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: Un-Registered Chassis No: None MOT: Exempt Built by Ronald White to compete in the Ireland Rallycross Championship ‘Full-blooded’ Rallycross Mini with significant lightening throughout, and uprated 1, 460cc engine Extensively and successfully campaigned by him with numerous period photos present Presented in the business livery of Joshua White Ltd. of Armagh There are hot Minis, and then there’s the Joshua White Rallycross Mini… Ronald White was certainly privileged as the son of Armagh’s BMC main dealer, because he had access to some first-rate workshops and a supply of performance parts which not everyone could easily obtain. Consequently, when he turned his attention to rallycross in the 1970s, he produced a fiercely competitive machine, a lightweight Mini sponsored by his father’s dealership and powered by an engine displacing a colossal 1, 460cc. Mr. White was pictured at speed in an article on Northern Ireland Rallycross in the November 30th, 1978, issue of Motoring News, which said: “All year Ronnie White has been the fastest combination in the Irish scene, his red and white 1475 Mini always there with the fast times.” Through the ’70s and ’80s, Mr. White enjoyed many successful drives with his Mini, before placing it on static display. Consequently, it has a rich history file, including photographs of the build and photographs of the Mini in action, plus the October, 1978, issue of Rallysport, in which the car appears. A fascinating and truly wild machine, it will require recommissioning if it is to be driven again in anger. 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 significant production cars, Ronald’s particular interest was competition cars. Naturally, many of his own race and rally cars found their way into his collection, and perhaps the most significant is ’52 LPH’, one of eight Austin-Healey Sebring Sprites prepared by John Sprinzel. Ronald bought it in November, 1962, and campaigned throughout the 1960s with his sister as navigator. He never lost his enthusiasm, and even in his twilight years, he was taking his cars to venues such as Goodwood and Beaulieu to demonstrate them and share his passion with others. ** Bidding will take place live at the venue, online via our H&H website, by telephone and commission - T&Cs apply** Catalogues can be purchased for £20 (admits 2...
