Lionel joined the Auckland Car Club in 1967 after working in the United States for three years. He raced a Mk1 Escort, twin cam Anglia and 3-litre Capri in many events then sold all his cars in 1970 to start a business. He sold his business in 2003 and bought a 350Z for Targa New Zealand that year, finishing 12th outright with a near stock-standard car. He then did Targa Tasmania in 2004 and added a supercharger for Targa NZ from 2004 to 2007. He has now ‘retired’ from speed events and concentrates on road rallies around the world.
Lionel is an avid follower of F1.

Lionel Rogers - 1935 Bugatti Type 59/50S

Lionel joined the Auckland Car Club in 1967 after working in the United States for three years. He raced a Mk1 Escort, twin cam Anglia and 3-litre Capri in many events then sold all his cars in 1970 to start a business. He sold his business in 2003 and bought a 350Z for Targa New Zealand that year, finishing 12th outright with a near stock-standard car. He then did Targa Tasmania in 2004 and added a supercharger for Targa NZ from 2004 to 2007. He has now ‘retired’ from speed events and concentrates on road rallies around the world.
Lionel is an avid follower of F1.

1935 Bugatti Type 59/50S:

Bugatti dominated Grand Prix racing from 1921 until early 1930s until it was overtaken by Auto Union, Alfa Romeo, Maserati and Mercedes, who were backed by German and Italian governments. In 1935, in a final attempt to beat them, Bugatti built a car for Robert Benoist for the French GP at Montlhéry. They put a T54 4.9-litre engine into a T59 chassis. The car Lionel has built over the past six years is an authentic replica of the original. He took the car to Europe and campaigned it at the Montlhery Revival (30km south of Paris) where the original car was run for the first time. Then it went on to Prescott Hillclimb in the UK.