1960's MINI COOPER S

Rauno Aaltonen - Paddy Hopkirk - Monte Carlo Rallye car

Both our Mini's in our Hornsby workshop

On 21 January 1964 a 'works' Mini Cooper S won the Monte Carlo Rally for the first time. It was the pairing of Northern Ireland's Patrick (“Paddy”) Hopkirk and his co-driver Henry Liddon that pulled off the big surprise, resisting the supposed superiority of significantly more powerful rivals in their small British car. The Mini Coopers returned to the Monte Carlo Rally and won again in 1965 and 1976. Mini Coopers also finished 1st at 1966 Monte but were disqualified for a mix up on spotlight regulations where certain information had not reached the scrutineers or that was the story issues by the French FIA otherwise Mini's would have had FOUR Monte wins!

Rallye Monte Carlo - 1964

OUR CAR - BUILD PARTICULARS and HISTORY - or so the story goes:

Started life as a 1963 rare 997cc long stroke Morris Cooper - upgraded and rebuilt in Australia to UK Austin Cooper S specification by the very talented ex BMC ''works'' competition department mechanic Jim Barrett in Sydney to exact 1960's Monte and Alpine Rally car specifications.

Jim had a wealth of knowledge having served his time with the factory competition department and was mainly responsible for the factory cars when they came to Australia together with Terry Douglas who later became mechanic for me when I raced Mini's in the late 1960's and early 1970's.

Jim did a great job and at one stage on an Australian visit the car was inspected by Rauno Aaltonen the very successful Finnish BMC Works rally driver from that era and he gave his sign of approval by signing the driver's door card … an excellent endorsement.

After a few years the car was sold onto Gerald Lee and used for a couple of outback charity rally's and then to Peter Mouser both from Sydney who swapped the SU carbs for a DCOE Weber and added a modified cyl head and camshaft courtesy of Graham Russell Engineering in North Rocks but barely drove it. I bought it off Tim Griffiths in Mosman (Sydney) who also seldom drove it and we have since refurbished the car without changing any of its specifications and I am hoping Jim Barrett can find the time soon to re-visit his old car which again now looks almost as good as it did when he built it years ago.

SPECIFICATIONS

 

 

 

 

ADDITIONAL RALLY EQUIPMENT

 

 

SUMMARY

There are a few good close factory reproductions around the world for sale that can be viewed via Google or YouTube all of which vary a little in specification and even slightly in colour with the evolution over the 1960's and apparently BMC created 40 CARS for rally purposes including a couple in left hand drive from 1963 - 1968.

Homologations and specifications in that period for these cars are also available in a book "Mini Cooper - Rally Giants'' written by Graham Robson and published by www.veloce.co.uk

At the time of creating this site in October 2020 the prices being asked for the FOR SALE cars vary from AUD $67,000 for the Adelaide car … GBP £49,500 for the UK car … and AUD $84,995 for a car with a North Sydney prestige car dealer … all the cars are in reasonably similar specification and they all represent a fabulous era in the 1960's when Mini Coopers were ''king of the rally's'' in Europe and the world.

Adelaide car

UK car

Sydney car

Our car

PROBABLY NOT FOR SALE:

Of course we will invite enquiries but at this time it is most unlikely we will sell this rapidly appreciating little car as it doesn’t take up a lot of space nor does it use a lot of fuel and it can keep our other Cooper S company on these cold winter nights … but anything is possible if you ‘’make the right sounds’’ … meantime please enjoy!

Our 1963 Austin Cooper S Rallye car purchased May 2020

 

 

Cars I have previously owned: (click)

F304 Dallara Formula 3
1955 Austin Healey 100 BN1
1956 Jaguar 'D' Type
1958 Porsche 356A
1960 Gemini - Formula Junior (FJ)
1962 Lotus 23
1963 Austin Cooper S
1965 formula 2 Lola T60
1971 Porsche 911S/T 2.3
1977 Elwyn (002)
1990 Sierra Cosworth RS500 Turbo Group 'A'
1988-1992 Sierra Cosworth RS500 Turbo Group 'A'

Biography of Robert Tweedie

The 'Current' Car Collection

For Sale - historic 1850's Hunters Hill (Sydney) residence

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