A Mini Coupe down the road

Crikey, I don't know what it is about Mini derivatives local to where I live, but I keep on bumping into them. There was an ABS buggy (this one) some years ago and even a Mk1 Mini Marcos (this one here) earlier. But today I bumped into one even closer by, on a two minute walk from my house! I'd seen a Mini Coupe rumble along my street twice but had no idea where it came from or where it went to.

Until this afternoon when I saw it parked literally around the corner of my street. I rushed to get my camera and rang the door. It turned out that 19-year old owner Fabian has it since he was 14, when he started a restoration, and only has it on the road for a couple of weeks now. Well done!

Now, I thought it to be an ABS Motorsports roof conversion, but it isn't. Fabian showed me the inside, clearly showing the welds, as this is an all-steel conversion. All of the conversion work was carried out by a previous owner. The wheel arches and sill extensions are steel, too. The base Mini is a 1978 car, not a Clubman, so the square nose is a conversion also. So - mystery solved and another cool Mini to spot regularly now. Love it!

Mystery Mini Coupe was spotted parked down the street after missing it twice before

Picture Jeroen Booij

It's an all-steel conversion, privately built. The Clubman nose is a modification also

Picture Jeroen Booij

Fabian is the happy owner who spent the last couple of years working on it

Picture Jeroen Booij

And the modifications go on under the bonnet. 1300 power, much modified subframe...

Picture Jeroen Booij

Much of the steel has gone here, too. Note radiator has been moved to the front also

Picture Jeroen Booij