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An S&A MiniSprint in Japan - since new
Like so many interesting Mini based cars, quite a few MiniSprints found their way to Japan. But at least one of them was sold there originally, I have just learned from Suzuki Makotootoko. He is...
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Code cracked: the Unipower GT in the Japanese warehouse
Well, well... I can finally tell you more about the mysterious Unipower GT that is hidden in the derelict Proauto warehouse in Gifu, Japan (more here and here) and has caused headaches to some. I can...
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50 Years ago today: Derivatives at the 'Ring
On September 4, 1966, the 500kms of the Nurburgring took place at the German circuit of the same name, attracting a string of British teams with Mini based sports cars - all of them brand new at the...
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Another Unipower nears its resurrection
Another update on a Unipower GT - this time it's the car wearing chassis number 40. Formerly registered as 1275 U in the UK, it was . Before it got that number it wore XGH 7G. New owner Stefano Possati...
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Touch wood - Hustlers make money
RM Sotheby's had their London sale last evening where the very last lot from a highly impressive lot list was a bit of a surprise: a Hustler 6 In Wood. Not your ordinary Hustler In Wood - if such a...
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Meet the Party Yak
Think of the Grantura Yak as a Spartan workhorse? Think again. World most lavish Yak lives in Trinidad and Tobago with Richard Sookdeo. Richard purchased the car from an oil company called Trintoc (now...
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What's the story behind Magic Alex' Mini?
Does the supply of Beatles-related coachbuilt Minis never dry up? It seems to be the case, after another Mini with a heritage incorporating The Fab Four has emerged - this time in Greece. Regular...
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Summer 2016 - a look back
Tomorrow marks the end of the summer. Fortunately, we still have the pictures. The ones below were sent over to me via email or Facebook in the last month or so and show a variety of Mini based cars on...
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The sad remains of Blackwatch 1
It's not the first time a Mini based oddity ends up on Ebay in a real sorry state. That happened now to the vehicle known as Blackwatch 1. Conceived and built in Leeds on a 1975 Mini 850 base, the car...
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Sydney Technical College's fastback hatchback
They certainly aren't the best quality photographs seen here, but at least they have emerged. Three more pictures of the Mini, modified by the Sydney Technical College in 1965 (see earlier post here)...
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Another mystery Mini hatchback
One mystery hatchback leads to another… Yesterday's photographs of the Sydney-built hatchback Mini prompted reader Roger Hunt to drop me a line about a car that he has. Roger wrote: "Hi Jeroen. I've...
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Is Corsican hatchback Mini a Radford?
Welcome back to Hatchback Mini news, where one story leads to another... and yet another! This time it's Dada Rotily Forcioli to get in touch. Dada is a forest worker on the island of Corsica and...
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Reader finds Stimson Safari Six
Avid Maximum Mini fan Paul Wylde finished the long-term restoration of his Stimson Mini Bug earlier this year (see here), but couldn't live without a Stimson project. Enter a Safari Six he'd been...
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Moss, models and Mini-based GTs
Unipower owner Tim Carpenter took his GT to Goodwood in September, and had a chance to snap Stirling Moss with it. Tim wrote: "Please see attached some shots taken at the Goodwood Revival at...
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Cooper 1500 GT - quite a Special!
When Jon Cooper posted a photograph of one of his father's creations, it reminded me of an old article in Car & Car Conversions. And, indeed, it was about the same man: Graham Cooper of Sedgley,...
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Moulds McCoy reappear again
A year and a half I was contacted by a man from Pembrokeshire, who planned to resurrect the McCoy and McIvoy cars. This is what he wrote: "Hi Jeroen. I am writing to you as you have a passion for all...
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Magentas on the market
Looking for a winter project and like the traditional looks of the Magenta? This may be the right time to buy one. Several (project) cars have made it to the market in the last weeks. To quote the...
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Mini Beach sells for less crazy money
After the much-debated sale of an Austin Mini Beach Car to a man in Florida some two years ago (full story here), I followed the sale of a similar car in the US with a keen interest. This car was...
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Mini Gordon - it's all about name dropping
It's been a long time since I wrote about the Mini Gordon. That most unusual coachbuilt Mini, commissioned by Eric Gordon of Brussels and built by Wood & Pickett of London. Two years ago I had a...
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Lawrenson's Landar - where is it now?
Reader Stephen Lawrenson contacted me about a Landar R7 he had back in the mid-1970s. He wrote: "Morning Jeroen, I have just enjoyed looking through your photos and I am now convinced that the Landar...
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