Legends never Die
Text: Pete Moreland-Moore
Photos: Reinis Babrovskis
1966 was to see the most controversial Monte Carlo rally of all time.
The three Works BMC Mini entries of Timo Makinen, Rauno Aaltonen and
Paddy Hopkirk took the first three places at the end of the rally only
to be disqualified for using quartz iodine, single filament bulbs in
their headlights instead of the double filament ones allowing the use of
a dipped beam. This rule also caught out Roger Clark who brought his
Cortina home in 4th place behind the Minis. All-in-all, ten cars were
excluded that year for various reasons allowing Pauli Toivonen in the
Citroen ID to take his place on the winners podium.
Due to the controversy, what better cars would there be to model a
replica on. The owner, Robert Holmes has gone to great lengths to find
very specific details throughout the car. The list of these items is as
long as your arm, the connector below the headlamp for the spotlight
bar is a new-old stock BMC item, as are the pea-lights to help
illuminate the dashboard at night.
The dash includes a very rare 130mph speedo, Wipac interior lamp mounted
on the roll cage, additional alloy “works” dashboards fitted with
period switchgear, although certain items have been replaced with more
modern equivalents to allow the car to actually be used in competition,
one of the obvious changes is the Halda Twinmaster being replaced with a
Terratrip for ease of use.
Modification-wise this wee car is no slouch. A 1480cc A-series running
twin HS4 carbs has been mounted onto a close ratio gearbox fitted with a
Quaife ATB differential. This in itself provides the car with plenty
of go and the ability for the front end to drag the rear back into shape
during episodes of more flamboyant driving.
Stopping the car is an original Cooper S setup which is now assisted by a
remote servo kit, rear drums are maintained as tight as possible to
allow for consistent locking when the handbrake is in use during
autotests and special tests on the modern events seen across the UK and
Ireland today. As we are describing what’s at the back of the car, it
would be wrong to miss out the fact the twin-tank set up allows you a
full day of competing without having to stop for fuel.
Bodywork wise, it is hard to fault. Having been maintained by Robert
Dickson in Killinchy for the last 12+ years it is a very solid little
car with quality paintwork that is rarely seen on competition cars of
today. Running on 10″ Minilites and Yokohama A-008′s you can be assured
it feels planted, goes like stink and does everything a Mini
should. Suspension-wise it runs on a very rare set of Moulton
Smootha-Ride and of course Hi-Lo’s. Coupled with the Gaz Adjustable
shock absorbers the ride quality is second to none whilst allowing for
adjustment throughout a competing day depending on the type of surface
you are running on.
Robert has managed to nail the look of the original cars down to a T,
although certain areas have had to remain within the boundaries of our
modern MSA Blue Book meaning he was unable to run an uneven number of
spotlights, but as far as possible, he has hunted down, collected and
found some very rare and pleasant parts to allow the car to become what
it is today.
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Technical Specs:
Mk2 Mini Cooper 'S'Year: 1966
Colour: Red
Engine: 1480cc
Twin HS4 Carbs
K&N Filters
Filter King FPR,
Alloy Radiator
and loads more
Interior:
Corbeau Classic Bucket Seats
Luke Harnesses
Rear Half Cage
Power assisted steering
Servo Assisted Brakes
Works Style Tool Roll
1275 GT Steering Wheel
Works Dash Boards
Smiths Clocks
130mph Speedo
Works Pealights,
Exterior:
Period Lucas driving lamps
Period Lucas Fog Lamps
Works Lamp Bar
Original BMC Mudflaps
Wheels:
10" Minilites
Yokohama A-008's
Incredible! I love it!
ReplyDeleteThank you Edwin!
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