Market round up (Autumn 2019)

Is it autumn yet? I'm not sure but fact is that there are plenty of cars offered for sale at the moment. So it's about time for a little look at what Mini derivatives are in the market right now.

An ABC Tricar with a modified body in Yorkshire

Seen for sale Here

A Mini Mouse, again with a modified body and in the US

Seen for sale Here

A Robert Mandry-built RTV that's ready to run

Seen for sale Here

A Ranger Pick Up that needs lots of work

Seen for sale Here

And a very good looking Jiffy
Seen for sale Here

An ABS Freestyle in The Netherlands
Seen for sale Here

And a Midas in Belgium

Seen for sale Here

Nice AEM Scout, unfortunately horribly photographed

Seen for sale Here


Hustler Six to be auctioned by Bonhams
Seen for sale Here


GTM Rossa Mk2 with low-mileage 1275 engine
Seen for sale Here

That Status 365 again. Who dares?

Seen for sale Here

And who is going to finish this Mini Wildgoose project?

Seen for sale Here

Or how about an Outspan Orange Mini? Said to be the prototype

Seen for sale Here

Funny looking Scamp Mk1 in checker plate wear

Seen for sale Here

The Silcoates Ascender has been seen here before

Seen for sale Here

Beatifully restored Crayford Mini Sprint

Seen for sale Here

Lovely Whitby Morrison Batman ice cream van

Seen for sale Here

A very colourful Hrubon Schmitt in France

Seen for sale Here

Banham Sprint with fast engine

Seen for sale Here

Rare Japan-built Moke Sports Tottini in the UK

Seen for sale Here

A British registered Jimini found in France

Seen for sale Here

Correctly registered Scamp Mk2

Seen for sale Here

Mini Marcos Mk3, looks like a lovely project
Seen for sale Here

Another Jimini, this on on the Cote d'Azur
Seen for sale Here

Market round up (Autumn 2015)

Let's make a little round-up on what is on the market at the moment. Quite a lot Mini based vehicles to choose from, ranging from plain weird to pretty wonderful. At your service!
PS: You know where to find more of them - click here for Deep Sanderson, Unipower, Ogle et cetera...

A Jiffy project, this one comes with six wheels! Jiffy registrar Glen Bowden says: "I dont think Indespension built it. I havent heard about 6-wheelers and I have only seen two." 

See the ad here

A very nice Freestyle, built with auto testing in mind. Not cheap though but ready to go

See the ad here

Or do you fancy a buggy for the rough? Then this NCF Blitz with off road tyres is yours
See the ad here

Speaking about rough: this Mini Marcos is advertised as a Mk1 or Mk2. I'd say it's a Mk3

See the ad here

Another part of the DART family: a rare Kingfisher Sprint, this one is in Ulverston

See the ad here

Built at the Goodwood track in the 1980s and with 1100 underpinnings: a Langridge Navajo

See the ad here

I really like this Mk1 Scamp. For sale in Ryde, on the Isle of Wight. Combine it with a holiday!
See the ad here

And it's not the only one seen for sale at the moment. This Mk1 is offered for sale from Louth
See the ad here

For wicker men: An Innocenti Mini Mare, seen in central France but until recently in Italy (click)
See the ad here

Also in France (Colmar): a beautiful and pretty rare Mk3 Mini Jem. Tres chique but not cheap

See the ad here

This gorgeous 1964 Radford Mini de Ville has been featured in Maximum Mini 2 before

See the ad here


Or do you prefer a coachbuilt Mini by Wood & Pickett? This 1988 car was built for Sir Jeffrey Archer
See the ad here

While this Mini Marcos Mk3 racer is in Bradford on Avon - where Marcos Cars were based

See the ad here

Also close to where it was built: an AEM Scout on a stones throw from Merthyl Tydfil in Wales
See the ad here

This Nimrod is in the USA. It was in a good state until recently (see here), but look at it now…

See the ad here

A very nice Minus Mini here with 1275 engine and comprehensive work carried out

See the ad here

Last but not least, over to New Zealand, where a Terrapin has made it to the market

See the ad here

An ABS Freestyle down the street

I would never have believed that a Mini based buggy has been lurking in a barn about a mile from my house, but it turned out to be just so! Some years ago I came across a local Mk1 Mini Marcos and found another Mk1 a year later, which lives in Finland now, but both of these weren't as close by as the car below. A neighbor told me last week about it. He'd been chatting to a local man with a project car - Mini powered and rear engined - in his garage very, very local to where I live. I had no idea what to expect but was hoping for a good old DIY design, the quirkier the better. You can imagine my curiosity when we went there to have a look. I was somewhat disappointed when the car in question turned out to be an unfinished ABS Freestyle, but had to admit this was all rather nice to see one such car so close by.

The project was started at around 2003 by Wim Lubbers in his father's garage. Wim's dad Martin even built a little extension for him to work on the ABS. Wim got quite far and placed a 998 engine, fitted all of the suspension, brakes and steering. He also sourced headlights, ATS 13" wheels and most of the other parts necessary. But then he got married, had children and the project stalled. The wiring loom was never fitted and the plans to take it over to the UK for registration never materialized. And so the Freestyle, some fifteen years later, still resides in the purpose made extension while it never turned a wheel under its own power. Wim may finish it one day, he's not sure yet. If he decides to sell it, I'll let you know. Meanwhile, have a good look around your place - you never know what to expect.

An ABS Freestyle on a mile's distance from my house - I wouldn't have believed it!

Picture Jeroen Booij

Wim Lubbers started the project of building it in 2003 but never finished it

Picture Jeroen Booij

All of the suspension in place, although rubbers may need replacing after another 15 years…

Picture Jeroen Booij

Clutch, brakes and steering rack are all fitted in ABS' frame but need finishing touches

Picture Jeroen Booij

Engine is a 998 and is just about ready to be fired up. The Freestyle never ran

Picture Jeroen Booij

IMM 2015 Lithuania in pictures

To be honest I didn't plan to come over to Lithuania for the International Mini Meeting (IMM) that took place on a peninsula near Zarasai in the north-eastern part of the country. But when MINI invited me to go it was a chance I had to take, and I am glad I did it! It was a fantastic weekend with several people being brave enough to drive their Mini derivatives over from thousands of miles, too. This is my photographic report about it. 

My favourite derivative duo of the event: the Mini Jem Mk2 of Andy Tyndale and 

Mini Marcos Mk3 of Guy Humphries. Great seeing you there chaps!

Picture Jeroen Booij

The boys drove London-Brighton just prior to bringing the cars over to Lithuania - a jiffy!

Picture Jeroen Booij

Guy showing his latest feature on the Mini Marcos. Air conditioning! And it had three internal positions too: Cabin (as shown); Feet (inside part turned down); Rain (inside part turned up)

Picture Jeroen Booij

Guy and Andy also took the cars to the Autotest to race against each other

Picture Jeroen Booij

The course was very narrow but the boys were pretty quick. Andy was slightly faster if I recall right

Picture Fabian Kirchenberger

But Guy's performance was least as impressive, flying the flag for England

Picture Fabian Kirchenberger

Speaking about impressive: how about a Freestyle driven over from Somerset?! I understand it was the company's owner Dave Smart who did just that, but unfortunately I didn't catch up with him

Picture Jeroen Booij

Now that's a neat idea. And very cheap too!

Picture Jeroen Booij

Your source for obsolete spares - and knowledge! Nick Rogers and Co. were there, too

Picture Jeroen Booij

Another brave traveller - the Mk2 Scamp of Alan Bland, all the way from Cumbria

Picture Jeroen Booij

Alan also took his Scamp to the auto testing track and certainly knew how to use the handbrake!

Picture Jeroen Booij

I catched up with Jouke Boersen and girlfriend Daphne of The Netherlands who brought over their Mini Marcos - an ongoing project with lots of work carried out yet

Picture Jeroen Booij

It's yellow now, but it's had several colour changes throughout the years, as Jouke shows here. 

Thanks for the coffee mate!

Picture Jeroen Booij

Another Mk4 Mini Marcos was bought in Sweden by Jan Pettersson just prior to the event. He lives in France and will now be driving the car back to his French home!

Picture Jeroen Booij

Jan told me he doesn't know much about the car's history but this sticker may suggest it was an original import to Sweden. More info here

Picture Jeroen Booij 

It has a full roll bar and there were several indications of attempts to make it lighter. For racing?

Picture Jeroen Booij

Unusual but very nice rear lights, too. Who knows the source of these?

Picture Jeroen Booij

Nice Dutch registered Domino Pimlico on 13 inch wheels

Picture Jeroen Booij

And a neat Midas Gold convertible from Darmstadt, Germany

Picture Jeroen Booij

MINI of Munich brought the Mengers four-door Mini over to Lithuania, previously seen here

Picture Jeroen Booij

And they were so kind to lend me and a colleague this car to tour Lithuania. This local lady liked it

Picture Jeroen Booij

And then she wanted to show us her place and offered us coffee and biscuits. There was, however, a bit of a language barrier - putting things mildly

Picture Jeroen Booij

Fortunately this duo of youngsters walked past and were happy to act as translators. After the coffee we gave them a ride to their home in the Mini, which they loved!

Picture Jeroen Booij

Lithuania is beautiful and the Lituanians are friendly people. The event took place on a peninsula close to Zarasai which turned out to be a fantastic spot for a meeting like this

Picture Fabian Kirchenberger