Wednesday 19 August 2015

Who is going to save this Siva Mule? (Updated)

I hadn't seen a Siva Mule being offered for sale for a long time and was happy to see one being advertised from Lancashire this week. Well it wasn't much more then a rough chassis plus body, but wasn't that the way you bought it when the thing was new?
But hang on, that slot in the body's left hand side seemed familiar. Yep. This very car was offered for sale some two years ago in Walsall. It was complete at the time, with all the mechanicals, interior and its correct 1974 registration 'BUY 148M' - a real barn find or so it seemed. Now, its engine, suspension and all the rest of it ave gone while the registration number is defunct. What a shame another piece of Mini variants history is treated like this. Or is somebody going to rescue it? See the ad here.

UPDATE 20 august: Richard 'Dicky' Scott, dropped me a line with some good news. "Hello Jeroen, I'm actually the owner of the Siva Mule kit on Ebay, I contacted you when we stripped it down to restore it but due to work commitments etc. I've never got round to it. I'd just like to say that the kit comes with a full V5 and its original registration BUY148M. Also I have the engine."
And that's not all. Kelvin Kinkaid got in touch, too, writing: "I have the moulds and the chassis jig for the Siva Mule you posted about rescuing. So if anyone does what to rescue it or rebuild one it can be done." I can sleep again!

1970: the Siva Mule was introduced together with six more Siva designs!
Picture Jeroen Booij archive

Body/chassis kits came at 195 GBP. That's Neville Trickett himself behind the wheel
Picture Jeroen Booij archive

This surviving body and chassis (1 of 12 kits sold) is now for sale in Lancashire
Picture courtesy ebay.co.uk

Nice find… but the unusual slot in the left hand wing seemed familiar to me
Picture courtesy ebay.co.uk

Yep - that's the same car a while ago, complete and with proper registration at the time
Picture courtesy classiccarsunder1000.com

Rough, but bucket seats, Mini mechanicals and reg. number 'BUY 148M' were all there
Picture courtesy classiccarsunder1000.com

3 comments:

  1. I have the body moulds and the chassis jig for this so If someone does want to save it or indeed have one..... I can be done

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello... Are you still there?

      Delete
    2. Hi
      R u still on this forum?
      Regards
      Paul

      Delete