Barry Lester
Designer
After designing for Peter Atkinson's Acorn Models and John Day, Barry Lester founded Auto Replicas in 1971 to produce white metal scale cars. The business name later changed to BKL Developments as the number of patterns and castings grew. Now retired, Lester spends his time making Bugatti and Citroen models and continues to publish drawings and designs.
Lester was inducted in 2008 into the 1:43 Diecast Scale Model Hall of Fame.
Subject ID: 60641
MoreAfter designing for Peter Atkinson's Acorn Models and John Day, Barry Lester founded Auto Replicas in 1971 to produce white metal scale cars. The business name later changed to BKL Developments as the number of patterns and castings grew. Now retired, Lester spends his time making Bugatti and Citroen models and continues to publish drawings and designs.
Lester was inducted in 2008 into the 1:43 Diecast Scale Model Hall of Fame.
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Founder of the Auto Replicas range, Barry Lester began making 1:43 wooden car models for collectors. These developed from his other modelling activities, which included the publication of various articles, model car and boat plans, and other similar projects.
In the mid 1960s collectors started to become aware of these models and, in addition, specialist model shop owners such as Jacques Greilsamer in Paris and Jacques Simonet in Le Mans started to order Barry’s wooden 1:43 models in small batches. Also, at around this time, Barry began working with Peter Atkinson of Acorn Models in Swansea, producing the master patterns for vacuum-formed 1:43 kits which were developed from his range of vac-formed bodies for slot cars. After a while, they began producing plastic and white metal kits such as a 3-wheeler Morgan. However, the joint venture halted when Peter suddenly developed other interests.
Elsewhere, John Day was developing his plans for a big range of white metal kits and asked Dave Gilbert and Barry to make some patterns. Unfortunately, as they were not paid, work stopped!!!
One of Barry’s regular customers for his wooden models, Leslie Hurle Bath, was already importing various diecast models from around the world, such as the Diapet range from Japan, as a sideline from his main business of importing fabrics into Holland. To assist in the promotion and sales, Reg Miles helped the new business with his regular column in Model Cars magazine. Reg died in December 2004 at 93 yrs, and had kept in touch with Barry throughout his later life.
Leslie and Barry decided that they could produce their own range of white metal kits and thus Auto Replicas Ltd. was formed in Salisbury, England at the end of 1971. Following on from this Auto Replicars was formed in Amsterdam.
Their first kit, an ERA was premiered at a swapmeet organised by Paul Gallotti and his friends in Poitiers in the autumn of 1972, and following on from this, they toured Europe for several years to promote their products at swapmeets, even organising an International swapmeet in Bournemouth!
They aimed at introducing a new model every 3 months, and Mike Karslake did some of the pattern work for them, together with Adrian Swain, who made the ERA, their first model. However, most was done, along with casting, by Adrian Swain known as ABS Models, and without him, they would not have got far.
Soon a range and network of agents through Western Europe, Scandinavia, USA, Canada, Japan, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand had been established, and in recognition of these efforts, Barry received the Quattroroutine Diploma Speciale at an exhibition in Italy. He always found that his models were more popular in overseas, although Grand Prix Models did retail some.
Subject ID: 60641
Subject ID: 60641
