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Mystery Mini Derivative (82): Danish Beach Car
The two pictures below reached me from Denmark through Michael Hansen, who wanted to know if I'd seen this car before. All he knows is that it is supposedly based on a 1967 Austin Seven. Well, I draw a...
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Canadian Scamp clone: "Old guy made"
This great little contraption described as '1966 Mini Moke, old guy made' was seen for sale in Ontario, Canada by reader Miguel Plano, who kindly flashed it over. It may look like a Scamp, but I don't...
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Mystery Mini derivative (83)
From Denmark (where the last mystery Mini derivative was located) over to Germany for the next. And this is an intriguing one, which I really hope some of you here will be able to tell me more about. I...
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How an unbuilt TiCi in the USA links to Brabham and McLaren
Avid Maximum Mini enthusiast and multiple Stimson cars and TiCi owner Paul Wylde wrote to me a while ago: "How about this then J. The rights to the TiCi were sold back in 1974 and now live in the...
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Unipower GT from The Troubleshooters
A BBC television series named 'The Troubleshooters', which ran from 1965 to 1972 (the first year as 'Mogul') featured a Unipower GT as the main transportation for one of the lead characters played by...
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An early Pavesi Mini
Carrozzeria Pavesi of Milano undertook some daring coachbuilding jobs. They chopped off the roof of brand new DeTomasos, Ferraris and Iso Grifos and turned a Maserati Quattroporte (the name meaning...
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Swedish Marcos to be auctioned
A lovely Mk3 Mini Marcos that was supposedly sold new to Sweden is now offered for sale in an auction. The car is said to have been sold through Swedish concessionaire Elmhorn-Troberg Racing Service...
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The Stimson Mini Bug of 'The Wombles'
Keeping up with the 'Mini based cars on British television' theme (last week's Unipower in The Troubleshooters here), I was sent this little movie clip below of 'The Wombles', which supposedly made it...
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What exactly is Paul's convertible?
A message from Michigan, where Paul Lester owns a Mini convertible by an unknown coachbuilder. Paul wrote: "I was told the car was modified in the early 1960's (it is a 1960 Austin Mini 7) to see if...
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Stimson Safari Six, as seen on Swiss tv
Seen in a 1985 magazine: a tiny picture of a Stimson Safari Six. I don't think it's one I have seen before, looking to be registered 'GDW 531E'. Interestingly the snippet about the National Mini Day in...
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Mystery Mini Derivative (84): Kiwi Twini
Twinis (twin engined Minis for those of you who forgot) were made in a wide variety. John Cooper's version became famous after it almost killed the man himself, but there were many more. You may be...
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NEC Classic Car Show 2022: the Mini derivatives
This weekend the NEC will be hosting the Classic Motor Show and, like last year, the Minikits Club is present with a great number of Mini derivatives. On their display a freshly restored TiCi, barn...
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Ogles in Japan (1)
Some time ago I was asked to write the story of the Ogle SX1000 for the much-respected Japanese motoring magazine 'Car Graphic', and that's what I did. It was published in the August issue. Most time...
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Agricultural contraption: the Goblin
And now for something completely different! This is the Goblin - a Mini based tractor. I'd never heard of it until a year ago when one turned up for sale. I soon learned the unlikely creature was...
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Happy Thanksgiving 2022
A happy Thanksgiving to my American and Canadian readers! Yes, I'm a day late but at least the picture below was taken yesterday when I took the Ogle out for a little ride locally for the first time....
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Mallalieu's Microdot - what could have been
It was only this week that I was made aware of an interesting article in the Oxford Mail dated 2017. An extract from it:"Forty years ago in a garage in Wootton near Abingdon, a team of visionaries...
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Ogles in Japan (2)
Allright, over to the Ogle SX1000s that can be found in Japan these days. To kick off with the first of them we can simply start with chassis number 1. This is the deep dark blue car registered 'BOO...
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The fantastic four
Not 1, not 2, not 3, but 4 fine coachbuilt Minis are lined up in the showroom of Woodham Mortimer in Essex now, or in their own words: "The finest Collection of Minis in the world has now landed at our...
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Mini Jem Estate: it still lives
Many years ago I wondered where the Mini Jem Estate could be that was also described in the Maximum Mini books and here on this very weblog. It did take another two years before I received an answer...
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Mystery Mini derivative is a Napier. But what's that?
First there was this sketchy group picture with a bright green Mystery Mini Derivative (click here) in which reader Colin Baines recognized himself. Then there was a better picture of the thing dug up...
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