Description
INNOCENTI MINI COOPER 1300 EXPORT (TIPO B 39/ 7) 1974
The Innocenti Mini Cooper 1300 Export (built at the Lambrate plant in Milan between 1973 and 1975) holds a key place in the history of Italian and European motoring. After British Leyland took control in the early 1970s, the Lambrate plant became the main source of Minis for the continental European markets (the EEC countries), and the "Export" version became the most refined and sought-after swan song of this breed. Today it is regarded as a genuinely rare gem, much prized by collectors worldwide and often preferred even to its British counterparts. Excellent on regularity rallies, unbeatable in the snow, quick and spirited, it can also, in some situations, be a car you could use every day.
• Registered on 11 July 1974 to a thirty-four-year-old from Genoa, this example is one of the last 8, 480 of the 28, 153 1300 Exports produced, identified by model type B 39/ 7, chassis 559713. It arrived in Brescia in 2006 and, within a year, changed hands three times before ending up with a well-known Brescian gentleman driver, winner of three retro Mille Miglia events, who kept it until 2011, when he sold it to the current owner. An enthusiast who had previously owned other Mini Coopers, the current owner decided to upgrade the car and had the engine rebuilt by the historic Brescian workshop Melzi Racing, which fitted a Weber carburettor and the well-known LCB exhaust system with an RC 40 stainless steel silencer as the final section. The gearbox was also overhauled for smooth, lively operation. The result is very good, and to complete the preparation, adjustable dampers and Still Auto alloy spoked wheels were fitted. The car is supplied with its four original sports wheels and four new, though dated, tyres. A convenient battery isolator switch has also been fitted. The car comes with original number plates and documents, ASI and CRS certificates.
