Description
Sandown Park | Esher, Surrey Viewing: Wed 9th December from 12pm Auction Thursday, December 10th: From 12:00pm (Noon) Location: Portsmouth Road, Esher, Surrey KT10 9AJ UK Registration No: Un-Registered (Formerly SOH 878H) Chassis No: XAD2-405-A MOT: Exempt Initially retained by British Leyland (Austin-Morris) Ltd for press duties Subsequently dispatched to the Abingdon Competitions Department and converted to Group 6 specification for the August 1970 Marathon de la Route (a. k. a. the Nurburgring 86-hours) Was running in second place overall at the Nurburgring when it retired due to head gasket failure Bought by Works driver John Handley and sold to Ron and Liz Crellin who had BL Special Tuning reconfigure it as a rally car Conested sixteen rallies including several international events during 1971 and later campaigned in historic events Acquired by Ronald White via our February 2004 Stoneleigh Park auction and then restored back to ‘Marathon de la Route’ specification Like so many Works Minis, ‘SOH 878H’ has led an interesting life. A notably early 1275 GT, it was initially retained by British Leyland (Austin-Morris) Ltd for press duties. Prominently featured in the December 1969 issue of Hot Car magazine, the diminutive sports saloon was dispatched early the following year to the Abingdon Competitions Department. Earmarked for that August’s Marathon de la Route (an extreme 86-hour endurance race held at the Nurburgring), the Mini was reconfigured as an ultra-lightweight Group 6 contender complete with a twin Weber carburettor fed five-port cylinder head and 12-inch alloy wheels. The other major 1275 GT project preoccupying Abingdon at the time – ‘XJB 308H’ – had retired from the World Cup Rally but finished second overall (and won its class) at the International Scottish Rally, June 7th – 12th 1970. With such a notable success failing to stem the tide of disinterest being shown by his British Leyland bosses, Peter Browning felt compelled to resign as Competitions Manager a month later. Perhaps sensing their own futures were in doubt, those he left behind seemingly hatched an ‘all or nothing’ attack plan for the upcoming Marathon de la Route. Paying scant regard to the event rulebook’s stipulation that competitors must complete as many laps in the final twelve hours of the race as they had done during the first twelve, drivers John Handley, Alec Poole and Julien Vernaeve eschewed their rivals’ measured pace (which was intended to allow for ailing machinery in the closing stages). Instead, Handley caused many a raised eyebrow by rocketing up to second overall by the end of lap one (overtaking numerous Porsches and BMWs in the process), a position which ‘SOH 878H’ for the next eight hours until succumbing to head gasket failure. Try as they might, the *** crew failed to fit a new one within the restricted fifteen minute window allowed for mechanical repairs. Fully cognisant of just how rapid the Mini was, Handley purchased it from BL following the Abingdon Competitions Department’s closure during October 1970. Sold to Ron and Liz Crellin thereafter, the 1275 GT was returned to Abingdon where the more privateer-focused Special Tuning Department converted it for rally usage (no mean feat given its previous ultra-lightweight guise). As such, ‘SOH 878H’ is reputed to have been the last competition car to leave Abingdon. Driven by Liz and known as the AMOCO Mini, it was campaigned across sixteen rallies in 1971, including the Scottish, Welsh, Manx and RAC, and much of the Motoring News Rally Championship. In 1983, the 1275 GT won the Bowood and Coronation Rallies and made a name for itself in historic events. Bought by Ronald White via our February 2004 Stoneleigh Park auction, he exported ‘SOH 878H’ to Northern Ireland and had his family’s firm, Joshua White Ltd, restore it back to ‘Marathon de la Route’ specification. Finished in the appropriate shade of White, the diminutive sports saloon also features correct door-mounted marker lights, sponsor decals and ‘No. 20’ race roundels. The interior is similarly authentic with a well-stocked competition dashboard, rollover bar and bucket seats. Topped by twin Weber carburettors, the tuned A-Series engine has not been run for some time. Indeed, the whole car will need recommissioning prior to being used in anger once more. Still smart some sixteen years after its refurbishment was completed, this storied Works Mini is accompanied by a rich history file which includes copies of the original logbook and an old V5C, a 1973 sales invoice from Glover Garages, a copy of the Hot Car article, and assorted letters and period photographs. PLEASE NOTE: This lot was marked as permanently exported from the United Kingdom when Ronald White purchased it. As such, the successful purchaser will need to make a NOVA declaration and pay the reduced customs clearance rate for classic cars of 5% VAT, if based in the United Kingdom and re-registering the car with the DVLA. H&H...
