D3 Series 1970 - 1982
1970 Bogliq Ungoliant
Bogliq USA always intended to hold European sports cars to account; the Naiad failed but the Ungoliant was a roaring success!
The Bazooka was a no compromise sports car, designed with passion and meant to take Europe head on, but the Naiad just… wasn’t. It was a fine coupe, sure, but it just wasn’t a true sports car. The Ungoliant looked to transform that image; mid engined, galvanised spaceframe and corrosion resistant panels! It only seated two, had no cargo capacity outside of the cabin, plus didn’t even use power steering!
The reveal was nothing short of sensational; every celebrity bought one, every kid wanted one and every Highway Patrol officer loathed trying to catch one… Sales went ballistic amongst those who could afford one and the factory couldn’t keep up with initial demand! But production was improved, deliveries made and many happy customers were to be found all over the USA.
Ungoliant Mk 1 Model Range
440S - $5,299 Driveaway, $315 p.a. servicing (2dr mid-engine coupe, 4L V6, 121Kw, 5M, 239Km/h, 8.23s 0-100, 15.8L/100) Reliability: 56.1. (Relevant Category: Sport - C: 120.1 A: 82.3%)
460S - $5,949 Driveaway, $472 p.a. servicing (2dr mid-engine coupe, 6L V8, 163Kw, 5M, 264Km/h, 6.66s 0-100, 17L/100) Reliability: 55.4. (Relevant Category: Muscle - C: 131.1 A: 63.6%)
Homologation for the Nurburgring 24hr, 1970
What better way of proving you make European standard sportscars than by racing them in Europe!
The Ungoliant also was the first Bogliq to make waves in Europe. The Ungoliant, due to it’s bulging order-book, was able to pass the homologation requirement for the BRC Racing Federation to allow the Ungoliant to compete in the 1970 24hrs at the Nurburgring. This competition also saw the reveal of an internal re-organisation in the Special Projects Division.
Special Projects Racing would compete with a homologation variant of the 440S, badged the 440 Nur, collecting data to aid in the introduction of radial tyres. The expat Ungoliant didn’t do well in the 24hr rankings, attaining an overall position of 57th out of 84 entrants. The team was inexperienced and the Ungoliant was underpowered but with only 11 errors in the entire 24hr race, the Ungoliant was a decent handling platform and would get it’s Radial tyre upgrade in time for the MY72 model year…
Radial Tyres
The Radial Tyre Program unlocked the Ungoliant’s true potential
The D3 program was a smash hit, but sales of the big engined 460S model were definitely harder to achieve than the smaller 440S. This was entirely due to the tyres, or to be more precise, the lack of appropriate levels of grip from cross-ply tyres without impacting brake performance. Indeed, the director for the movie Outrun the Sunset used his connections to get a prototype, radial tyred, 460S to do the speed shots while a production, cross-ply tyred, 460S was used for the glamour shots.
The tyres massively improved handling and straight line performance; with the 460S now earning the holiest of automotive titles; Supercar.
Ungoliant Mk 1 Model Range - 1972
440S - $6,759 Driveaway, $329 p.a. servicing (2dr mid-engine coupe, 4L V6, 124Kw, 5M, 250Km/h, 7.51s 0-100, 12.7L/100) Reliability: 56.5. (Relevant Category: Sport - C: 155.3 A: 83.6%)
460S - $7,709 Driveaway, $483 p.a. servicing (2dr mid-engine coupe, 6L V8, 181Kw, 5M, 279Km/h, 6.55s 0-100, 16.2L/100) Reliability: 55.1. (Relevant Category: Super - C: 105.7 A: 99%)
1974 Bogliq Ungoliant
Detail changes to the exterior herald the larger changes internally, required for the introduction of catalytic converters
Despite flagging sales, Bogliq USA produced a revised version of the D3 in order to comply with new emissions requirements. This would incorporate feedback from customers on areas where the car could be improved. Some fussy details were refined or redesigned and care was taken to maintain the feel of performance even as the catalytic converter cased a loss in overall performance.
Ungoliant Mk 1 Model Range - 1974
440S - $7,919 Driveaway, $387 p.a. servicing (2dr mid-engine coupe, 4L V6, 127Kw, 5M, 253Km/h, 8.35s 0-100, 16.6L/100) Reliability: 61.6
460S - $8,819 Driveaway, $486 p.a. servicing (2dr mid-engine coupe, 6L V8, 170Kw, 5M, 276Km/h, 7.14s 0-100, 17.9L/100) Reliability: 61
1978 Bogliq Ungoliant Mk 2
The Mk 2 D3 Ungoliant range was limited to engine changes and interior trim improvements
By 1977 it was no surprise that Bogliq USA was in financial difficulty; poor sales and a recession had bitten hard. This meant that niche products, and especially older niche products such as the Ungoliant, received less development money than they really needed. The D3 Mk 2 put the money where it was most needed; the powertrain. Gone were the troublesome alloy headed engines and 2 way catalytic converters, in their place were modern all iron units and 3 way cats. Performance improved to almost 1972 levels for the sports car, with the supercar improving on 1972 levels despite a more luxurious trim specification. Alas, thanks to inflation, the prices were the only area the Mk 2 was unable to return to the good old days; inevitably prices had to rise.
Ungoliant Mk 2 Model Range
438S - $10,399 Driveaway, $491 p.a. servicing (2dr mid-engine coupe, 3.8L V6, 132Kw, 5M, 255Km/h, 7.74s 0-100, 14.7L/100) Reliability: 64.4
463S - $15,399 Driveaway, $960 p.a. servicing (2dr mid-engine coupe, 6.3L V8, 203Kw, 5M, 300Km/h, 6.55s 0-100, 17.5L/100) Reliability: 63.7