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More on Peter Raphael's Mini Marcos

January 24, 2020, 3:43 am
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Two excellent photographs of the Mini Marcos raced by Peter Raphael at Montlhéry (more here) have turned up thanks to avid reader Christian Schmidt of Austria. The pictures come from a Hommel publication from France and show the car at the French track in what has to be the same race - the GP de Paris of May 1968 when it wore number 6. The Alpine (number 8) and Abarth 1300 OTS (number 38) on one of the photographs make sense also as these models were entered in the same race.

The pictures give a very good impression of the car - clearly a Mk1 model with some nice touches - quick release filler cap, works arches at the rear, headlight covers, an oil cooler at the front and very wide steel wheels. No roll cage though, it seems, so it cannot be a factory lightweight car. I wonder if it could survive?

Peter Raphael's Mini Marcos was a Mk1 and is seen here at the GP De Paris of 1968
Picture Hommel publications via Christian Schmidt

Behind an Abarth and an Alpine here. More info on the Mini Marcos is still welcome
Picture Hommel publications via Christian Schmidt

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Kingfisher Sprint shell wants to be turned into a car

January 27, 2020, 2:30 am
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A virtually new Kingfisher Sprint body shell that remains unbuilt and thus never turned a wheel since it was made in Northumberland in the 1980s has turned up for sale in Vienna, Austria. Christian Schmidt made me aware of the car that is owned by a friend of him, who lives locally. He wrote: "He is in the process of streamlining his collection of classic vehicles. Main reason is as usual - too many projects, too little time! He asked me to help him with the sale and I was immediately thinking of your Maximum Mini Market."

The shell was bought with the intention to build it up as a functioning car but it never happened. Somewhere in the shell's life the body's front end had gone missing at some point and therefore a new mould was made. This mould comes with the lot, together with the bonnet, both doors and the rear hatch panel. A new owner will have to source all the rest of the (Mini) mechanicals and further parts to finish the project, including VW Beetle 1303 windscreen, Datsun 120Y Coupe rear screen and Ford Capri rear lights as these were fitted to the cars built by Kingfisher instigator Roger King. King sold approximately 35 Sprints between 1981 and 1984.
For more details see the ad here.

Waiting to be built from the early 1980s-on - this Kingfisher Sprint body is virtually new
Picture via Christian Schmidt

A mould was made to create a new front end for the car - it comes with the lot
Picture via Christian Schmidt

What have I done..? Kingfisher body shell when it was picked up many years ago
Picture via Christian Schmidt

About 35 Kingfisher Sprints were made, and this one never turned a wheel
Picture via Christian Schmidt

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Rare McIvoy found

January 31, 2020, 1:37 am
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Some time ago, back in 2012, I wrote about the elusive McIvoy - the rare estate version of the McCoy (click here). A member of the McCoy Owners Club had told me he'd seen one and I asked "Could that be the only survivor?". Only a couple of months later one was spotted in by Mike Allen in Cheshire (click here), who then wrote: "How many left? One, two? Can’t be many."

Well, there is at least one more and that has now been unearthed by Dan Mears, who already owns the factory demonstrator McCoy. Dan wrote: "Here's my latest. The McIvoy as seen parked next to my other outside the factory back in the day. Another one needing restoration and minus the engine but nice bit of history with it too. Im really pleased I got the opportunity to find this one."

Well done Dan! I think it may well be the car that was used for advertisements and brochures, too. It would be awesome to find that spot seen below to recreate that PR picture with the same vehicles one day!

UPDATE 10:00: Dan adds: "I can confirm she is Q516 HNG. I have the V5, original V5 bill of sale loads of previous MOTs and the factory catalogue."

McIvoy is the estate version of the Mini based McCoy, as built by Arthur Birchall
Picture Dan Mears

Neville Wynes took over production in 1988 and continued to offer both models
Picture Dan Mears

Note 'McCoy' name on nose, while being a McIvoy. The factory demonstrator had this, too
Picture Dan Mears

This is a publicity shot of that demonstrator, registration is Q516 HNG but without the added spoilers. Must be the same car though?
Picture Jeroen Booij archive

And here with spoilers and sister model McCoy (Q515 HNG). Dan owns that car, too!
Picture Jeroen Booij archive

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More on New Zealand's 'Jones & Baker Bros Special'

February 5, 2020, 7:11 am
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A great number of Mini derivatives has been shrouded in mystery since they were conceived, although information on a great number was disclosed in the Maximum Mini books. Still, of some cars not very much could be found, making these a continuous quest for more to me!

In Maximum Mini 3 I wrote about the 'Jones & Baker Bros Special':
"From Rotorua, New Zealand, came this unusual 1960s Special. The car is said to have been built by Eddie Jones together with the Baker Bros, who ran a garage in Rotorua and had previously been responsible for a string of other Specials. The base vehicle was a crashed Austin Mini Countryman. Once finished and now with long bonnet plus sharp sloping hatchback rear door, there was nothing of the woody recognizable any more. The new body was all-steel. The car came out of a shed in 2015 after Eddie Jones had passed away."

In the meantime a few more pictures have been unearthed as the car appears to have been sold after having spent 15 to 20 years in the said shed. More information is still very welcome though!

Jones & Baker Bros Special was built in Rotorua, New Zealand, supposedly in late 1960s 
Picture Jeroen Booij archive

The car used Austin Mini mechanicals, hiding them well under that long bonnet. Body is all-steel
Picture Jeroen Booij archive

It languished in a shed for 15 to 20 years, but came out more recently. Note truncated rear
Picture Jeroen Booij archive

Austin Mini sourced engine comes with one carburetor. An 850?
Picture Jeroen Booij archive

Inside picture shows neat finishing. And a third brake light, too
Picture Jeroen Booij archive

Carpets removed - apparently the basis of this car was still very good. Where is it now?
Picture Jeroen Booij archive

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Dutch Mystery Mini remains an enigma

February 7, 2020, 2:42 am
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This car has been seen here before (click here), but I'd want to make another plea for more information, also on behalf of the current owner Jaap van den Corput. Jaap wrote: "It came with registration but since the wheelbase on that is not correct it's not valid and so not original. I'd like to make it road legal though, so any information about its whereabouts would help. Unfortunately there are no indications or numbers to be found anywhere on the vehicle."

Now. All that I have is one historical image of it, seen in print and also featured as 'Mystery Mini Derivative' here in 2013 (click). But unfortunately I do not even know the source of that image. One good thing is that the bonnet, which was missing at some point is now reunited with the car, wearing the 'Austin America' badge that can also be seen on the old photograph. Was it ever registered at all? All further info is that it was supposedly built in The Netherlands in the 1980s but even that is not confirmed.
So here we go:

Who knows more about this car, supposedly built in The Netherlands in the 1980s?
Who knows the source of the old photograph, seen below?
Who can tell anything about the build. It certainly seems Scamp inspired?

Dutch Mini based Special seems to have been based or inspired on the Scamp?
Picture Jeroen Booij archive / Jaap van den Corput

Bonnet, previously missing, is now reunited with the car. Note Austin America badge
Picture Jeroen Booij archive / Jaap van den Corput

Aluminium body, steel chassis. Interior is truly Spartan - although it does come with a heater
Picture Jeroen Booij archive / Jaap van den Corput

Engine definitely is an A-series. Who can tell more about it though?
Picture Jeroen Booij archive / Jaap van den Corput

This is the only historical picture that I have of it. But what is the source?
Picture Jeroen Booij archive

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Cox, Unipower, Timeire and more on Brands Hatch

February 10, 2020, 3:33 am
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This is just a lovely picture from the files taken during the BRSCC races at Brands Hatch on June 2nd, 1968. The first car that may catch the eye is the Cox GTM number 101 of Howard Heerey, but there's more. I like the number 108, which is a car named Timeire and built by Tim Conroy and his dad Patrick 'Pop' Conroy. I have it in the files as being driven by a man named Rob Mason here, but the programme mentions a John Cannadine. Who knows? You can just see the car's wide JA Pearce wheels. Timeire unfortunately does not exist anymore since the car was written off and scrapped at 1974, or so Conroy's son Martin told me.

The entry list also mentions Piers Forester in the same race, driving a Unipower GT under number 102 and we can just see a corner of this car with its left hand headlight on the far left. Could the car behind Heerey's GTM also be something Mini based? Or is that one of the two Diva GT's entered? Or the Elan? Note that Wilf Ashman was racing there also in a Walker GTS plus one Mini Marcos with a Derek Bowley behind the wheel. I would have loved to see them in action all together.

Unipower GT on far left, Timeire and Cox GTM. Mini Marcos and Walker GTS were there, too
Picture Jeroen Booij archive

Entry list of the Special GT class up to 1150cc class race at Brands Hatch 
showed some really groovy machinery on the track
Picture Jeroen Booij archive

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Who knows more about 'coachbuilt' Shorty?

February 12, 2020, 2:05 am
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I have come across pictures of this golden shortened Mini several times now and remember having read somewhere it was a professionally coachbuilt car. However, I cannot find back anything on it now. It does seem to have been marketed well in its day, though, with a number of staged publicity photographs available, made in 1971 or 1972 or so my limited information tells me. A clue to its origins may be the Swiss made 10" Edgar Schwyn wheels? 

The only unstaged picture that I have of it seems to be of a slightly later date, now with Cosmic wheels, added bull bars and a number plate that does indeed seem to be from Switzerland. 
I'm sure somebody here will be able to tell me more. 

Shortened Mini seems to have been built professionally but information is hard to find
Picture Jeroen Booij archive

Was it ever marketed as a coachbuilt Mini? Wheels may point towards Switzerland?
Picture Shutterstock

I think the number plate reads 'Super Mini '71' here. Who was behind this conversion?
Picture Shutterstock

From the files - squeezed in a tiny spot and with added bumpers and different wheels. Swiss plate?
Picture Jeroen Booij archive

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Lolita Mk1 from the man who helped to build it

February 14, 2020, 4:48 am
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Sometimes I read something that is simply too good not to share here, and the following piece is just that, as written by an Australian blogger named Gnome on his weblog Back Country Roads. This is what he published back in 2000:

"Fate often plays the main role in determining the direction our lives take. In 1962 I had bought my first car, a black Morris Mini 850. BMC as it was then called had fitted a very poor quality gearbox to the early cars and I was one of the lucky ones who received the updated gearbox. The local dealer at that time was Lorimers at Gordon. When I went to collect the car the mechanic who had fitted the new gearbox came out to talk to me. His name was Henry Nehrybecki. For some reason my Mini had appealed to him, he said he liked the little bits of bullshit that I had added to the car. He invited me to have a look at a car he was building in the workshop."

"I had had an interest in motor sport from an early age so an invitation to see a racing car actually being built was amazing. Even more amazing when Henry asked if I would like to help him with the construction if ever I had some spare time. I had started life as a motor mechanic but it was not a successful career choice for me. I dropped out when I was up to my third year of apprenticeship. All of this happened around 1963, for the next two years I spent every Saturday in the workshop. I learned more about cars and engineering in those 100 days than I did in the three years of apprenticeship. He was a perfectionist and a very good teacher. I was very much the gopher but it was very interesting and enjoyable to see the car gradually come together."

"Henry had worked for Eric Broadley's Lola team in England working on their sports cars, Formula Junior cars and finally the Formula One car. I never did find out why he left but his decision certainly added another very interesting chapter to my life."

"The car was finally ready for it's first test drive in 1965, Henry drove it to Oran Park where Kevin Bartlett was waiting to give it a few fast laps. I actually got to drive the car up to the grid which really made my day. It was powered by a 1098cc Cooper S motor mounted on top of the gearbox in the same way as the Mini's. The motor was in the rear, mounted east west but it was tilted forward at around 30 degrees so that the weight was in front of the rear axles."

"Although I spent over two years of my Saturdays and some midweek evenings working on the Lolita project as an unpaid volunteer, I feel very fortunate to have worked with a master crafstmen. I learned a lot about quality, workmanship and attention to detail."

Oran Park 1965. First test drive for Henry Nehrybecki's 1098cc Cooper 'S' Lolita Mk1
Picture Gnome / Back Country Roads

The Lolita Mk1 was followed by a Lolita Mk2, also by Henry Nehrybecki
Picture Gnome / Back Country Roads

Gnome: "I feel very fortunate to have worked with a master crafstmen. 
I learned a lot about quality, workmanship and attention to detail"
Picture Gnome / Back Country Roads

Lovely front wheel suspension The flared wings were later replaced by cycle wings
Picture Gnome / Back Country Roads

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Ogle SX1000 found in America (1)

February 19, 2020, 1:09 am
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This message about Ogles in the US was posted here some 9 years ago and in the meantime I've learned a bit more about Ogle SX1000s that made it to America. As a matter of fact a lot of information about David Ogle's exporting plans and some specific US cars has come to the light recently. So let's kick off with one car that's still in the hands of the son of the man who was appointed as an Ogle distributor, Anthony Thompson. This is what he wrote to me:

"Hi. I love your website as I never knew so many derivatives of the Mini existed! I have an Ogle Mini Cooper that needs restoring. I inherited it from my father who was an Ogle distributor in South Eastern U.S. in the mid-60s. I don't think he ever distributed any due to Sir David's demise and so the car had sat around a while."

"My father, H.D. Thompson, collected and sold cars as a hobby while working and living in Jackson, Tennessee, USA. In 1961/1962 he picked me up at my university and we drove to the Sebring 12-hour event. Along the drive he informed me he had become the dealer for Ogle for South Eastern or maybe Eastern part of the USA."

"I had a cute experience with the car while at a pre-race event. A few of the drivers decided to return to the course for early evening practice from the gathering we were at. I recommended to my father that we too exit and follow them back and he said "Why don't you drive." which was the first I had been behind the wheel. The drivers got to going "quickly" so I was hustling to keep up resulting in a four wheel drift around a curve and when I hit the gas to drive out of the curve, off into an orange grove we went with me working hard to bring the car to a stop between the rows! Looking at my Father laughing in the passenger's seat I angrily said "You could have told me it was not rear wheel drive!" Couple of followers helped us get it out of the sand and we all had a great time at my expense for 24 hours. Just taught me to always inspect your equipment before you go motoring!"

"A number of years later my father fell significantly ill in Tennessee and I decided to transport the stored and non running Ogle to Texas to get it back into condition as hopefully an uplift to him. Sorry to say he passed soon there after and I lost interest in restoration but have keep the car. In all of the information he retained that I have (i.e. exchanges with Ogle, etc.) I can not determine what the number of the car is. I am also very desirous of restoring the car or selling it to an appreciative person to do so. The only thing I do not have with the car are the seats as I took them out and delivered to a person to redo and they were lost when his business burned down! Combined with other commitments that has stopped my start at restoring. I used ether in the carbs to start the engine about 8 years ago, so it's not seized up but the fuel pump has likely long gone."

That's some great news, with more to follow soon.

This Ogle SX1000 has been in the same family since 1962. Its complete apart from its seats
Picture courtesy Anthony Thompson

Engine is not seized and ran some eight years ago for the last time. Chassis number is unknown
Picture courtesy Anthony Thompson

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Everything is bigger in Texas - not this

February 21, 2020, 7:21 am
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Historic Bugattis and classic Ferraris are known to travel the world when a new owner presents itself. The same seems to go for Mini Marcoses these days, or so it seems. Well... almost! This 1974 Mk4 Mini Marcos turned up in Oregon, USA not too long ago. It was in fact sold there last year through these pages (click here) and made its way to Texas, some 2,000 miles south-east!

We can imagine this being a fun car to drive there, but unfortunately it didn't work out quite like that for the new owner. He set himself to the task of further improving on the car and that's just what he did. But then he got a shoulder injury, which is making this a rather difficult car to drive. And so, ladies end gents, it's up for sale again. See the ad here.

Chassis 8102 is a Mk4 Mini Marcos and is an early D&H Fibreglass Techniques Ltd. car
Picture through Michel Lewis

A lot of time and money was invested to make it just what the owner wanted it to be
Picture through Michel Lewis

But it's now ready for another take off! From Oregon to Texas - what's next?
Picture through Michel Lewis

Interior was retrimmed. An extra pair of period bucket seats comes with it, too
Picture through Michel Lewis

Engine is a high-performance 1275 built by Seven Enterprises in 2014 at considerate costs
Picture through Michel Lewis

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Ogle SX1000 found in America (2)

February 24, 2020, 12:55 am
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Alrighty. More information on Ogles in the US is finally coming this way. Last week saw this Ogle SX1000 being unearthed in America, this week it's time for another. Thanks to Brendan Norton, who told me: "I almost picked this one up for free in 2005. But when I showed up the house, the guy said his wife would not let him part with it. He was the original owner. Said he was on an eight month waiting list, but after waiting a month, this car showed up at the shipping docks in Boston. The guy who ordered it didn't like the gold paint so he passed on it and this guy bought it. I can try to add more details like how he told he he took it ice racing one winter and got it over 100mph." Please do!

But what happened next to the car? Brendan doesn't know. He continues: "I have tried to get friends to go back to the house to see if it's still there. Problem was the property is set back in the woods so you can't see it from the road. It is located in Connecticut and I live about 700 miles away now. But I may be back there this summer."

To be continued, I hope. And there's more to follow on Ogles in America. But in the mmeantime, somebody else may know more about this specific car?

Ogle SX1000, well hidden in the woods of Connecticut. But is it still there?
Picture Brendan Norton

Another one-owner car, it was almost given away, until the original owner's wife interfered
Picture Brendan Norton

Imported to the US in Boston, Massachusets back in 1962 this car certainly looks original
Picture Brendan Norton

Back in 2005 the car clearly hadn't been driven for a long time. What happened?
Picture Brendan Norton

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More on Ogles in America

February 28, 2020, 3:00 am
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As promised here some more information on Ogles in the USA. Brian Hunt contacted me with the following information: "I am an avid follower of Mini news and wanted to provide some items. I used to race a Mini Cooper in the early 60’s in New England and met George Olton, who ran a sports car parts shop in Hingham, Massachusetts in the 1960’s, specializing in British equipment. He had the first Mini Cooper in the USA flown in to Boston and raced it extensively, wining his sedan class at Thompson course in Connecticut June 1964 and at Lime Rock park in CT in May 1964 (New York Times newspaper archives). I used to race with George at several tracks in New England and Canada. I had a Cooper 995 and he had a Cooper 1300. This included regular track and winter ice racing."

"George became the Boston dealer for the Ogle and imported several. He used his demo car for rallying. I participated in the winter Tri State 24 Rally in 1964, me and a co-driver in my Cooper and George in his Ogle SX1000. This was a mid winter rally starting in Portland Maine and proceeding for 24 hours through Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont, ending back in Portland 24 hours later. He came in 6th with the Ogle and I finished 22 out of 130 entrants."

"I believe he did not do too well with the Ogle sales so dropped the dealership in 1965."

Unfortunately Brian couldn't find any photographs and I do not have any either. A Google search for George Olton didn't provide more insight, too, although 'George Oulton' gave quite a lot more hits, especially when combined with words such as 'racing' and 'Mini'. But nothing to be found on Ogles. Remarkably I did come across a hit of the man having entered a Mini Marcos at the 12th Annual Bahamas Speed Weeks - in as early as December 1965. I'd love to find out more about that, too.

This Ogle SX1000 hailed from New Mexico, USA. Probably after being imported by George Oulton
Picture Bring a Trailer

Oulton supposedly sold several from his base in Massachusetts, like this California car?
Picture Bring a Trailer

As he seems to have entered a Mini Marcos in the Bahama Spped Weeks races of December 1965
Who knows more?
Picture Racingsportscars.com

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Back from the UK - what a trip!

March 4, 2020, 12:39 am
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Having returned from the UK, I can look back on a week with some fantastic meetings but also with some real downsides, too. Things started pretty gloomy when the fuel pump of my beloved Saab decided the time had come to stop pumping fuel on the night before leaving for Calais. Thanks to my garage we could fit a new one just in time, but then I still wasn't prepared for the terrible traffic jam around Antwerp, which caused me to miss my ferry. And my first appointment. More trouble lay ahead, but let's focus on the good things first: the people I met. Thanks guys, you've been great! I took hundreds of photographs, so let's scroll through a small selection here.

That's Andrew MacLean of the Scamp Motor Company welding another chassis. He's done hundreds!
Picture Jeroen Booij

While this machine has made all the body panels for all the Scamps that were ever sold
Picture Jeroen Booij

Andrew then brought me over to a field where he knew one very special RTV had been parked up
It's certainly worth a story on its own
Picture Jeroen Booij

This man is mister Santos and he is the curator of the UK's largest classic car collection.
The warehouse behind him stores only one half of it, but was too big to photograph in full!
Picture Jeroen Booij

I was given a grand tour and was left amazed. While focussing on the top end of the market, this collection also houses some Mini derivatives. Hustler Sixes for example 
Picture Jeroen Booij

And how about this Wood & Pickett Mini? - a car that was previously featured in Maximum Mini
Picture Jeroen Booij

Master of the coachbuilt Minis is Steve Burkinshaw, here in his Hertfordshire based workshop. 
We had a truly lovely day and made some great plans for the future
Picture Jeroen Booij

The number of coachbuilt Minis that Steve restored over the last decades is quite unbelievable. 
And then the stories that he tells about them! 
Picture Jeroen Booij

A typical car you'd find in his front garden, one with great provenance. More special stuff behind
Picture Jeroen Booij

Over to the Midlands. Stimson-fan Paul Wylde managed to buy this Stimson Scorcher two weeks ago. Did he want to take it out for me to do a photoshoot? Oh, yes
Picture Jeroen Booij

And his mate George Marsh came over, too, bringing a beautifully built Domino Pimlico 
Picture Jeroen Booij

Next stop: Worcestershire, where I bumped into some genuine barn finds. 
Some real obscurities there! Recognize some?
Picture Jeroen Booij

The one I actually came for was outside. It's the long-lost Micron GT! More to follow
Picture Jeroen Booij

Havoc struck when, on a particularly dark and deserted Lincolnshire road, out of nowhere a couple of deer stood right in front of me while I traveled at 50mph, damaging my beloved Saab
Picture Jeroen Booij

One deer was hit at the right side and one at the left. I never found them as it was so pitch dark. 
These pictures were taken the next morning
Picture Jeroen Booij

Don't say I just hit a tree. My mate who is into the game trade told me this was the hair of fallow deer
Picture Jeroen Booij

ABS boss Tony Bucknall made up for it though, spending much of a day to show me around his place and talk about his passion for Mini derivatives. He has quite a few!
Picture Jeroen Booij

Oh, and did he want to push out the mighty CJC Bison for a full photo shoot, before I went to catch my ferry back? Of course he wanted that!
Picture Jeroen Booij

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Nimbus Coupe prototype found on a farm

March 5, 2020, 9:04 am
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Fortunately I am not the only person discovering long-lost classics on remote places in the UK (last week's news). Chris Pollitt and Jonny Smith of Car & Classic recently unearthed what they believe to be 'the rustiest Jaguar in the world' in a farm yard in Somerset planning to restore it (very enjoyable video here). But the Jag - a Mk9 - wasn't the only thing to be found there.

Richard Hawcroft dropped me a line: "I found a Nimbus! Well, I havent, but I found it whilst watching Youtube! Do you know it?" It's about 9 minutes in: Q304 NYA. One you know abour?"

And right he was, and you bet I knew that car. Car & Classic's Chris and Jonny had no idea though, uncovering it from bushes of brambles: "This is a real race car that's been living in the weeds for about 25 or 30 years. Is it a kit car? Well, it hasn't rusted away, so I guess so!"

As a matter of fact it is the Nimbus Coupe prototype that was used for the car's launch back in 1984. The same car was then sold to Garry Shillabeer of Devon who modified it into a racer. What happened next was unknown to me, until now! Thanks Rich and the boys from Car & Classic. I'm sure Nimbus designer Ian Shearer, who sadly passed away in November, would have loved it. Let's see who is going to save it now.

Found on a Somerset farm by the Car & Classic team: the Nimbus Coupe prototype
Picture Car & Classic

Q304 NYA is said to have been 'living in the weeds for about 25 to 30 years'
Picture Car & Classic

But here it is back in 1984 on its official press launch in East-Sussex
Picture Jeroen Booij archive

The car was then sold to Garry Shillabeer who turned it into a racer
Picture Jeroen Booij archive

Shillbeer campaigned the Nimbus in races, here at Cadwell Park in the mid-1980s
Picture Jeroen Booij archive

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Micron GT finally found

March 6, 2020, 5:22 am
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Finally, the Micron GT has been unearthed from its hiding place after many years. A bit more on its history here. At some stage, the car's body has been mildly modified with different windows in its gull wing doors and wide rear wheel arches but it is the same car, with the yellow paint still underneath the current red. According to the DVLA the registration 'ANR 608B' was applied in 1986, which seems odd. It also says the car uses an 1100 engine. That could well be the case as one report mentions the original 850 Mini Pick Up engine being swapped over for an 1100. The adjustable wheel suspension to the Bray brothers' own design is still there.

I received several messages from people who are very much interested in the car. One of them wrote: "I went to view it in the late 1980’s! The car was owned by a college lecturer in Coalville, Leicestershire and had a BMC Maxi engine part fitted then. It was in a very poor condition, the Maxi engine was in a shed! From memory, they were trying to use the cable gear linkage. It was advertised in an old Autotrader magazine in the small adverts and I went with my late father and friend, I was around 18 at the time. I always regretted walking away from it!"

The current owner is thinking of selling the car, but I'm awaiting some final input. More soon.

Found in Worcestershire last week: the Micron GT built by Brian and Rex Bray
Picture Jeroen Booij

Seen here with the two brothers back in 1968 when it was just finished
Picture Jeroen Booij archive

The car has been mildly modified but I don't think it is the rumoured Mk2 version
Picture Jeroen Booij

Originally it was built using a plywood tub and with the running gear of a Mini Pick Up
Picture Jeroen Booij archive

The engine is said to be an 1100 now, which may fit in with an earlier report. Perhaps sourced from a BMC Maxi as one reader remembers? 
Picture Jeroen Booij

Back in 1968 it used an 850 from a Mini Pick Up though, but that was soon swapped
Picture Jeroen Booij archive

Interior is a mess but looks to be complete, too, including centre console with switches
Note petrol tank and exhaust on the driver's side. All four Dunlop wheels are there, too
Picture Jeroen Booij

And here as it was back in 1968
Picture Jeroen Booij archive

This steering wheel was found inside. The original one? And home made?
Picture Jeroen Booij

Clipping from an old issue of Classic Motor Monthly by Michael Ware, who was keen to find it, too
Picture Jeroen Booij archive

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Best man's brother's Unipower GT

March 10, 2020, 3:00 am
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Stuart Blundell, who owned a Unipower GT in the late 1960s (more here), came across a picture of another one recently. He wrote: "I think it was the red one that was in a derelict showroom in Japan" It certainly is - more about that here - but it is really good to see it in what has to be its original configuration. Stuart continued: "Ian Bintcliffe was the first owner and as it turned out my best man's brother, what a coincident!"

NPN 16F before being painted Blaze Red with its first owner
Picture courtesy Stuart Blundell

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Johannesburg Jeep found

March 12, 2020, 3:30 am
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South-African based reader Leon Daniels has an great nose for finding Mini based oddities (earlier find here) and the latest one he came up with is a Jeep-like creature, which was built around Mini running gear in South-Africa. He wrote: "Cheap as chips, seems to be a one-off in Johannesburg. Can’t decide if I should rescue it or not!" And so I advised Leon to rescue it and he listened to me! And it's not the only South-African Special he picked up. More on another find soon!

A possibly unique Mini Jeep kind of vehicle was unearthed in Johannesburg, SA
Picture Leon Daniels

Not much is known about it but reader Leon Daniels was the man to save it
Picture Leon Daniels

This engine may be in the car's cabin now, it certainly was under the bonnet once!
Picture Leon Daniels


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Le Mans Mini Marcos: painted!

March 16, 2020, 3:23 am
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It had been more than a year since I'd brought over the Le Mans Mini Marcos to the very south-western corner of The Netherlands, when I spent a week together with my friend Joost van Diën to have the car's body prepared for paint (click here and here). That had been quite a special week and I was looking much forward to the next step: final blocking and eventually painting. This was estimated by Joost to take another week and we planned to do it in the summer of 2019. But that didn't happen. There were some reasons for that, too, since Joost changed jobs, moved house, started an incredibly challenging renovation on his new 19th century house and had several challenging restorations of cars to work on in the meantime also - among them a cool Gilbern Invader and his own Mk1 Mini Marcos, which is going to be a real stunner by the way.

Now, I can only have a real respect for Joost who is one of those rare people who makes every possible job to be carried out on a car seem really uncomplicated, even when they aren't. The man can tackle everything, from welding to fibre glassing and from engine building to painting. And he does it with great flair and seemingly ease. So when Joost had a week off from work, I was eager to jump to the opportunity, tow up the Marcos behind my car, steer it to the south-west and make it over to his place. And so, just before the corona crisis hit Europe we locked ourselves in in the paint shop to spent another week of isolation with sand paper and paint. And it became quite a week again! We had some hick-ups but the end result is rather stunning, we believe. Joost, you are a real star!

This is what the car looked like after three days of blocking, eventually with very fine sand paper
Various layers of primer visible here due to different colours used
Picture Jeroen Booij

Spray booth thoroughly cleaned, car fully covered and first layer of epoxy primer applied 
Picture Jeroen Booij

Next, the wheel arches proved to be a challenge to be fitted right, but the end result is very very good
Picture Joost van Diën

Moment of truth: the paint is applied here by Joost. Picture taken from a distance as I'd locked myself out of the cabin at this point...
Picture Jeroen Booij

...And ready the next morning to do some posing with the car now in its final coat. Wow!
Picture Cor van Diën

We couldn't apply the yellow band yet since the bonnet and doors needed some final touches but did the headlight recesses and the line on the right hand front arch
Picture Jeroen Booij

Reference from historical pictures to cover the parts to be painted properly 
Picture Jeroen Booij

Five days of hard work - Joost and myself are tired but very happy with the end result
Picture Jeroen Booij

A sunny day, so perfect to drive back home carefully. It was quiet on the roads, too
Picture Jeroen Booij

A lovely bonus was provided by Mathijs van Mullem, a friend of Joost who lives nearby and happened to be working on preparing his Mk3 Mini Marcos for paint at the same time. Mathijs was kind enough to offer us a fantastic meal in the pub run by his parents. All the best to you, too, mate!
Picture Joost van Diën

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American Ogles - more info unearthed

March 18, 2020, 7:03 am
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Two recent discoveries of Ogle SX1000s in the USA were seen here last month and I have some news about both of them now. Let's start with the gold one found in the woods of Connecticut back in 2005 by Brendan Norton (click here for full story). Brendan asked himself wether it could still be there? Well, as it turns out now it isn't since the car was rescued from its rural resting place by Rob Roy of Connecticut some time ago. He wrote:

"I'm the current owner of the car and it's two miles from where it sat when it was seen. The car had sat on the ground since it's shipment from Wisconsin to the owners new home in Connecticut back in 1979. I did some work for the owner, restoring other equipment for him, he felt I would do the little car a fair shake on another life. I have stripped the car down to steel and fibreglass, and replaced all the rotted steel. New floor pans, hand formed rockers, tunnel fabrication and 'Ogle' fabricated pieces. I have been a fabricator and auto body specialist, collision and paint ever since my first job, that was a while ago..." Well done to you Rob, and I look forward to hear or see more about your restoration of the Ogle.

Meanwhile, I have found out something interesting about the other recent find also: the red car that's been in one family ownership since new (full story here). I am not quite so sure if it went there straight from the factory in the UK though, as I am now almost 100% sure this is the same car as the one seen on the cover of Swedish motoring magazine 'Teknikens värld' in 1963, mentioning the mysterious AB Hasselheim & Engelberg as its importer (full story here). I compared an under bonnet shot of the car in its current condition to a similar shot from the said magazine and they are just about identical. Decide for yourself.

This Ogle SX1000 is currently undergoing restoration in Connecticut, USA...
Picture Rob Roy

...After having spent almost 40 years in the woodlands just two miles away from workshop
Picture Brendan Norton

Then there is this Ogle, which supposedly spent all of it's life in the USA, too
Picture Anthony Thompson

And this is the picture of its engine bay that was sent over to me recently...
Picture Anthony Thompson

...Now compare it with this Swedish shot of 1963 - I am just about convinced it is the same car
Picture Jeroen Booij archive

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Pete owned the Paola GT

March 20, 2020, 2:44 am
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Pete Rigby contacted me about the Paola GT that was unearthed back in 2018 (click here). He wrote: "Lovely to see the car again after all these years as I have a lot of happy memories in that car.
When I had it back in the 1970's it was similar to the the final picture you have but with black stripes up the front and Paola written in script on the nose. The car was pretty faultless I have to say with a very strong 1600 cross flow Ford engine. I don’t know what cam was in it but it ticked over like someone slowly beating a drum! Never ever had an issue with that engine other than the dry sump but that was only a connector that came adrift at Brands Hatch."

"The only issue I had was the gear linkage on 4th gear, which I never got right and I had to hold it in gear on the long straights. I changed ratios so that on circuits 4th was quite long but probably only 120mph flat out. Thruxton was near to my home so I spent quite a bit of time there with the car but it's best outing was Brands Hatch where it came into its own on the Indy circuit."

"I never really had enough money in those days to develop it but we had success with the car. I bought the car from Basil Pitt who I think is still hill climbing today and is really well known on the hills."

"I am surprised it ever ran with a Mini engine, I would have thought the car was way too wide for that but my memory of the car is probably quite hazy. I would love to see the car again as it was my first entry into driving on circuits and as I have said there are a lot of very fond memories and funny stories. As I say I will try and send you those photos I will dig them out and I will ask my friend who use to come with me if they have any."

Pete in the Paola Spyder back in the 1970s when it was Ford 1600 Cross flow powered
Picture Pete Rigby

"I'm surprised it ever ran with a Mini engine, I would have thought the car was too wide for that"
Picture Pete Rigby
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