1963-64 George Begg 650
Not everybody can say they built a car after reading a book. But George Begg could.
In fact, that’s the humble back-story behind how the agricultural engineer got his start in the world of race car construction.
- Built between 1963 and 1964, George’s first attempt at building a single-seater race car – what became known as the Begg 650 – took around 18 months to complete and is now owned by Scott O'Donnell
- Powered by a 650cc BSA motorcycle engine, Begg wasn’t interested in driving the new vehicle himself so he got a promising young local lad, Barry Keen, o board
- The car was built for club racing and as a bit of an engineering exercise: so it was light, simple, and had a small engine
- Even though George Begg hadn’t initially intended to build any more cars, within it lay the promise of bigger and better things. And that’s how it all began
- The car was handicapped by its small rear-engine, but within it lay the promise of bigger and better things. And that’s how it all began.
Nothing’s as good as seeing the real deal: to admire this beauty up close and to find out more technical details, make sure you come on into Classic Motorcycle Mecca – the leading classic motorcycle collection in the Southern Hemisphere.
We’ve done our utmost to ensure details about the vehicles in our extensive collection are accurate: but if you spot something that’s not quite right, we’d love to hear from you.
“George Begg bunker is a must see for NZ motorsport enthusiasts... what an amazing display... I was lost in there for 2 hours.”
RedShoes, Queenstown NZ