I received a message from Graham Hill last week. Graham runs a company which makes crankshafts and has been a Mini enthusiast for much of his life. Recently he has been helping a friend to clear one of his sheds and stumbled upon a nice surprise: a Siva Buggy! He wrote: "Hi Jeroen. I have extracted a beach buggy from its resting place (since 1982!). I didn't know about it until quite recently despite going to his house regularly since about 1985. It was at the back of his tool shed (it's a big shed!) and I uncovered it while we were talking about machinery, which he had in his shed too. He bought it in 1982 from somebody who had a car pitch, we think, from his description, at Blyton Park. He took it for a spin and took it back to his place near Sheffield, then took some bits and pieces off. He was in the middle of converting the new alloy wheels to fit when he stopped working on it. I'm not sure why... He can't remember either."
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"The sheds are in great condition and have kept everything in them in good order, including piles of engineering drawings. Apart from being dusty, the buggy's condition is very good, too. I don't know yet if the engine is free, but I'm sure it's an MG 1100 engine as it starts '10' on the plate and has locating rings for the inlet manifold which tells me it's a 12G 295 head. 3 sync box too. It did roll quite happily when we pumped the tyres up. No other history remains, and it has to go because of my friend's age and 'too many projects', so I'm helping him with that. Yes there is a V5. The wheels are quite unusual 2 piece. The outer rim is cast, and bolts to the inner like a split rim, but they are much stronger. In principal it is up for sale at the moment, however I'm not sure whether to auction it because it's so unusual. If anyone is interested can we ask them to contact you through the site? It would be a really fun thing to finish off and use in the summer, but I have too many projects as well!"
Well, there we go. This looks like a very nice Siva Buggy indeed and I now understand it comes on the plate of a 1964 Mini Super. Do drop me a line if you want and I'll put you through to Graham.
Graham Hill unearthed A Siva Buggy that had been hiding since 1982
Picture Graham Hill
The car is a non-runner but it is complete and does look good
Picture Graham Hill
It comes on a 1964 Mini registration but the history is mostly unknown
Picture Graham Hill
The engine is believed to be a MG 1100 with 12G 295 head and 3-sync 'box
Picture Graham Hill
Split rear wheels are most unusual. I have never seen these before on a Mini
Picture Graham Hill
This is how Graham found the Siva Buggy in the back of a large tool shed
Picture Graham Hill