Freelance
As a freelance designer, his first single seat racing car was the 2.5 liter Alfa Romeo powered Mildren Mono, built for Australian patron Alec Mildren. Frank Gardner drove the car to sixth place in the in the 1969 Tasman Series and Kevin Bartlett won the 1969 Australian Drivers' Championship with it. Gardner then commissioned a monocoque F5000 car intended for the 1970 UK season, but Gardner signed with Lola instead. He also worked with Gardner to develop the ex-Bud Moore 1969 Trans-Am Boss 302 Mustang for an assault on Group 2 in the 1970 British Saloon Car Championship.
In 1970 Bailey had set up his own design office at Gomm Metal Developments in Woking. During the summer and autumn of 1970 he worked on a secret Ford rally project that would result in the iconic but unused Ford GT70 rally car. He followed this with more design work for JW Automotive, including the Cosworth DFV powered Gulf Mirage M6 sports car for the 1972 and 1973 World Sportscar Championship seasons. Frank Williams came calling in 1971 and Bailey drew the underperforming Politoys Ford FX3 of 1972 and the Iso Rivolta Ford FX3B of 1973
He continued to do consultancy work throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Some of his work included the:
- Ford Fiesta Group 5 Rally Car (1978)
- Magnum 813 F3 car (1981)
- Ford C100 Group C car (1982)
- EMKA Racing C83-Aston Martin Group C car (1983)
- EMKA 84-Aston Martin Group C car (1984)
- AC Ace Chassis (1994)
Read more about this topic: Len Bailey