Ogles in Japan (2)

Allright, over to the Ogle SX1000s that can be found in Japan these days. To kick off with the first of them we can simply start with chassis number 1. This is the deep dark blue car registered 'BOO 799' that's been in the Mini Maruyama collection in Tokyo for over 30 years now. It is the ex-John Whitmore car (who bought it for his then-wife) but the car's early history is not for now. 

It was purchased in the late-1980s by mister Maruyama, who told me he bought it in restored condition from Church Green Engineering in Dorset, which some years later famously built replicas of the Broadspeed GT. Not everyone agrees though. One man told me: "I believe the person that owned it, when Miles Wilkins of Lotus Elite fame restored it, might have been a director of Church Green but that was a few owners before Maruyama acquired it." The engine is supposedly Downton tuned or at least it wears a Downton badge. It certainly remains a lovely car with its light interior and can be seen in Japanese classic car meetings occasionally.

UPDATE 2 December 2022: Neil Griffin adds: "The restoration of 'BOO' was undertaken by David Barraclough according to the Classic and Sportscar May 1983 article. Apparently it was bought from 'A lady in Pinner' in a somewhat dilapidated state."

'BOO 799' - chassis number 1 and ex-John Whitmore - when it was new

Picture Jeroen Booij archive

Restored and shortly before embarking on a journey to Japan in the late-1980s

Picture Jeroen Booij archive

Distinctive face with triple headlights! 'BOO' was upgraded to 'Super spec' at one stage

Picture via Colin Baines

Downton tuned or not? This is the car's engine bay as seen in Mini Maruyama's shop

Picture Jeroen Booij archive

Reclining seats were unique to the 'Super' version. These were reupholstered recently

Picture Yutaro Onuki

Building a Broadspeed GT replica

I keep on receiving questions about how to build or where to buy a Broadspeed GT replica roof but I don't have any of these roofs available, leave alone that I have any knowledge to build them. What I did find was a number of photographs taken in the Church Green Engineering premises in Dorset in 1995, where Paul Weldon and Geoff Branston were building replica GTs with aluminium body conversions at the time. The cars (they built only three as far as I know) were later marketed as the Marspeed GTO and offered for sale from 8,295 GBP ex-VAT. I hope you guys will enjoy these pictures.

UPDATE 31 August: Richard Hawcroft writes: "Jeroen, I actually know the bloke who made those wire frames for the Broadspeed cars. When they had finished with them they left them outside as some sort of garden feature, I have seen photos of them with flowers and what not in them. He actually restores Astons for a living, so is used to wire frame stuff. But as far as I know that body was steel, so it was all just welded, the wire form was just the ‘buck’ for forming the metal parts." He's promised to ask him about the construction and is on a hunt for the garden ornament photographs. Thanks Richy!

A steel frame was made and fitted as a 'buck' to this (then-brand new) Mini Sprite

Picture Jeroen Booij archive 

Fast forward several weeks and some serious elbow grease and frame and Mini are blended

Picture Jeroen Booij archive 

This is another (Cooper based) car which is further ahead in the process. Note buck behind

Picture Jeroen Booij archive 

Aluminium body is clad over the frame. Note boot door which the original never had

Picture Jeroen Booij archive 

Yet another car (just three were made in total) about to receive the finishing touches

Picture Jeroen Booij archive 

And the finished product. This Sprite based car went to Japan and still remains there

Picture Jeroen Booij archive 

And this is the red Cooper based car after it was finished. I believe it stayed in the UK

Picture Jeroen Booij archive 

Rear door gives access to remarkably spacious boot...

Picture Jeroen Booij archive 

...also thanks to the folding down rear seat inside. Pretty clever

Picture Jeroen Booij archive 

Standard Mini Cooper (carburetor) engine of the 1990s

Picture Jeroen Booij archive

H734 CHR was finished in Summer 1995. Where is it now?

Picture Jeroen Booij archive

Broadspeed GTs flood the market

Well, that's a bit of an exaggeration. But it's been a long time since any Broadspeed GTs were offered for sale and thats quite different at this moment. Two of them are original cars, two others are replicas or perhaps I should say 'cars built in the spirit of the GT'. To start with the real cars: these are the factory demonstrator as well as the GTS racer, both shown in the well-known Broadspeed brochure and now both to be found by JD Classics in Essex. They were of course restored by Chris Wooden over a long period of time (beautifully, for sure) and I have asked Chris why on earth he wants to split with them. He didn't want to respond to that, which may indicate he doesn't like to see them go?
The white GT 'EOP 89D' is the road going version, seen at the 1966 Racing Car Show (here) and owned by Barrie Smith and later by Greg Jones (story here) ; the burgundy and silver GTS 'EOP 88D' is the racer with all possible lightweight and competition parts including a highly tuned 1366cc engine. Images and some film footage here and here. When you are interested in buying click here if you dare to see the both of them for sale at JD Classics. Last time they were seen for sale together, they must have been remarkably cheaper!

Broadspeed GT 'EOP 89D' is the ex-factory demonstrator that was restored by Chris Wooden

Picture JD Classics

Broadspeed GTS 'EOP 88D' is the works racer, found by your's truly in Holland in the late 1990s

Picture JD Classics

Over to the replicas then. First of them is the car built by Olivier Filliettaz in the south-west of France. The car was based around a 1964 Mini Cooper 998 shell and Olivier carried out all of the construction himself, using fiberglass for the roof construction. It comes with a 1293 engine with Longman head and split Webers, or if you prefer he sells it without the engine. You can find some more information and photographs taken during the built here. The price is on request, see the ad here

French built Broadspeed GT replica is now for sale. The owner prefers to call it 'Broadsprint'

Picture Olivier Filliettaz

Our final candidate is the Mini GTO or Marspeed GTO built by Church Green in the UK in the early 1990s as a tribute to the Broadspeed. There were just two more GTOs with both of these now in Japan. This example was built up using a new (1991) Mini Cooper with 1300 carburettor engine, bored out to 1380cc and mated to a 5-speed Jack Knight gearbox. The car has been owned by Minispeed in Germany since it was finished but they want to part with it now. Asking price? €85,000. "Yes. A lot of money. But I am worth every penny of it.", states the seller… See his ad here

While this one was one of three 'Marspeed GTOs' built in the UK, but in Germany since new

Picture MiniSpeed

Broadspeed GT: replicas and resurrections

The interest in Mini derivatives appears to be rising, and so it may not be a surprise that someone is once again planning to offer a replica of the 1966 Broadspeed GT. I cannot tell you much as there is nothing certain for now, but as soon as there is news, I will let you guys know. It did make me wonder what other replicas/resurrections and what else have you, were ever fabricated with the Broadspeed GT in mind, and I came up with the following.

1. The Broadspeed GT by Brian Foley (1967)

Australian BMC and Alfa-Romeo dealer Brian Foley teamed up with Ralph Broad to produce Broadspeed GTs Down Under in 1967 after they calculated it was cheaper to build the cars locally then to import them from the UK. The Australian built GT differed in several ways from the British Broadspeeds, also because they were based on Aussie built Minis. Only four were built of which at least two survive.

Brian Foley's Broadspeed GTs were based on Australian Minis. 4 were built

Picture courtesy Craig Watson/The Mini Experience 

2. Graham West's car (1971)

This is a bit of an oddball. Graham West of Burton-on-Trent managed to buy an original but unused Broadspeed GT roof/rear section in 1971 and decided to graft it on a Mk2 Mini with flared arches and E-type inspired interior. The engine was a bored out 998 Cooper. Less then a year after having finished it, he offered it for sale for 860 pounds with only 7,000 miles on the clock. Registration: WUX 421.

That's Graham with his car, built from a Mini Mk2 plus original Broadspeed section 

Picture courtesy Hot Car magazine

3. Roadworks Design replica GT (mid-1980s)

The roof/rear section that Chris Stinton of Roadworks Design in Queensland, Australia, offered for sale was meant for enthusiasts wanting to turn their own Mini into a Broadspeed GT replica. It is unknown how many were fabricated, but several are known. It appears that the roofs were based on the Australian Broadspeed GT by Brian Foley, as they came with the small number plate recess of these cars.

A Roadworks Design replica GT being built. Note Aussie number plate recess

Picture courtesy Craig Watson/The Mini Experience

4. Downton GT by the Symbol Mini Company (1996-1997)

Stewart and Paul Mickleborough of Norfolk restored a genuine Broadspeed in the 1990s and decided to take a mould of the roof/rear section and offer replicas after the job was finished and the car was sold to Japan. They teamed up with Ralph Broad too, but could not use the Broadspeed name because that was taken by the Essex-based company of the same name. Eventually the car was marketed as the Downton GT and a conversion was offered at 4995 GBP ex VAT. Only one car was finished but two more roof/rear sections were sold and built as Downton GTs.

The Downton GT couldn't be named Broadspeed GT, but was very accurate copy

5. Broadspeed GT replica by Broadspeed Engineering Ltd (1996)

Simon Empson set up Broadspeed Engineering in Colchester in 1995 to sell and restore an impressive quantity of Minis and Mini derivatives of which quite a few went abroad. One of these was a Broadspeed GT. After the Mickleborough brothers came with their replica, Empson decided to do the same. His company offered replicas of the GT and GTS from 15,000 pounds. It is, however, unknown if any were ever built.

Simon Empson's Broadspeed Engineering offered a GT replica, too

6. Mini / Marspeed GTO by Church Green Engineering (1996-?)

Paul Weldon's father set up a restoration business Church Green Engineering in Semley in the early 1970s. By 1994 his son offered the Walker Minisprint; a year later his foreman Geoff Branston designed a Broadspeed GT lookalike (it wasn't an exact replica) with aluminium roof/rear. The conversion alone came at 8295 GBP ex VAT ex works and was meant for brand new Minis. There were agents in Germany and Japan, but in the end only three cars were built. One remains with the German agent; another with the Japanese one.

The full production run of the Mini/Marspeed GTO at Church Green's premises

Picture courtesy Richard Heseltine

7. Private ventures

A few people have been inspired to build a Broadspeed GT replica of their own as a one-off.

An all-steel Broadspeed GT replica, built by an enthusiast in Australia

And another private venture, like the one above this one's from Australia, too

UPDATE 31 JANUARY 2013: Four more Broadspeed GT replicas unearthed! Click here

UPDATE 21 February 2014: And even more Broadspeed GT replicas on their way! (click here)