Ferris de Joux

Internationally de Joux is perhaps best known as the designer and manufacturer of a series of fibreglass bodies for Buckler sports cars.

De Joux bought the Ferrari 375 that José Froilán González drove and won the 1951 British Grand Prix at Silverstone from New Zealand racing driver Ron Roycroft.

[1] Around 1959-60 De Joux has designed the Orchid (Super Sport) Special, a 60s period racer, molded by The Australasian Motor Works.

Keith Yeats of Panmure gained several 1st and 2nd places during the period of 62-66, all in New Zealand; such as 1962'NSCC 2nd, 1964'Pukekohe 1st and 2nd, 1964'AUCC fastest lap, 1965'Pukekohe 1st and 2nd, 1965'ACC 2nd in Class Sports.

De Joux personally made the first six cars along with his team; after this his interest was on other things and he subsequently only sold bodies with plans for the chassis.

Fewer than 30 bodies were made in total including a few illegitimate copies moulded from an existing car – these can normally be identified by not having the proper de Joux GT dashboard.

[3] Issues with customers not building their cars properly were among the reasons that Ferris eventually decided to move away from the GT completely.

[4] Only a few Mini GTs are still on the road, including the original prototype, extensively restored by de Joux in the early 90s and subsequently sold to Japan.

[5] An intervening project involved an enthusiastic retired Whangārei farmer named Hamilton Walker who in 1969 appeared to be on the verge of producing an ambitious fibre-glass bodied twin-rotor two-door four-seater sedan.

[6] De Joux was the designer of the car's body, working in collaboration with project engineer Dennis Smith.

During his later years de Joux made fibreglass kayaks and raced a Brabham powered by a SCAT 2.0l engine.