Le Mans Mini Marcos: the build begins

Boy, has it been a long time since I wrote an update on the Le Mans Mini Marcos project. I could tell you all about the reasons for the delay but let's not worry about that here. Fact is that more happened in the last week then in the 18 months or so preceding it. 

Together with my friend and fellow Mini Marcos owner Joost van Diën I went to Pau in south-west France to deliver the now painted shell to the chaps at Mini World Center. You may remember that I had chosen this particular company, run by Philippe Quirière, to build the car's engine and suspension since Philippe had both the knowledge and the experience to do so. But apart from that he also had a number of original parts of this very car after having taken over the stock of French garagiste extraordinaire José Albertini. Albertini, at his turn, owned the Marcos back in 1970.

So off we went to Pau in the Pyrenées-Atlantique not far from the Spanish border. The plan was to have the subframes and engine fitted there and set up the engine, too, as well as have it dyno'd before loading it in the trailer once again and bring it back after a week of hard work. Joost and I hired an apartment nearby to spend the week as mechanic-assistants, so we were ready for it. Philippe was not so sure if it could be done in the time given but we thought we'd give it a try at least since the car needed to be brought over anyway. To make another long story short - we didn't make it. But Philippe and the Mini World Center team will finish the job in the winter, with regular updates promised to be flashed over, and the car will come home after that. We did have a good time though and I learned a lot more about the car's technical insights. Philippe and his father Gérard are as eager as I am to get all the details right and I brought my file with old pictures of the car, which proved to be invaluable at some stages. Let's have a look at some of the pictures that I took in the week.

Engine bay and dashboard needed a lick of paint first, so once Joost and I arrived at Mini World Center in Pau we started with masking the car once again

Picture Jeroen Booij

That's Philippe's father Gérard Quirière with the spray gun applying the primer coat. Gérard worked for BMC since the mid-1960s and has all the experience you can wish for. And he is a absolute top bloke on top of that

Picture Jeroen Booij

And that's what the dash looks like with the primer still wet. We deliberately did not fill most of the holes and scratches as these are well visible on the only good picture that I have of the car's interior

Picture Jeroen Booij

All the painstakingly searched together parts for the car's engine at the work bench at Mini World Center, nearly ready to be assembled. This is some of the best stuff you could get in 1966

Picture Jeroen Booij

The rear subframe is ready for fitment and is placed under the shell here. Gérard and Joost give a hand

Picture Jeroen Booij

And it is fitted. Note that the massive Le Mans petrol tank of 79 litres capacity is also at its place here

Picture Jeroen Booij

Philippe in his office working on the engine. He has spent umpteen hours on it (and much of the money originally set aside to send my children to college!) 

Picture Jeroen Booij

The team at Mini World Center with left to right: Gérard, Joost, Philippe, Nicolas, Damien and me

Picture David Barrere

Engine bay now waiting for the front subframe with engine. Some of the electrics and brake parts have been installed as have the chassis plates been re-fitted

Picture Jeroen Booij

Engine getting closer but still not there. There are so many details here and as far as we have been able to verify them from old letters, articles, papers from the Automobile Club de l'Ouest and historical pictures they all all correct for the time

Picture Jeroen Booij

Gérard with the early Mini side radiator, another rarity. This after he'd spent days on puzzling how the car's original front radiator and oil cooler had been fitted. We found out in the end!

Picture Jeroen Booij

The shroud for the side radiator needs modification since the Marcos' front is too low to have it fitted without altering. We worked mostly from old pictures of the car's build in early 1966 as well as from detail pics from Joost's Mk1 car here

Picture Jeroen Booij

Et à bientôt mon ami! (see you soon again buddy!)

Picture Jeroen Booij

And as a bonus: a little 'walkaround' video from France

Video: Jeroen Booij