry is the next stage of development of the BZ 2001. It is a project done in conjunction with Roman Slobodynskyj, famous race car designer of USA Race Cars. The car features an aluminum chassis and suspension, carbon fibre body, rocker arm suspension and our own detuned V-8 push-rod-two-valve race motor that Roman designed for Brayton Engineering to win the INDY 500. The motor is twin turbo and will easily produce 700 HP for street applications. Completed dry weight is projected to be approximately 1,980 pounds.

1974 Ferrari Dino “One-Off”:

In the late 1970s we designed and built the alloy body work by hand, a One-Off Ferrari Dino GTS Spyder from a rolling chassis. This unique car was powered by a Dino / Stratos 280 HP four valve-four cam 2.4 litre motor with a Colotti 5 speed close ratio transmission. This car was faster than all street V-12 Ferraris on road courses such as Laguna Seca Raceway. This motor would turn 8,000 RPMs in fifth gear when the V-12s were turning about 4,500 RPMs at the end of the same straight-aways. Total dry weight, with the alloy body was about 2,480 pounds.

 

Watkins Racing Big Rig Race Car Hauler:

The goal was to design and build a race car hauler with a full-size class-8 cab with a bobtail body to haul the race cars. The goal also included being able to do so with a street drivers license, no trip tickets at the border, no exorbitant insurance fees and a user friendly driving features.

We teamed up with Freightliner Corporation and the completed project solved all of the goals plus gave us the fastest truck on the hill and 10 MPG fully loaded. The Freightliner included aluminum frame rails, a Caterpillar diesel motor that would tow the Queen Mary, a beaver tail rear loading ramp door, aluminum and composite body and storage bins and the ability to haul a large family in great comfort. The truck is now owned and operated by Kiwi Indian Parts, Riverside, California and is used for cross-country hauling of Indian Motorcycle parts and accessories to shows across the country.

1959 Scaglietti Corvettes:

In 1959, Jim Hall and Carroll Shelby were racing with and against Ferrari and were frustrated with the expense of maintaining the Italian powered race-ware. The idea arose to build a light-weight American powered V-8 and join it with an alloy body. Carroll Shelby went to Ed Cole at Chevrolet with the idea and three rolling chassis were ordered which were sent to the Italian coach work builder, Scaglietti, who was also the Ferrari body builder at the time. The idea of the first Cobra was underway, but a combination of factors, including Shelby’s retirement as a race driver due to his heart condition, Chevrolet’s withdrawal from racing and the delays of receiving the finished cars back from Scaglietti, all caused the racing demise of these beautiful cars.

One of the cars was owned by Jim Hall, one by Carroll Shelby and one to a Texas oilman / collector, Gary Laughlin. Barry Watkins acquired the Hall and Shelby cars and presented them in back to back years at the Pebble Beach Concours D’Ellegance. Shelby’s frustration in the delay of the project led to his effort with Ford and the Cobra. I believe that some of the frustration in dealing with the Scaglietti body production led to fuel some of the fire for the Cobra / Ferrari Wars of the mid 1960s in which the Cobra and some American Hot Rodders eventually won the FIA World Makes Championship for Cobra.

Without a doubt, these cars, which look nothing like a Corvette, were the most beautiful Corvettes and one of the most beautiful sports cars ever made.

Three photos of the Scaglietti Corvettes at the Pebble Beach Concours D’Ellegance.

The Motorcross Era- The Early Years:

In 1969, I began riding trail bikes with the purchase of a Yamaha 250 DT 1. Soon thereafter, I switched to an OSSA and then a Maico 250. The Maico handled and I loved it. After a couple of years, I met Don Jones and his two sons, Gary and Dewayne. Gary was a US National 250 Motorcross Champion, riding for Yamaha. Don and I became very close friends. He was one of the smartest and most creative men that I have ever met. He was Yamaha’s Motorcross Race Team Manager and had great flexibility in testing new trick stuff. One day while at the Jones Motorcross Racing Shop, I saw on of the Factory 250 YZs completely disassembled. They were the only bike I knew of that weighed less than 200 pounds. That was about 60 pounds lighter than my 250 DT 1 and this intrigued me greatly.

I was allowed to weigh individual components and came to the conclusion, that with a great amount of detail, I might also be able to build a bike for myself under 200 pounds. Then I thought about what a great idea it would be if the average guy on the block, like me, could build a bike similar to the factory racing bikes. I called Bob Braverman, Editor of Cycle Guide Magazine, and told him about the sub-200 pound- 250 cc motocross bike possibility. He said if I could build such a bike under 200 pounds, it would be a first and he would put it one the cover of Cycle Guide if I would write  an in-depth article.

Next, I contacted Terry Tiernan, Vice President of Yamaha America in Buena Park, California, one mile from where I worked. He like the idea of Yamaha getting a magazine cover and put a lot of energy behind my effort to help. The rest is history. Bob Braverman weighed the finished product with a fish scale in their warehouse and said it weighted 193 pounds. I had my first cover article. I was very thrilled. That issue of Cycle World with my “Lightweight Weapon” on the cover sold far more copies of Cycle Guide than any other issue for years to come.

In 1972, I thought it would be more challenging to build a sub-200 pound 360 cc motocross bike. Cycle World Magazine published my 10 page photo-journalistic effort of the next project. The people at Cycle World were first class and I loved working with Joe Parkhurst. The formula I used was to design a project with both existing and prototype products from various quality manufacturers and suppliers and this in turn created many companies and new products for the motocross industry. Many new companies were launched from the promotional value of these projects.

In 1972, I approached Joe Parkhurst of Cycle World Magazine about doing a magazine devoted solely to trick parts for dirt bikes. He loved the idea and five weeks later I gave him the manuscript and photos for a 124 page “One-Shot” named, “Dirt Bike Accessories, A Complete Guide to Trick Parts”. The funds from the publication gave me enough money to put a down payment on a nice new tract home in Orange County, which my son lives in today.

 

In 1973, I was intrigued by Roger DeCoster’s World Champion Suzuki 500 cc motor cross bike. I did quite a bit of research and found that Eric Cheney of Great Britain had designed the chassis and much of the work for Suzuki. Here was another opportunity that I could have some fun, build a great bike and give something to the average guys on the street to build in order to compete with the works teams. Cycle Guide committed to a cover and when we finished, the bike appeared on the cover of the December, 1973 issue as a reflection in a Christmas Ball. Champion Spark Plugs decal on the cover helped pay for the cost of the entire project.

 

The Champion XR 250 was a Yamaha based project built in 1973 for Dirt Rider Magazine. The frame was from Champion / Doug Schwerma and was a beautiful handling machine. In between this project were several other of secondary importance.

 

The last cover project was built in 1974 and was my only street project at that time. Cycle World asked if I would build them a “Café Racer” for a cover project and we built a really quick little bike. Randy Riggs, editor, rode the bike through Ortega Highway and said it was extremely fast. The project appeared on the cover of the November, 1974 issue. This was my last motorcycle project as I did not have any other motorcycles that I thought I could be a technology leader in. My focus began to wander toward automobiles.