Maximum Mini: Deep Sanderson 301 found in Mexico-City (2)

Following up on yesterday's discovery (this one), the story of the Deep Sanderson 301 in Mexico began to shape with every next message I received from Henry Davis, the man who found it. I have copied parts of his messages that followed in the next couple of days after his initial contact. I did reply to them all, but thought Henry's messages would be interesting enough for publication here.

8 February: Hello Jeroen. Thank you very much for your insights, they are very helpful It believe the car has been in Mexico City most or all of it’s life. And cars here don’t rust as bad, it is high and dry. I will decide if I buy it in the next couple of days and will get back to you with more news. If I decide to pass I can certainly put you in touch with the seller if you are interested.

Regards Henry

11 February: Hello Jeroen. Saw the car today, I will appreciate your comments. It has a Mini 850cc engine (which is disappointing), and is registered with that number. One thing that concerns me is the angle of the steering wheel, it is angled sharply to the left (not parallel to the dashboard). I tried to take some pictures that showed it, but they don’t actually show the true angle. I also took some pictures of the steering shaft under the dashboard and it certainly has a weird angle. The other DSs I’ve seen in pictures don’t seem to have this issue. Could this have to do with the lhd conversion to this car? I have seen and driven some cars with a slightly angled steering wheel to the left, but this one is far worse than anything I’ve seen. I’d appreciate your thoughts. The carburetor is also an issue, as are these holes they opened to get the carb to breathe. Would a horizontal carb be the more common alternative? Also under the carb there is a water tank that I haven’t seen in other cars, and that might explain the need for a vertical carb. I guess the car had some over-heating issues, which would also explain the holes in the bonnet to try and help cool the radiator. The other thing I could not find anywhere was a serial number tag anywhere on the car. Please share your thought with me, they will be of great help.

Best Regards Henry

12 February: Hello again Jeroen The Mexican licensing agency is closed for Covid (and has been for the last few months), so no way of contacting them. But the car is registered as an antique vehicle (with antique car plates issued for it). This requires the car to pass an inspection with a government entity. The inspection documents are there and so the car has officially been 'validated' as a 1960 Morris Mini. And the car has a tax sticker form 1972 affixed to the windshield, and registration papers dating from 1973. I’m guessing that the Mexican authorized were unable or unwilling to register it as a Deep Sanderson (a name surely not in their data base) and they registered it with the engine number and documents of what was probably the engine donor. The Mexican Registry was famous for marking cars that didn’t have a clear provenance, and that might explain the stamped numbers directly on the block -vs. the little plate which is easily removed. A car such as the DS would certainly have attracted special scrutiny. Just a theory anyway.

Regards Henry

14 February: Hello Jeroen I have decided to pass on the Deep Sanderson, but a good friend of mine has made a deal to purchase it. His name is Victor Milke and I am copying him in this email so that you both can get in touch and have further discussions about the car. Victor and I are very good friends and this will allow me to stay close to the car and follow the process to bring it back to life closely. Thank you very much for all your help.

Regards Henry

So it doesn't end there. There's more to come as Victor was the next to get in touch with a great number of messages. He is now trying to establish more of the car's history. But first: tomorrow's article will see the car being moved from its lock-up, possibly for the first time in almost 40 years. Stay tuned.