Description
THIS VEHICLE IS TO BE AUCTIONED AT GOODWOOD MEMBERS MEETING 19TH APRIL
** 1966 Morris Mini Cooper MkI 998cc Sports Saloon**
Registration no. FJD 328D
Chassis no. K-A2S4/ 901694
Engine no. 9FC-SA-H/ 19255
• Iconic 20th Century sports saloon
• Matching numbers example
• Professional restoration completed in January 2026
• Invoices totalling £30, 000 available
To many - its designer Alec Issigonis included - the notion that the Mini might have a future as anything other than basic transport was anathema, and the idea of a high-performance version was laughable. One man, though, saw it quite differently. Racing car manufacturer John Cooper already knew a lot about tuning BMC's A-Series engine - he was running the company's Formula Junior effort at the time - and a test drive in a prototype Mini convinced him of the car's competition potential. The result, launched in September 1961, was the Mini Cooper. Enlarged to 997cc and suitably tweaked, the revised A-Series engine easily met its 55bhp target. The extra power endowed the Mini Cooper with an 85mph-plus top speed, and to cope with this increased performance Lockheed developed special 7"-diameter disc brakes for the front wheels. The new car soon established its credentials as a rally and race winner, and the stage was set for even faster versions. On the racetrack the Cooper's prodigious roadholding and excellent power-to-weight ratio enabled it to compete successfully with larger-capacity rivals, and on tight twisting circuits the car was often a candidate for outright victory. Indeed, Warwick Banks won the European Saloon Car Championship outright in 1964 driving Ken Tyrell's Mini Cooper.
This car was built in June 1966 and despatched to the famous Morris dealership of Stewart and Ardern in Acton, West London, who were renowned in the 1960s for Minis and Mini modifications. Ordered with the optional fresh air heater, the car comes complete with its current V5C Registration Certificate, the original VE. 60 continuation document, and a BMIHT Certificate, confirming matching numbers. The VE. 60 lists owners for the period October 1971 to December 1977 when the Mini spent time in Bristol and latterly in Stroud, Gloucestershire. In 1975 the car was owned by a Mr I De Havilland in Stroud. (No link has been made with the De Havilland aircraft family, whose factory was some 15 miles north, in Cheltenham.)
The car was purchased by our vendor from classic Mini specialists Motorworks in Royston, Cambridgeshire as a partially completed restoration, the bodywork, suspension and engine having already been rebuilt. The restoration was completed in January 2026 by Carrosserie in Bishop Auckland, including a new interior. In short: this car has been treated to an incredibly detailed restoration for which there are invoices totalling £30, 000. Notable features include a Maniflow exhaust system; Cooper S brake discs; a Speedwell tachometer; and a Les Leston Cooper Racing Team Monte Carlo steering wheel. Offered with handbook. An opportunity to own an increasingly rare example of the original 'hot hatch'.
