About half a year ago I showed you a French Mystery Mini derivative (this one here) and thanks to regular Peter Camping it seems that some more information about the car in question has been lying around all the time. Peter writes: "Hi Jeroen, let me react on your article of 27 March. On the same website's forum that you mention another story was posted on March 16 about the hill climb (course de côte) of Turckheim Trois Epis in the Alcasse region on 25 june 1972. This is the link. Further below on the page you will find information about a 'barquette' that was having trouble in a curve during this event. I believe this to be the same car as your Mystery Mini derivative 20. Take a look at the wheels... Only the colour of the car and its driver appear to be different. Or does he wear a new helmet? I have added the pictures from the forum and also one of José Xiberras with his SIB racer (Sopar, Isnard, Beaulieu) during the hill climb of Saint Antonin in 1972. The SIB's body clearly has similarities, although that was pretty common in France in those days. The SIB was Renault based with its successor Simca based (the Simkit) and built by mister J. de Beaulieu (as the SIB). After that car he built another named Mambo together with Gerald Mancip who bought a Mini Cooper in 1969 in the UK and used it for hill climbing up untill 1972. The Cooper's successor was a Renault 8 Gordini. I have also added pictures of the Simkit and Mambo (with Mancip Tuning sticker on it...) . They all look pretty much alike. What's remarkable is that Saint Antonin is in France's south while Turckheim is in the North East. So could there have been two different cars? All the best, Peter."
UPDATE 4 September 2012: We have a name. Eguerrand Lecesne wrote: "Hello Jeroen. I found the name of the driver/owner of the french SIB lookalike. It is M. Zetter. (Marc? Maurice? Michel? Marcel?). The car is entered as "Austin Mini Proto" and finished 25th and last of his group at Turckheim-Les trois épis." Thanks for that!
UPDATE 4 September 2012: We have a name. Eguerrand Lecesne wrote: "Hello Jeroen. I found the name of the driver/owner of the french SIB lookalike. It is M. Zetter. (Marc? Maurice? Michel? Marcel?). The car is entered as "Austin Mini Proto" and finished 25th and last of his group at Turckheim-Les trois épis." Thanks for that!
This surely looks to be the same barquette, now shot on the Turckheim hill climb
Picture courtesy www.forum-auto.com
Oh yes, it's rear wheel driven. And those wheels are unmistakably Dunlop 10"
Picture courtesy www.forum-auto.com
Ouch! Colour is different but roll bar, screen, mirrors, wheels and body look the same
Picture courtesy www.forum-auto.com
Now let's get out of here to see what the damage is. Those bl**dy doors!
Picture courtesy www.forum-auto.com
Well, it seems to be not so bad. Only the air duct appears to have come off
Picture courtesy www.forum-auto.com
Now take that helmet off, please. Thank you. Anyone who knows this chap? Update: it's 'M. Zetter'.
Picture courtesy www.forum-auto.com
This is the Renault based SIB which has similarities and a link to the mystery car
Picture courtesy www.forum-auto.com
And that's its successor, the Simkit, in full technicolour and now Simca powered
Picture courtesy www.forum-auto.com
And last but not least the Mambo. All of them seem to have ties to the Mini based car
Picture courtesy www.forum-auto.com
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