Been mulling over for months something to tinker with. I wanted a 60’s something, had criteria, started with Europa Twincam but bar importing from US, pricing wasn’t favourable for me. Very nearly brought a FHC s3 Elan but missed out. Still want but can’t justify pricing for a mk1 escort, but finally found and fell for a 1960 Mk1 Mini Cooper. It’s a resto/project car, is being professionally taken back to shell and having metal put right before I get involved, but dreaming of a period Tarmac rally car to event.
Wanted a car that makes a lotus feel luxurious … So sliding side windows, pull string door cables seems the order of the day
It’s going to be a slow burner but I’m happy having something ticking along in the background.
Cooper or cooper S? If it’s a cooper I would recommend you get cooper S front brakes. Cooper discs are hilarious.
They are fun little cars, handle like a kart, skitter around on the road, invincible in snow and ice. The big enemy is rust, everything rusts, even the glass in the windows(well almost). Keep it dry and put on double the rust protection you think is needed, otherwise, after three years it will be rusty again. I had proper minis for years and really enjoyed them.
Work, and a new kitchen before Christmas (according to my wife an essential thing…) has rather got in the way of things recently, but a bit of an update.
As prior I had agreed to buy a mini, and on the agreed date to pay/collect the seller pulled out . He sold the car to someone else for more £’s… I decided I could get all emotional about it, in the end I just thought sod it, life really is to short. I looked around for another mk1 mini project, but nothing was about.
I decided to write down criteria for a car. I wanted it to be 1950/60’s, decided I needed 4 seats, as I wanted to be able to fit in the family for Sunday runs for lunch at the pub or if we wanted to go to a show, I wanted to be able to mod/personalise it, and had a fancy for a convertible, wanted to get some ROI for £’s I’d be spending. It didn’t have to be a performance car but wanted it to be entertaining.
So left field maybe but I brought a 1959/60 VW Beetle, a factory Karmann Cabriolet. I KNOW! But I have a plan, I’m going to build a proper 70’s Cal-Looker. narrow the front beam and lower it, 4.5" Porsche fuch at the front, 6" at the rear on high wall tyres to give it a nice wedge stance and a bit of attitude. And a 1.9-2.2 litre Type1 engine with twin 45’s. it’s not going to challenge Jonny or Benja in the build stakes but I have a picture in my head and think it’s going to be a lot of fun and very alternative to the S1.
Anyway a few pictures of the starting point from when I collected it. A wholly solid car, it was restored and then following a messy divorce parked up for >10 years, plenty needs revisiting but its a good base to start from.
Looks like fun. Nearly bought a Wizard Roadster back in the day. That was one the in hindsight I’m glad didn’t work out. The 205 XS that I got instead was awesome.
. He sold the car to someone else for more £’s… I decided I could get all emotional about it, in the end I just thought sod it, life really is to short. I looked around for another mk1 mini project, but nothing was about.
