Maximum Mini: Peel Viking's original owner gets in touch

Here is a bit of a 'longread', perhaps quite suitable for the weekend? I love it when the history of a car is unraveled and Mike Athay made my day when he contacted me from Canada with some most interesting remarks about the Peel Vikings on the Isle of Man and one car in particular (from this article). He wrote:

"Hello Jeroen, I am in receipt of your postings about various Mini projects and find these very interesting - I was unaware that there were so many different models based on the Mini.

The article I received this morning was of particular interest because I was the person who built the car registered RET680J. This conflicts with the third paragraph of the article which indicates that the car was originally registered MAN70P - this is not true!"

"I purchased the body directly from Peel Engineering in late 1969, early 1970 - can’t remember the exact date. I rented a small truck to drive from Rotherham where I lived, to Liverpool, to where the body was shipped from the Isle of Man. I believe this was probably the last body they built before production ceased."

"I also bought a write-off mini from an insurance company from which I salvaged many of the parts needed for the build. The body came with fibreglass doors but missing the window frames so these were salvaged from the write-off and installed on the Peel. I also modified the hood - sorry, bonnet - by adding brackets underneath at the front to eliminate the need for hinges and to improve the appearance and air-streaming. This also meant that the panel could be very easily removed for better access to the engine compartment. The complete body was then taken to a body shop to be professionally sprayed “flame” colour. Meanwhile, I was able to procure some Cooper ’S’ drive shafts and a Cooper ’S’ gearbox. Because Mini sub-frames had a habit of rusting away, I opted to use new ones; the rear I modified slightly by closing all the openings and drenching the inside with oil. I also modified the rear trailing arms by installing grease nipples to ensure the inner bushing could be adequately lubricated. I opted to install a brand new 1100cc engine. The exhaust was a Fothergill which at the time came with a 1 year warranty - it lasted just 13 months!"

"Rather than an SU carb, I installed a Reece-Fish which gave excellent economy and performance. However, because this was installed behind the engine, and right above the exhaust manifold, I did not consider the optional heater would be necessary - wrong! With the damp conditions in the UK, when the temperature dropped below around 5˚C, owing to the high vacuum at the intake a large ball of ice would form on the carb, thereby creating a rich mixture and the engine would stop. It was then necessary to wait until the heat from the exhaust had melted the ice and one could continue one's journey! I later learned that the guy who bought the vehicle when I emigrated to Canada in 1977, ultimately replaced the Reece-Fish with twin SU’s."

"Instead of the traditional positioning of the radiator at the side, I visited the local scrap yard - may times actually - and was able to get a radiator from a Triumph Spitfire which I installed in front of the engine (thinking of ‘ram’ effect cooling ) together with an electric fan. I later discovered that the ram effect was inadequate and consequently modified the body to incorporate the rectangular air scoop."

"One of the other ’toys’ I installed was a fly-off handbrake. This was quite amusing when I took the vehicle on the skid-pan at the Manchester bus garage. I forgot to warn the instructor about the handbrake and he was not familiar with such a device. As we were going into a bend and he applied the handbrake to force a skid - with his thumb holding down the button - the brake locked on and he panicked! It was certainly a test of my skills to continue to control the vehicle whilst telling him to let go the brake so that I could release the button!"

"Prior to the introduction of the Mini, there were several 'Specials' based on earlier production vehicles which used a traditional U-channel chassis. Indeed, a friend of mine purchased such a vehicle. That particular vehicle - and I suspect such was the case with many other similar projects, the inside was never completed! The body was attached to the chassis, a couple of seats and a steering wheel installed and that was it, the vehicle was ready for the road. I was determined that this was not to be the case with my car. I spent numerous hours furnishing the inside with materials I purchased from a local upholsterer, whose main business was repairing bus seats which had been slashed by the hooligans who made use of that form of transport. Indeed, this gentleman was of great help to me as he not only allowed me to use his equipment but also showed me the tricks to achieve professional results in making the rear seat; for the front, I installed Corbeau GT4 seats."

"During the 9 months it took me to build this car, I was subscribed to Car & Car Conversions magazine which at the time was holding local heats for a national concours d’elegance, the final of which was to be held in Blackpool, in September, 1970. As my vehicle was not ready for any of the qualifying heats, I wrote to the magazine explaining the situation and was then allowed to compete at the final event. I was very pride to be awarded third place in my category, behind two Lotus Europa’s, though I thought this a little unfair as assembly of a Europa kit could be done in a weekend, compared with the time it had taken for the building of my car."

"Sadly, other than two cuttings from local newspapers which did an article on the project, I have no pictures of the construction of the vehicle as this occurred long before the advent of digital photography. Any pictures I did have were unfortunately lost during a house move 21 years ago. In retrospect, I am very sorry that I did not keep the vehicle but I guess at the time, the cost to have shipped it to Canada was way beyond my available spare change. However, it’s good to know it is still around. Mike Athay"

Isn't that great? I was of course very curious to the newspaper clippings Mike mentioned, and with the help from Catherine Semerjian of Nerses Photo Studio in Ontario, Canada, some superb scans were finally made and flashed over. They tell us that Mike ordered the shell in november 1969 but "Beacuse of some trouble with the steel tubing used on the steel frames delivery was delayed and it was in March 1970 that Michael first saw the shell." Furtheremore it mentions: "A vast array of switches on the dashboard reveals that there is a burglar alarm system, a hazard warning light system, manual as well as automatic reversing lights, a special parking light system, which does not allow you to start the car until it is switched off, triple or single note air horns, headlamp flasher and a few spare ones that have yet to be connected to interior lights etc. Mike estimates all this has cost him just over 900 - but for this he has a luxurious new car that is unusual, will travel at 80 mph all day without turning a hair, and regularly turns in just over 41 mpg. So he has comfortable, fast but economical motoring - what more does anyone want?"

I have contacted the car's current owner Stephen Callow, too. There is more to follow as Stephen has been in touch since with both me as with Mike, which leads to more interesting remarks. Stay tuned.