Burnett Specials. Mk I, III and IV
Owner/Builder/Driver: Stan Burnett
Burnett racecars were designed and constructed by the late Stan Burnett. Although only two ever raced at one time, in the hands of Burnett himself and Don Jensen, these distinctive cars are almost always in race photos of the era. And usually at the head of the pack.
Burnett’s first Sports Racer was the Burnett MkI, a C/M front-engined car Devin-bodied car. He soon realized staying competitive meant having to build a rear-engined car. The first was his MkII, constructed and campaigned by Burnett in early 1964 with a Corvette 327 engine with four Weber carburetors that made about 400 hp and weighted just 1550 lbs. Burnett even put in a transaxle he built himself using a Borg-Warner transmission and a Halibrand center section with quick-change gears. The car proved so successful that Burnett was asked to construct a second car in mid-1964 for another local racer Don Jensen. Jensen’s Mark II was initially powered by Ford but Jensen later dropped a 357 cubic inch TRACO-Chev motor in front of a Hewland LG600 (5-speed) transaxle.
The Burnett MkIII was constructed from Burnett’s original MkII. This car was totally destroyed in the 1969 Can-Am race at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Burnett then went on to build the Burnett MkIV. Burnett died on July 4th 1971, at Seattle International Raceway, while testing his Burnett MkIV. As with the Burnett MkIII, the Burnett MkIV was completely destroyed.
The chassis of the Burnett MkII is of tubular construction while the original bodywork came from a Genie. When Burnett constructed the car, he widened it to accommodate wide-track tires. Experimenting with aerodynamics, Burnett and Jensen modified the nose and fitted it with side skirts to keep the car stable at high speeds. Jensen also integrated a large wing into the rear deck lid to create greater downforce. As with all sport racing cars of the era, speed was attained through shear, brute force. The curb weight of the car was less than 1650 pounds, while the motor produced in excess of 500 horsepower.
Photos of the Burnetts, like those on this page, can be confusing because Jensen and Burnett were continually modifying the cars’ fiberglass bodies to create enough downforce to keep the brutes on the road. Mechanic Al Brusha worked with Burnett on his cars and shared his dedication as well as high level of skill.
Burnett racecars were designed and constructed by the late Stan Burnett. Although only two ever raced at one time, in the hands of Burnett himself and Don Jensen, these distinctive cars are almost always in race photos of the era. And usually at the head of the pack.
Burnett’s first Sports Racer was the Burnett MkI, a C/M front-engined car Devin-bodied car. He soon realized staying competitive meant having to build a rear-engined car. The first was his MkII, constructed and campaigned by Burnett in early 1964 with a Corvette 327 engine with four Weber carburetors that made about 400 hp and weighted just 1550 lbs. Burnett even put in a transaxle he built himself using a Borg-Warner transmission and a Halibrand center section with quick-change gears. The car proved so successful that Burnett was asked to construct a second car in mid-1964 for another local racer Don Jensen. Jensen’s Mark II was initially powered by Ford but Jensen later dropped a 357 cubic inch TRACO-Chev motor in front of a Hewland LG600 (5-speed) transaxle.
The Burnett MkIII was constructed from Burnett’s original MkII. This car was totally destroyed in the 1969 Can-Am race at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Burnett then went on to build the Burnett MkIV. Burnett died on July 4th 1971, at Seattle International Raceway, while testing his Burnett MkIV. As with the Burnett MkIII, the Burnett MkIV was completely destroyed.
The chassis of the Burnett MkII is of tubular construction while the original bodywork came from a Genie. When Burnett constructed the car, he widened it to accommodate wide-track tires. Experimenting with aerodynamics, Burnett and Jensen modified the nose and fitted it with side skirts to keep the car stable at high speeds. Jensen also integrated a large wing into the rear deck lid to create greater downforce. As with all sport racing cars of the era, speed was attained through shear, brute force. The curb weight of the car was less than 1650 pounds, while the motor produced in excess of 500 horsepower.
Photos of the Burnetts, like those on this page, can be confusing because Jensen and Burnett were continually modifying the cars’ fiberglass bodies to create enough downforce to keep the brutes on the road. Mechanic Al Brusha worked with Burnett on his cars and shared his dedication as well as high level of skill.