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Tuesday, 15 March 2011

Mystery Mini derivative (9)

Hey, what's this little red riding thing? It clearly has some Mini Moke influences but it definitely isn't one. The front may have some Stimsonesque characteristics but it is neither one of Barry Stimson's creations. And it's also not a one-off as I have seen pictures of another similar car. So what is it? You tell me. The Metro wheels suggest it is a Mini Metro- rather than a Mini derivative and the registration shows that's right: on paper this is a 1981 Mini Metro HLE. But it isn't. And I think it could just as well have been based on a Mini. Mini derivative connoiseur Paul Wylde sent this one in, asking what it could be but I have no clue too. Do you?
Blunt nose with no badges doesn't give much away. It's registered in 1981

Construction is basic and base is a Metro, as the wheels show. But it's not a one-off


UPDATE 31 MAY 2011: I received an e-mail message of Richard who believes this car to be the prototype of a car named 'Roamer' built by a man named George Davies of Birmingham. Apparantly the car is indeed based on the Mini Metro and has a steel frame of 50 x 50 x 1.6 mm tubes that's been clothed with steel too. I couldn't find any more on the Roamer or Davies, so the question remains: who knows (even) more?

UPDATE 28 August 2012: A similar car is to be auctioned in the US. Click here

op

6 comments:

  1. Reaper, UK.22 March 2011 at 03:45

    I'm not 100% sure, but I think it may possibly be a modified Scamp.
    Here's the owners club page:
    http://www.scampownersclub.org.uk/index.html
    Good luck with your search.
    Paul.

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  2. Maximum Mini28 March 2011 at 15:03

    I don't think this one is Scamp based.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Paul Jaray14 January 2012 at 13:50

    Hi there,

    the Roamer was a Mini Moke-style utility built by GB Restorations in Hawkesley Mill, Birmingham. The chassis was in square section steel tubing and the minimal bodywork was in mild steel. Mechanicals and Hydraglas suspension derived from the Austin Metro.
    These info can be found on the Beaulieu Encyclopedia and there is a comparative test drive between the mini-moke clones (GB Restorations, Birmingham, Westfield racing from Thruxton, Cadwell Park, Snetterton and Thruxton)in KITCARS INTERNATIONAL magazine 1/93.

    best regards,
    Paul Jaray

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  4. Maximum Mini7 February 2012 at 13:28

    Hi Paul,

    Thank you very much for your comment!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Marco Santos25 September 2012 at 20:08

    The GB RESTORATIONS LTD of Birmingham, were a firm that did all kinds of restorations and repairs on all sorts of cars. But from 1992-1996 they built a few Mini Moke styled funcars called Roamer 1100 or 1300, using Austin Metro mechanicals but their models had a their own square-section chassis, with the carbodies made of mild steel. They also worked for another similar local company called GL ENTERPRISES during 1992 who built an extra 4 Moons Moke models with Mini engine of similar type of kitcars.

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  6. Maximum Mini22 October 2012 at 11:02

    Thank you guys. I now have a copy of the 1993 magazine, too, with an extensive piece about the Roamer.

    ReplyDelete