Austin Mini Race /Rally car

The diminutive Mini proved itself time and again on circuits and rally stages around the world. The BMC competitions department certainly made the most of their tiny front wheel drive masterpiece, having been shown the way by John Cooper who was the first to be really successful in getting the “quart out of the pint pot”. In their day they battled and won against opposition ranging from Galaxies to Cortinas, BMWs to Abarths on the circuits whilst dominating the rally scene against all comers. Even today, in classic events, the Minis provide the most entertainment, out-handling all other cars on the track thanks to their brilliant rubber suspension, light weight and low centre of gravity.

In 1963, when this standard Austin Mini left the production line in its elegant Almond Green with Porcelain Green interior, little did it know that it would end up on the circuits of Britain. Built up in 2007 as a rally car, it was subsequently converted to race spec by the vendor and ran for some time in the under 1-litre class. It still holds the 1-litre lap record at Pembrey and proved itself time and time again, coming 2nd in the Classic Touring Car Club 1-litre class where it gained the nickname “The Castrol Car” thanks to its period colour scheme.

The vendor then decided to upgrade the engine and fitted a genuine race-prepared Mk1 1275 S motor. This has been used for only 3 events and the vendor describes it as "on the button and ready to go". It has a steel crank and rods, Omega pistons, 930 cam, correct S head and two 1 ½ SUs attached to an LCB manifold. The gearbox has straight-cut gears and drop gears, whilst the cooling is taken care of by an aluminium radiator.

The suspension is adjustable as are the shock absorbers and the Dunlop wheels are shod with CR65 race tyres. The brakes are servoed, it has a plumbed-in fire extinguisher and a 6-point Safety Devices roll cage along with Sparco seats and even comes with a set of carpets as these are mandatory in some events.

Now retiring from racing, the vendor adds that as the car was initially built for rallying, the new owner could easily change it back to rally specification should they so desire. Available at a fraction of the cost it would take to build such a car from a bare shell, it looks like a very cost effective way of joining the ever growing classic saloon racing scene.