Innocenti Mini

What do you call a Mini when its wearing a Bertone styled body? The Innocenti Mini. Now you’d be expecting this to be an alternative from a separate company offering a “modernised” Mini which by 1974 was 15 years old. But this alternative was effectively offered by British Leyland who built the Mini at the time and owned the very Italian sounding marque Innocenti.

Minki

The mini was in production for an impressive 41 years which just proves hoe versatile and loved the design, hell Rover even worked how to fit airbags to it in 1994. It even was sold against and beyond its replacements, the Metro. In 1992 though Rover planned probably its biggest shake up/ modernisation to date.

Townscar / Minissima / Elswick Envoy

In the era of the “wedge” every car designers was trying to introduce it to every model. William Towns brought this philosophy to the mini, with the Townscar concept of 1972. While the body may have been right up to date (this was the 70’s) the underpinnings were taken straight from the car it was suggested it would replace, the Mini if you hadn’t guessed.

Phoenix Estate

Another car I noticed at the recent Passion for Power show earlier this month. What drew my attention was the roof bars, something you don’t see on Mini’s oh and lack of seams!!!!

GTM Libra

At first glance I thought this was just a modern Mini based kit car due to its proportions. To an extent I was right, well its DNA goes back to the Mini, but this thing is all bespoke. GTM started with mini based kits. This though is all lightweight sports car with thoroughly modern construction that had 3 years of development in it designed for the "ultimate performance". It was built around a fiberglass monocoque tub that everything was bolted to, just like a Ferrari.

Status Mini Minus

So you’ve got a Mini, and you’re looking at it thinking “I wonder if I can make it lower?” most would tweak the suspension or, if possible, put smaller wheels and tyres on, but to do it right you need a replacement fiberglass body. What the Status Minus offered was a 3” reduction in the height of the car, however it wasn’t just a simple roof chop, the window were left the same the chop happened blow the waistline. It therefore requires some though when fitted as the doors needed cutting down, as did the dash and seats bases. The bonnet would also need attention due to the clearance to the engine being lost and the radiator would also need lowering. Beyond that all the other components are straight off a standard mini.

Ogle SX1000

If you squint then look at those ever so small wheels, you’ll see that this is another example of the Mini chassis and running gear being used or rather draped in another body. This time one designed by Ogle Design, out of Letchworth, Hertfordshire. Built in between 1962-64, production reached 66 but due to the untimely death of company founder David Ogle, who was killed in a car accident while driving one of these cars, production stalled and eventually stopped despite control being past to Ton Karen and company was all but wound up by 1966.

Wolseley Hornet Convertibles (Heinz 57)

Now this is something you just wouldn’t get these days, in 1966 Heinz ran a competition to promote it soups and the prize was one of 57 specially converted Wolseley Hornets MK2's to convertibles. Crayford Engineering in Westerham Kent took the 57 hardtops from the factory and took the tops off and registered then consecutively with the number plates LLH 8—D. That was the only change the engines and running gear was all factory. 41 of the original 57 apparently still remain.

Stimson Scorcher

Part Mini, part kit car and part trike this is the Stimson Scorcher. Barry Stimson built 30 of these vehicles between 1976 and 81 in Nouveau, Brighton. Barry had a history of building Mini based cars, some of which I’ll come back in the near future, The Scorcher though was a little different with its 3 wheel configuration. The cost of this unusual trike £375+ VAT, all you had to do was supply him with the running gear , steering, foot pedals , handbrake and fuel tank and he’d take care of the rest, including putting that tuned mini engine up front.

Mini Wildgoose

Wild is definitely the right description for this, anyone who decides to take a Mini van and turn it into a camper must be thinking outside of the box. The conversion kits were sold by a Sussex company during the 1960’s with a price tag of between £445-601 depending on size of kit etc. It was possible to buy a completed car ready to go!!!!!! It came with a 4 seater dinette in the back which would convert in to a 6” bed. I’ve attached the brochure for it and as you will see it looks surprisingly spacious. But with all that extra weight and only a 850cc engine as standard the suggested cruising speed of 70mph, seems quite optimistic.