Another Ogle in America

There have been several Ogle SX1000s in America, although all of the four seen here have come back to this side of the world by now, in order of appearance to the UK, Switzerland, Italy and the UK again. One car made it the other way 'round. It was the car seen in Maximum Mini 1; spotted in London and offered for sale in 2012 (click here).

I now understand it resides in sunny California, as current owner Wade Ogle contacted me. He wrote: "Hi Jeroen, I got a note from my friend Adam that you were very helpful in answering some questions. He also said you had asked about my Ogle SX1000, which is #061 and was graciously featured on the cover of your first Mini book. Just to keep you up-to-date, I was the fellow who bought #061 from the RM Auction in London about 5 years ago, and had it brought over to California. While I am no direct relation to David Ogle (that I know of), I am a car guy with a fairly large car collection, and do share the same surname, so when the opportunity to buy this one came up, I had to jump on it. Truthfully the car has been resting quietly in my garage for most of this 5 year period, but last month my wife and I, along with Adam and his girlfriend, took the Ogle out to the 'Little Car Show' in Monterey during the Monterey car week. Indeed, the Ogle was a big hit, as few had ever seen one before, and before the day was over we were honored with a plaque. We then participated in the little car cruise, which was a lot of fun."

"Rest assured the car is being lovingly cared for, and I have made contact with Ogle aficionados and previous owners Chris Gow and Geoff Hunter, who have both been very supportive. We are now excited about sharing it once again. Our next event will be the All British car show to be held at the Blackhawk Auto Museum about a month from now. This show happens to be put on by the San Francisco chapter of the Mini Owners of America club (MOASF), which sounds like an ideal event for our little Ogle to participate in. I’m very excited!"

Wade Ogle (no relation) now takes care of the Ogle SX1000 with chassis number 61

Picture Wade Ogle

The car, seen here at the 'Little Car Show' in Monterey, was fully restored by Geoff Hunter in the UK

Picture Wade Ogle

New: Maximum Mini Heritage

I get so many requests from people who want to find out more about specific cars, that I think the time has come for a new service. I also think its fair to say that Maximum Mini is by now the largest source on Mini based cars built between 1960 and today. The Maximum Mini files include original build specifications, sales literature and historical correspondence on many of these cars plus contain a photographic archive with more than 40,000 pictures.

So if you would like to know more about a Mini derivative, Maximum Mini Heritage can supply you with copies of all relevant documents. Contact me and I should be able to give you the available background information, even if a car is very obscure.

This new service includes the following:

A copy of each photograph, sent digitally:
£ 6.00

A file on the make and model of any Mini based car, including words and a selection of photographs, sent digitally:
£ 45.00

A full file on a specific car, including all the material and information available from the Maximum Mini archives, presented in a Maximum Mini Heritage folder, with updates up to 12 months from order:
£ 275.00

Last but not least, I am pleased to offer an elaborate Heritage search service. Do you want to find the car you have always wanted to find? Then I am your partner. In the past 10 years Maximum Mini has proved even the unfindable can be found. From Quasar Unipowers to Mk1 Mini Marcoses with or without Le Mans history. From Gordon Murray’s personal Mini based car to the sole Zagato Mini Gatto. Now, how about your dream derivative? Feel free to contact me.
£ P.O.A.

Found: the IGM Minbug by Gordon Murray, seen standing next to Maximum Mini's Jeroen Booij here. Murray had given up searching for the car - Maximum Mini carried on and succeeded

Picture Maximum Mini archive / Michiel van den Brink

Found: the long-lost Le Mans Mini Marcos that famously came 15th overall at the 1966 24-hours race.

Nerve-wrecking search involved bags of cash and all-or-nothing drive to Portugal

Picture Maximum Mini archive / Jurgen Kersten

Found: the Zagato Mini Gatto. Elio Zagato and his chief designer Ercole Spada were certain it was scrapped. Maximum Mini found it in a Milanese shed where it stood since 1973 with 4,107 recorded kms.

Picture Maximum Mini archive / Pieter E. Kamp

Found: One of 13 built Quasar Unipowers in a French barn. And it was one of three there! 

Picture Maximum Mini archive / Arno Lingerak

Odnik: Indeed based on a 1958 prototype Mini?

Two more pictures of 'Odnik' - the Irish built Mini special that was raced by Jack O'Donoghue in 1961 (more about it here), have come to the light thanks to Irishman Aidan Mc Grath. And I believe we can now almost surely say the car was based on a 1958 Mini prototype. The stamped grille of the car is the first giveaway, as there were only two Mini variants that had this feature: the 1958 prototypes and the Mini Van (announced in June 1960). Odnik could well have been based on an early Van, but the registration points towards something else. 'CZA333' was a Dublin registration from November 1959. Apart from prototypes, there were no vans at this time yet. 

What's more, judging from the old photograph that I found and the new ones that Aidan came up with, I don't believe this car to use the longer wheelbase of the van. It looks like a saloon to me, and the same goes for the rounded rear, with the filler cap on the left. This looks like it was converted from a saloon rather than from a Van to me. Or is it? '59 Mini Register man Bill Bell said of the first photograph: "Looking at the wheel base it looks like its a modified Van. I doubt very much it's a 58 prototype. They were all in such poor state after they had finished testing and as far as we know all were scrapped." 

I'm not so sure. Jack O’Donoghue worked for the Austin importers/assemblers in Dublin and may have been able to get hold of a '58 prototype Mini. Minis were built under a license in Ireland from as early as 1959. Fact is that O'Donoghue got rid of the car’s roof, modified its rear end in steel, cut the doors, lowered the handles and fitted a Sprite windscreen. He won his class during a Hewison Trophy qualifying trial in December 1961. Could the car survive? And be found? That would surely be sensational...

UPDATE 13:00: An avid reader drops me a line: "I spoke to the last known owner of the car and he can't recall what he did with it, but thinks he scrapped it. I am due to meet a previous owner next week, who used the car in the UK in '65/'66 before bringing it back to Ireland and selling it. I will ask him for his thoughts on the history of the car, as he would have known Jack."

UPDATE 8 January 2019: A sketch of the car has resurfaced, making clear it was definitely not based on an early Van. Read and see it here.

Jack O'Donoghue in action in his Odnik in December 1961. This was the only known picture of it

Picture Jeroen Booij archive / Autosport magazine

But then Aidan Mc Grath came up with this. Stamped grille points towards 1958 Mini prototype, as does wheelbase? 'CZA 333' is a november 1959 registration

Picture via Aidan Mc Grath

Odnik's rear was modified quite heavily, too. Again, the round shape points towards a saloon to me, as does the filler cap that is positioned at the left hand side

Picture via Aidan Mc Grath

BBC footage of RTV found

It's always nice to receive a message from a manufacturer of Mini based cars, former or even current, and I was thrilled to hear from Scamp-man Andrew MacLean this week. He wrote: "Hi Jeroen, at very long last….we've managed to find a copy of the famous BBC Tomorrow's World and BBC Top Gear footage of the Robert Mandry Mini based RTV, dating back to 1983." You may remember the RTV as the go-anywhere Rough Terrain Vehicle seen in Maximum Mini 2 and on these pages.

In fact, we saw an RTV in moving images before as the vehicle to be driven to a most unusual record, but Andrew has to put some things straight on that one. Andrew: By the way, the 'Blind Run' RTV was not built by Robert Mandry. Robert sold the RTV manufacturing rights to Lawrence Hawgood, (not Spyder Sport as mentioned in Maximum Mini 2) who took it to the next level. The Blue RTV in the Blind Run video is Ford Escort based....It is badged as Ford...Perry's Ford. It mentions that it is Ford Escort based in the video as Ford were sponsoring the run as well. Please correct this on your website. Thanks. And please mention that a Robert Mandry RTV played a big part as well, in the run, as back up vehicle....It was painted the same colours and carried the British Gas and Perry's Ford logos. I still own this amazing Mini based vehicle and it still wears the same colours...undergoing a slow restoration. Thanks again. Andrew MacLean."

Thank you for letting me know this, Andrew. I have updated the Blind Run article now - see here. Andrew still owns two RTVs and tells me he took over all the spares and production rights from Lawrence Hawgood about 5 years ago, now having enough to build several new Mini based RTVs. Have a look here when interested. Andrew also shared some more information on another of his former Mini-based adventures, but I'll keep that for the next time. Enjoy the video for now.

VideoBBC Tomorrow's World / BBC Top Gear via Andrew MacLean

Finally: more on the Mini milk float

When you've read Maximum Mini 3 (still available here when not) you have come across some truly strange Mini based creations. Some were in fact so strange that finding out more information about them proved virtually impossible. No one knew about them and no-one wanted, or so it sometimes seemed. It went for the Mini based milk float. I knew it was from New-Zealand and I knew it dated back to the 1960s but that was about it.

Now. Thanks to Miguel Plano of Canada (again!) I have found out more. Miguel found a leaflet on the thing, showing the two photographs below plus some additional words. It turns out the Mini milk float was officially named the Minimilk-float and invented by dairyman Mr. Moore of Timaru in New-Zealand. "He tows his tiny little milk lorry behind a larger vehicle on long-range work, allowing it to operate independently on local deliveries, such as in congested housing schemes; he thus effects some worthwhile savings in his transport costs!"

The creature was built to Mister Moore's own design with a 5 ft. 6 in. high cab and was built up using an 850 Mini. I wonder if any of you remember it from the days he drove it around the streets of New Zealand?

cutaway bodywork for easy getting in and out. The Minimilk-float was, rem, different!

Picture via Miguel Plano

Mr. Moore added: "We know it's a queer looking thing but it is just great for the job it was built for!"

Picture via Miguel Plano

Market round up (Summer 2017)

Time for another market round-up (previous versions here and here and here). What Mini based cars are offered for sale at this moment? I have made a selection, the majority of these ads have been tipped-off by readers. Keep them coming! Oh - and some more cars here.

GTM coupe, built up to look like a Cox GTM.  Previously seen on these pages. See it for sale here

Mk4 Mini Marcos in France, built up in Belgium with 1275 power. See it for sale here

Magenta, also in France. 1979 car. Rare to see it in a state like this. See it for sale here

Riley Elf 'Jolly'. Very unusual take on the Elf, found in Missouri, USA. See it for sale here
UPDATE January 2018: Can you believe this car sold in auction for $60,500 ?!

The Wolseley Hornet based Willson Special has been for sale for quite some time now. See it here

Rare RTV, ready to work on any farm or do any (slow) expedition. See it for sale here

Nimrod, also seen for sale here previously. Who will give it some love? See it for sale here

Stimson Trek. Probably the best possible example of the species? See it for sale here

Stimson Mini Bug. Nice Mk2 car in great colour. It's in Northern Ireland. See it for sale here

Also in Northern Ireland: a flashy Foers Nomad. One of 175. See it for sale here

Hustler Six, restored and looking very good, in Norfolk. See it for sale here

Scamp Mk2 dressed up as a military mobile drinks bar..! See it for sale here

GTM Coupe. Looks superb and I think it could be the (a?) works demonstrator? See it for sale here

Foers Nomad built up with most unusual side skirts and spoilers. See it for sale here

Mini Marcos Mk4. This one is in Italy and registered as a 1976 car with 1340. See it for sale here

Andersen Cub. 1987 car with 998 power, in Suffolk. See it for sale here

AEM Scout. Purple with cream leather. Brilliant for Summer 2018 already! See it for sale here

For the love of a Unipower GT - the story of Dennis Tarkir

Some time ago, Danny Craig dropped me a line from Virginia, USA, writing that his father in law passed recently. "So we are dealing with all the stuff that comes with it." Among it, there is a 1967 Unipower GT. And there's no doubt I was eager to learn just a little bit more about that. Danny got back on it several times, writing "I didn't realize how much work it was going to be moving the cars and assosiated parts... plus all the tools and equipment. A little overwhelming! Gotta talk to his ex-wife and get his daughters to take a walk down memories lane…" And by now, he did just that. This is his full report:

"My father in law, Dennis Tarkir, purchased the Unipower from a dealer in Maryland. I'm pretty sure the city was Gaithersburg. I think I read that this dealer imported all of the Unipower that made it to the USA. From what I understand, Dennis found the car in 1971 and fell in love. At the time he was unable to afford it straight out, so he found a friend who was coming home from college break. They both went in on the Uni with the arrangement that his friend would drive it while home from school. This gave Dennis enough time to make the money to buy his friend out. Dennis is the original owner as far as paper work is concerned."

Dennis Tarkir with the Unipower GT in 2008. It was only finished last year

Picture through Danny Craig

"He would tell me stories about visiting his girlfriend at her apartment, having to park at the beginning of the complex because he was unable to get over the speed bumps in the Unipower. He constantly would get pulled over by the police. Not for doing anything wrong… 'What the he'll are you driving?', was normally the first question they would ask. I remember him telling me that he had a real hard time registering it in the state of Virginia due to the vin number being so short. The first time he tried, it had gotten to the managers manager to get approval. They finally approved the request for registration, mainly because they didn't known what else to do. He also said that this go around trying to get it registered this year was also a little trying. And being that Virginia issued the registration in the 70s it came down to the manager at the DMV saying... I guess we have to since they did it before. It now has Virginia antique tags and is legal to drive on the roads."

Dennis went through some issues to get it registered. It's on Antique plates now

Picture through Danny Craig

"There are chunks of time missing in this Unipower's history. From what I have gathered, some time in the early 80s, Dennis started the complete tear down restoration due to the common issues of the frame rott and the over heating issue. During this time the Uni was stored in a warehouse for a time, while Dennis lived in a couple different apartments. Once he purchased the house seen in the photos, he kept the Unipower in the garage. At some point he had it shipped to Florida to be painted. At the time in the Fairfax area, he was having a hard time finding a painter who was willing to touch it without charging an arm and a leg. He found a Corvette painter who was. And so it was shipped."

Painted in real American racing colours, this reflects a miniature GT40 rather then a 'Mini Miura'

Picture through Danny Craig

"When I met Megan, the oldest of Dennis' twin daughters, the body, lights and interior were pretty much done. The frame was redone, and the cooling system was changed to take care of the over heating issue. A small electric pump was added to the system to increase the flow at idle. At the time he was also restoring his dad's classic Mustang and also had an old XKE that he was working on. He would bounce from car to car depending on which parts came in."

Work is underway in Dennis Tarkir's garage, his father's Mustang in the background

Picture through Danny Craig

"Not long after Megan and I started dating, they moved to Manassas, Virginia. The mustang was sold, the Unipower engine was close to being put back together, and he towed a '71 Lotus Elan plus 2S home from Texas. Saved them from the Texas heat after 20 years of sitting in a field. The Uni was drivable in late 2016, but it still had some issues. He replaced the three master cylinders. The one closest to the drivers side door was too tall. One of the hardest parts about restoring this car is finding parts. In the end he had to cut a half inch out of that one master cylinder in order to get the hood to close. He was also having a hard time with finding carburetors that worked well. I remember that at least two needed replacing, both also on the drivers side."

Note closest master cylinder is shorter. Dennis had to cut it to get the hood closed

Picture through Danny Craig

"I also remember him being frustrated that he couldn't find any place where he could get the pedal pads. Frustrated to the point that he bought a 3D printer, and started making molds to try to duplicate the originals. In the end, they looked great, but the plastic became too hard over time and wore out once he started driving it on the road."

"We found lots of papers for the car. Sale receipts, emails to different people all over the world. He was pretty good about keeping track of stuff like that. I will send you pictures of some of that stuff if you like. As of now they are still packed up. We haven't made it that far in our unpacking. Dennis was truly in love with this Unipower. I would say that he got it restored to 90% there are some things that need tweeted and adjusted. He did not reinstall the windows, as he saw it as a fair weather car. The cars and trucks here are so big in comparison that driving in the rain or snow would be kind of dangerous. The Uni would get lost in the road spray.We still have the door windows and rear plexiglass window. I remember reading an email conversation with a guy in England that had the mould for the rear window, I think. The one for this car is discolored and has some cracking. Frankly I think it looks better with out that installed."

"The cars here are so big in comparison that driving in the rain or snow would be kind of dangerous"

Picture through Danny Craig

Now that Dennis has passed, we had to drive it to Marshall, Virginia. Which was the longest single trip it has made. The actual mileage is still under the 40,000 miles. This car is a blast to drive. And a little scary at the same time. Being that I grew up in the time of power assisted brakes and steering. And with no experience with a rear engined and rear wheel drive set up. Not to mention having to lay down to drive it. I understand why Dennis loved this car so much."

The original rear window was never reinstalled. "Frankly, I think it looks better without", says Danny

Picture through Danny Craig

Autocrossing an early MiniJem (4)

I would never have thought the MiniJem to be a suitable contender for auto crossing but, hey, I was wrong! A single photograph of a Mk1 Jem doing just that (click here) proved it could be done not so long ago. And it even lead to former owners coming in and telling about the restoration of the car (here) or about flying it at high speeds over dirt tracks (here).

Now… these great photographs of another MiniJem doing the same thing were unearthed recently. And I'll be damned if this isn't another rare Mk1! The pictures were taken by Chris Higginbotham in the mid-1970s on a track named Warburton. But that's just about all that we know. Wouldn't it be nice if more info on this one followed, too..?

Action! Another MiniJem in a field. This was at Warburton and the car looks like another Mk1

Picture Chris Higginbotham

Added air holes and knobbly tyres. Could this MiniJem have survived the rough mid-1970s?

Picture Chris Higginbotham

Red paint is coming off, but that doesn't withhold this car from flying over the fields

Picture Chris Higginbotham

Wanted: Sprinzel Rallye Two seat

I have been looking for what I believe to be the right seats for my project car for some time now: Sprinzel Rallye Two seats, made by Fibrepair Ltd. of London and sometimes also sold as the Speedwell Rally Seat. I found one, but need another. There should be more of them around as many were made and sold in the 1960s, but I haven't come across another as yet. Perhaps you know of something? Do not hesitate to contact me.

UPDATE 15 September 2017: beautiful second seat now found. Thank you for the help!

That's one. The Sprinzel Rallye Two seat that I have needs work. But I also need another!

Picture Jeroen Booij

That's a brochure showing all the ins and outs. Do you have a spare one?

Picture courtesy Mk1 Performance Conversions

Another good Unipower tale

I like tales from former car owners and Unipower owner Pete Flanagan sent in another nice one. While I was at the Euregio Meeting, he spent the weekend at the Oulton Park Gold Cup with his Unipower GT. Pete: "The car hasn't been back there since Graham Goodman and Gideon Lloyd raced it there in 1968. The funny story Gideon told me was this when they were last raced it at Oulton Park in '68. He said: 'Oulton Park was our last outing in the car at the end of 1968. The brilliantly crisp, cold, sunny Sunday was topped and tailed by incredibly dense fog. On our journey back down South, visibility was zero - at one point I was leaning out of the passenger side door feeling for the kern side. Eventually fog clearing, we made the motorway and Graham opened up the Jag. I seem to recall 100mph being indicated on the M1."

"Needless to say, trailer tyres blew (melted...) and I was 'volunteered' to be 'driven' in the Unipower behind the Jag. The primitive handbrake had iced up and with no way of communicating with the Jag I became aware of flickering flames behind my shoulders. Sure enough the discs were alight."

"I promise you the next bit is true! A car overtook and flagged down the Jag. Then a guy came round to the Unipower, lifted the engine cover and fire extinguished both discs which were merrily aflame being fed by brake fluid. Somehow the magnesium wheels didn't ignite. He then disappeared into the night. That was the rather sad end to our relationship with the red devil. It was sold. Graham raced Formula 3 in Europe for 2 seasons and I got a job!"

That's another great Unipower GT tale, thanks for sharing Pete!

Lloyd and Goodman wanted to do endurance races with the car but it never got that far. Seen here in their hands in 1968. Note fat Brabham wheels at the back here, which did't help handling

Picture via Pete Flanagan

Back at Oulton Park last weekend after almost 50 years. Pete is thinking about road registering it now

Picture Pete Flanagan