My Mini Cooper restorations and my twin engined Mini

[RICHARD MANSFIELD2]

Hi,
In the past I have had loads of Minis that I have rebuilt or tinkered with. I have only photos of three of them. So I thought I would put them on the site.
This is the first Cooper that I did a full rebuild on. unfortunatly this is the only photo I have of it.

This next Mini Cooper was rotting in a field in Wales untill I got hold of it. The pictures tell the story. When I eventually sold it it went to a Japanese collector.


















Now this next one was a one off. John Cooper who won the formular one constructors title in 1959 and 1960 was responsible for the development of the Mini Coopers ( hence the Cooper name), he also built a twin engined Mini as did as the BMC factory.
My twini as they were known was a copy of the factory item which entered the prototype class in a number of rallies in 1962.
It was built into a 1962 rot free body shell. Engine capacity was 2550cc (two 1275cc engines), four wheel drive, total power was 150bhp. This again was sold to a Japanese collector it cost me £3000 to build in 1992 and sold for £15000 not a bad profit.







I hope you enjoy viewing the photos.
Regards
Richard.

 

[spike.]

very cool, and fantastic standard of restoration

 

[oilburner]

Excellent work there!

 

[RICHARD MANSFIELD2]

Hi,
Linked to New moondust arrival
Regards.

 

[XAF]

You are shaming me! As well as my love for the Puma and the silly efforts I go to preserve it despite its passion for eating itself alive, my first love is my Mini.

I've had it 12 years now, had it in magazines and shown it at concourse. This is it in its prime..





You may now guess where the username comes from..

I really need to pull my finger out this year as it currently looks like this. Just as mint, but needing a lot of love...

 

[RICHARD MANSFIELD2]

Hi,
Your Mini is a baby, only a 2000 model. Try a restoration on a early 60's one with all the rust traps that go with it. I agree that they are not the best to preserve. I have had 27 Minis it is a love hate relationship. I keep hankering after one in my dreams, then wake up and think perhaps not. After having laid up my mini cooper over winter I would get it out in the spring and thrash it around the country roads where I lived. After 10 minuets I had enough it was like being shaken up in a matchbox I would put it back in the garage and say to myself why bother! By God I still wished I had One.
Regards,
Richard.

 

[Catweasel]

Lost count of the various Minis I have owned ....

 

[red]

Cool thread, I must have missed this first time around, lovely restorations

 

[paulsmiffy]

Both the Mrs and I have a classic mini as well as my Millie. I brought an Mitsubishi L200 Warrior this week as well,