Sri Lanka's MiniSprint

Mini derivatives come from wide and far and if you look at the alphabetical list of labels on the right hand side of this weblog, you may see what your country's contributions to this spectrum are. Sri Lanka was not to be found on that list so far, but that has changed now that Roald rakers sent me a picture of a much modified Mini racer hailing from that country and built in the spirit of the MiniSprint, but then even more streamlined with an ultra-low nose section. I was eager to find out more and bumped onto the page of the Mini Lovers Community Sri Lanka.

According to some contributors there the car was called 'The Atom' or 'Bandicoot', but both sources mention a M. Iqbal as its builder. One source mentions: "It pretty much dominated the late 1980s and was a regular winner in Sri Lankan motor racing just about everywhere. It gave every car a run for its money. The arrival of the Subaru legacy’s finally ended its reign, which speaks volumes of its capability. One of the great iconic cars of Sri Lankan motor racing." I love stories like that.

Built by M. Iqbal and inspired by the MiniSprint, this must have been Sri Lanka's fastest Mini

Picture Mini Lovers Community Sri Lanka

Top chopped, fully deseamed and front much streamlined with just the radiator sticking out

Picture Mini Lovers Community Sri Lanka

Here at Kandy Ware Park hill climb at an unknown date, Iqbal's Mini dominated local motor sport

Picture Mini Lovers Community Sri Lanka

'The Atom' or 'Bandicoot' became one of the great iconic cars of Sri Lankan motor racing

Picture via Roald Rakers