Maximum Mini: Solved after 10 years

Thursday, 29 October 2020

Solved after 10 years - the mysterious Gnat

10 Years ago today I made the first posting on what would become the Maximum Mini weblog and it was about a mystery Mini derivative named Gnat. See the article here. Imagine my surprise when the designer and builder of that particular car contacted me earlier this year! I thought it could make the perfect article to publish today - exactly a decade after my plea for information. This is what I received:

"Hello Jeroen, I have seen your name in the classic car magazines with reference to Mini Specials. Here are some photos of the Gnat, a 998cc based Mini Special I built 1990/91. I sold it about 1994 but have not seen or heard of it since. The DVLA records acknowledge its existence but it has neither current road tax or SORN. The latter is a shame because it means it will have difficulty getting back on the road. If this is of interest to you I could give you more details and photos of the build. Regards Franklin Woodcock."

That name did ring a bell, but from what or where? Then I remembered: Franklin D Woodcock was a contributor to Peter Filby’s kit car titles in the 1980s and I always thought that had been one of Filby's 'noms de plume'! Franklin: "I was born soon after Franklin D Roosevelt died in 1945 and my folks were big fans. A guy at school said “With a name like that you’ll get a job anywhere”. His name was David White, which he thought was a handicap. I can’t say he was right but at least it’s memorable. I was in email contact with Simon Taylor recently and he thought exactly the same as you about it being a Filby nom de plume!"

Franklin continued with his recollections of the car: "I had the foolish idea that in 1990 the world needed another Mini based kit car. Wrong! Twenty years too late. Anyway, together with a friend who was a technical illustrator I went ahead. His drawings show a credible idea of what a 1990s Mini special should look like but unfortunately my body building skills did not match up. I had built 3 one-off specials prior to this but they were 1930s style jobs. That really is my thing, I started in 1963 with a 1933 MG L2 Magna and today I drive a Marlin Roadster which I have owned for 20 years and it’s the best car I have ever had. Back to the Gnat, I started with a mid-70s 850cc Mini with a poor body but sound mechanics. I scrapped the body and kept all the essentials. I 'designed' and welded up the chassis in my single garage and made the crude bodywork from plywood, MDF and filler (lots of it). The gear lever has an extension because I didn’t want the bonnet to be the usual stubby style as with most Minis and Mini based kits. I tack welded the pieces together until I was sure everything was okay, then I finished it off and painted it. I didn’t touch any of the mechanical parts, I just bolted them all on as they worked okay in the original car. If you look at the rear view chassis photo you can just see the bolt heads of my 'tappet' adjuster for the rear suspension inside the triangulated corners. I made these because I didn’t know what the ride height would be. By rotating the bolt it would push on the disc pressing on the rubber suspension trumpet and raise or lower the car. To make it look more credible I fitted 12” wheels. It was sprayed professionally in Porsche Guards red. The bumpers and spoiler were narrowed Marina and Metro items and I think the spats were from a later Mini. The grill was made from plastic curtain rail and the centre badge moulding was a ceiling light rose with a badge made by a graphic designer mate. The seats were plywood with homemade cushions. Although I am not very proud of the body design I think my detailing was good, especially the dash which tells you exactly what it is. Because it was designed by me, for me, I have to say it was one of the most comfortable cars I have ever driven, it fitted like a glove. I used it for work on nice days but never got round to making any foul weather gear. When I first drove it I had a shock as it was gutless. There was nothing wrong with the original car but this thing seemed to be lacking 'go'. I put it on a weighbridge and found out to my horror that it weighed about the same as a standard Mini! I had grossly over-engineered it. From 1992-97 I worked for Midland Autotrader mag and I sold the car to one of my clients. I saw him about 10 years ago and asked after the car, he told me he sold it to another car dealer way back so I have no idea where it is now unfortunately. I think that just about covers it. Bye for now, Franklin."

As he'd found me through the print media, I directed Franklin also to Maximum Mini online, which opened another world: "Now you’ve started something! I knew there were a lot of us Mini special builders out there but I didn’t realize how many. This will occupy me for ages, thanks for that. In the early 1980s Filby asked me to edit a mag on one-off specials as I was 'the specialist'. After I had got most of the stuff together he pulled it as on 2nd thoughts it would not be a good seller. However, he did suggest to me that I might like to do it on my own at my own expense. Foolishly I took it on with the hope of making it a quarterly publication. After a lot of heartache, money and work my wife and I launched it in 1983. It ran for the one issue and obviously I lost money on it BUT it got it out of my system and it was well received by those who bought it. My attic creaked with unsold copies for years until I committed them to the council tip about 15 years ago. I still come across a few when rummaging in the attic. Bye for now, Franklin."

Thank you very much for all that Franklin! It's very good to hear from you even if it took a decade. Proof that perseverance pays! Now, wouldn't it be nice to learn that the car survives..?

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There it is! The Gnat mystery has finally been solved thanks to its creator

Picture Franklin Woodcock

Inspired by the Mk1 Sprite, Franklin asked an illustrator friend to come up with a design sketch

Picture Franklin Woodcock

Franklin: 'He was a keen designer and car enthusiast but not a mechanic - he didn’t realize that his nicely sloping bonnet would not suit the high, forward biased engine package of the Mini'

Picture Franklin Woodcock