Initially only available as a 250, by the time the Mk 5 was introduced in 1971 there were additional engine options of 125cc and 350cc. The new model was named the Pursang 'thoroughbred' in French, on account of its being manufactured entirely by Bultaco and despite their agreement having been broken Don Rickman gave the Pursang his seal of approval, successfully racing examples over several seasons. The agreement was curtailed in 1967, with the Rickman brothers unable to keep up with demand for their Metisse machines and so Bultaco introduced their own, simpler frame with a single down tube, as opposed to the duplex arrangement of the Rickman design. Unfortunately, there were soon reports of the Spanish frames breaking as they were made of tubing inferior to that of the Reynolds 531 specified by the Rickman brothers. The Rickman brothers built machines for the UK market while Bultaco built those to be sold elsewhere. The result was the 250cc Bultaco Metisse which made its debut in 1964 and which was also known as theMestizo -the Spanish translation of Metisse, meaning 'of mixed blood'. Despite his misgivings Don won the race and an agreement was reached whereby the Rickman brothers would build their own chassis to house the Bultaco engine. The brothers liked the engine, but not the chassis.
The story of Bultaco motocross machines starts in 1960 when company founder Francis Xavier Bulto engaged top British riders, Derek and Don Rickman, to try a 175ccTrallaspecial he had prepared for the Circuit de Pedralbes. 1967 saw the introduction of Bultaco's famous Pursang motocross model, which continued in production until 1981 with the ultimate Mk 15 edition.
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