Beskrivning
The Mini revolutionised the small-car market when it was launched in 1959. Designed by a team led by Alec Issigonis, it was only 10ft long but featured room inside for four people, thanks to the fact that the four-cylinder engine was mounted transversely and drove the front wheels.
Conceived as a way of offering an economical and practical small car in the aftermath of the Suez Crisis and subsequent petrol rationing, the Mini was intended to be simple family transport – or a car ‘for the district nurse’, as Issigonis put it. Its compact dimensions and ‘wheel at each corner’ stance gave it superb handling, though, and enthusiastic drivers quickly realised it could handle more power.
The standard car was launched with an 848cc engine, which would be enlarged to 998cc, 1098cc and then 1275cc. From 1961 onwards, there was also the option of the Mini Cooper, which was conceived by racing-car constructor John Cooper and introduced with a tuned 997cc engine plus front disc brakes.
Two years later, the 1071cc Cooper S came along, and ‘hot’ Minis enjoyed huge success in international motorsport. John Whitmore, John Love and Alec Poole all won the British Saloon Car Championship in Minis, but it became most closely associated with rallying. A Cooper S won the Monte Carlo Rally three times in four years between 1964 and 1967, Rauno Aaltonen won the 1965 RAC Rally, and Timo Mäkinen scored a hat-trick of victories in the 1000 Lakes Rally.
First registered on 3 January 1963, this particular Morris Mini was sold as an 848cc saloon from new. Owned for most of its life by Dale Clement who worked for many years at renowned Mini specialist Downton Engineering. Whilst working there he carried out as many works as he could to mirror the expertise of the Mini specialist.
He went on to uprate the car in many ways including – a 1330cc fully balanced engine with a MED 649 camshaft and Manx racing 7 port head, fitted together with a single 45 DCOE with port dividers. Both the car and driver then going on to compete in many hill climbs with the competition history beginning at the Whiteway hillclimb in June 1964.
From then until 1967, the Mini was used for sprinting and hillclimbing, mostly in the south-west of England. After a break of a few years, Clement and ‘1769 RU’ were back in action, once again competing in hillclimbs at venues such as Gurston Down and Wiscombe.
Clement stopped again after the 1977 season, this time for rather longer. In 2008, after the Mini had been treated to some restoration work, he took his faithful old car to a sprint at St Eval in Cornwall and continued to enter sprints and hillclimb through to 2013.
‘1769 RU’ finally passed to a new owner and vendor in September 2023. Work carried out later that year that involved cleaning up the underside of the Mini, including its rear subframe, and applying rustproofing treatment throughout. Front driving lamps and a reverse light were installed, while modern bucket seats and harnesses were specified after new reinforcement plates had been fitted.
Dynamat insulation was added to the interior, while further work in early 2024 by Canford Classics included the fitment of rally timing equipment and map lights, plus a new carpet.
A more competitive 4 synchro Mini Cooper S gearbox with a close ration gear kit and Quaife ATB Limited Slip Differential were also installed as upgrades by the current owner.
The Mini was then used during 2024 in events such as the HERO Challenge Series, is offered for sale in superb, fully sorted condition. Presented in its original colour combination of red with a black roof, it’s an extremely eligible and competitive choice of historic rally car that’s ready to further extend a competition career which already stretches back more than 60 years.
The car is currently residing with Rally Preparation Services sister Company, RPS Storage Ltd and available for inspection.
All viewings and test drives welcomed through direct contact with Rally Preparation Services.
