Description
Kelham Hall | Newark, Nottinghamshire Viewing: Tues 22nd September 2026 from 12pm Auction: Weds 23rd September 2026 12pm Location: Kelham Hall Main Street, Newark, Nottinghamshire NG23 5QX Registration No: NI-Reg Chassis No: CA2SB1300966 MOT: Exempt Understood to have been prepared by BMC Special Tuning as a Rally Car when new Supplied new to Ronald White, and remained as part of his collection ever since Uprated with an eight-port cylinder head conversion and extended ‘snout’ Extensively campaigned by Mr. White in period with period photographs present The Mini was actually detuned before launch in 1959. The prototype’s 948cc engine made it embarrassingly rapid compared with other more expensive cars in the BMC group, and it was downgraded to 848cc and 34bhp. A collaboration between racing car builder John Cooper and the Mini’s creator Alec Issigonis, the Mini Cooper debuted in September 1961 with the ultimate 1, 275cc S variant arriving three years later. Famously winning the Monte Carlo Rally for the third time in 1967, that same year saw the Mini updated to Mk. II specification complete with redesigned radiator grille, revamped interior, larger rear windscreen and a host of other minor changes. Total Mk. II Cooper S production across both Austin and Morris brands amounted to just 6, 300 cars. Strictly speaking, the White Collection started with Joshua White’s acquisition of a vintage Bullnose Morris to display in his BMC dealership during the 1950s, but it is safe to say that, if it had not been for this particular Mini, the collection may not have taken off in the way that it did. As the son of the main dealer for Armagh, Ronald White had some enviable opportunities to acquire some of BMC’s best kit during the 1960s, and he didn’t let them go to waste. He had already discovered his predilection for racy A-series numbers when he bought his Sebring Sprite in 1962, and he had got to know Minis inside out, but this 1970 Cooper Mk. II was the first that he sampled with works tuning, and it sparked a fascination which ultimately resulted in one of the world’s finest collections of race and rally Minis. Mr. White purchased the car brand-new, and we understand it came ready-tuned for rallying by British Leyland’s Special Tuning division. He immediately commenced an assault on his local rallies across Ulster, and notably finished second overall in the 1970 Moonraker Rally. Before putting the car on static display in his private museum, he got plenty of use out of it, and uprated it with an eight-port cylinder head and ‘snout’ extension on the bonnet to accommodate modifications. As one would expect from so meticulous an owner as Mr. White, this Mini is offered for sale with a very rich history file including the buff logbook, period photographs, and early invoices. After recommissioning, we are sure Mr. White would be very approving if the new owner put this one-owner special back on the historic rally stages. About the Ronald White Collection: A lifelong enthusiast, Ronald White inherited his interest in motor cars from his father, Joshua. Joshua was still an adolescent when he took over a small bicycle repair shop and grew it into a successful family-run garage as private car ownership became more commonplace after the Great War. Father and son alike caught the collecting bug, and Joshua started the collection with a Bullnose Morris, which he displayed at the garage, and it grew from there. One of the White Collection’s gems is a delivery-mileage Morris Minor, which Joshua had the foresight to preserve from new, astutely identifying it as a landmark in the post-war Morris range. Another was the Alvis, which was sold new to a local gentleman, Nevill Bond, who lived at a stately home called The Argory. Joshua bought it back after Mr Bond had suffered an assassination attempt while driving it! The Whites also developed a personal friendship with Harry Ferguson; hence, the White Collection came to feature Ferguson tractors. By the 1950s, Joshua White Ltd. was well-established as a large BMC, Ford, and Ferguson dealership. It was around that time that Ronald—known to friends as Ronnie—started competing in tests, hill-climbs and rallies with his local motor club in Northern Ireland, always displaying the proud sponsorship of Joshua White Ltd. Upon his father’s retirement, Ronald took over the business and also set up Armagh Garages to sell Fiats. Come the 1960s, his competition career blossomed and took him all over Ireland and into England and Scotland. He was successful in many events, including the Circuit of Ireland Rally. In the late 1970s, his interest turned to rallycross, again competing in Ireland and England. It was a testament to his amiable personality that many of his employees at the garage would work through the night to prepare his cars for their sporting outings, and several continued to maintain his collection after he retired from running the garage. While his father had collected...
