Easter racing through the 1960s

What to do in the long Easter weekend? Well, there was a time when you simply took your Mini based sports car, drove it to the racing track nearby, changed the tyres on the spot and gave it some good trashing during one of numerous Easter races organized. See a selection of photographs below. 

Have a good Easter!

Easter 1964, Bob Henderson in his Minnow GT at the Brands Hatch circuit

Picture Jeroen Booij archive

Easter 1964 also, Chris Lawrence in the Deep Sanderson 105 at Mallory Park

Picture Jeroen Booij archive

Easter 1967, Brian Foley behind the wheel of the Aussie Broadspeed GTS

Picture Jeroen Booij archive

Easter 1968, Peter Garrad's girlfriend in the Buckle Monaco LMS at Hume Weir

Picture Jeroen Booij archive

Easter 1972, Michael Gill in the Minilan at Bushy Park on Barbados

Picture Jeroen Booij archive

The Minilan of Barbados does survive

The power of the internet! Yesterday's question was: could the Minilan of Barbados survive? Well, today's answer is: yes! Although without it's Mini 1275 cc powertrain and other mechanicals, the car's body is indeed still owned by Michael Gill's son Alexander who still keeps it on the island of Barbados, and plans a restoration, too. Thanks to everyone for letting me know!

An early 1970s picture of Michael Gill in the Minilan at a BRC tarmac hill climb in Barbados

Picture Motor Sport Caribbean History

And here Gill is seen at the 1972 Easter Race Meet at Bushy Park Race Track in Barbados

Picture Motor Sport Caribbean History

This is the car as it sits today in Alexander Gill's garage, or at least it's body

Picture Alexander Gill

Does the Minilan of Barbados survive?

I have heard several rumours about the survival of the Minilan, a racing Special built and raced and hill climbed on the island of Barbados in the early 1970s by Michael Gill. But I have never seen any evidence. When somebody asked me about the car recently I found back an old email message from Paul Ogle. He wrote: "Hi Jeroen. Have you ever come acros the 'Minilan'? I have attached the pictures of pictures that were on the wall in a museum. This is in Barbados and its called the Mallalieu collection. I'm fairly sure the pictures are from the Barbados annual motor rally back in the 1960s. The caption under the picture if you zoom in describes it as 'the famous Minilan'. Have you already found this car?"

Well, I haven't! I know Gill raced the car at the Bushy Park and Chancelylane swamp track and used parts of the body of a Lotus Elan, hence the name. It used a 1293cc Mini engine and is said to have been very competitive. The Barbados Rally Club wrote: “His finest hour to date came at Bushy Park; driving the Minilan, he set the pace at the opening race meet on Independence Day 1971: the only driver to win all three races in his Group, he was the circuit’s first Champion Driver and its first outright lap record-holder.” I was told the Gill family still owns it. True?

UPDATE 26 March 2020: It does indeed survive! More here.

A picture of the Minilan in action, as seen inthe Mallalieu Motor Collection on Barbados

Picture Mallalieu Motor Collection, via Paul Ogle

The car was entered in a number of events at Barbados by Michael Gill. Is it still there?

Picture Mallalieu Motor Collection, via Paul Ogle

It would definitely suit the Mallalieu Motor Collection on the island?

Picture Paul Ogle

More Minilan pictures emerge

Remember the Minilan? A Caribbean built racing special based on Mini mechanicals but with the looks of Lotus' Elan (hence Mini-Elan). It was raced on Babados in the early 1970s by Michael Gill and I wrote about it before (click here). Now, four more pictures of the car in its heydays have emerged from the archives of the Barbados Rally Club and I thought you might like to see them here, too. The best bit is that I understand the car is still alive and well with the Gill family on the island, although it's missing an engine at the moment. To be continued.

The Minilan in action. This is either at Bushy Park or Chancelylane swamp track

Picture courtesy Barbados Rally Club

Early '70s Caribbean pit scene: Michael Gill's special attracts plenty of attention

Picture courtesy Barbados Rally Club

The Minilan, a cross between Lotus Elan and Mini racer, survives on Babados

Picture courtesy Barbados Rally Club

1293cc Minilan ahead of Mini, Anglia, NSU and VW special on start grid 

Picture courtesy Barbados Rally Club

Caribbean connection: Barbados specials

Let's stay in the Caribbean for another while after yesterdays treat (click here). Why not? The weather is nice, the atmosphere relaxing, the seafood fresh, and yet there are some more Mini derivatives. Yes, some 80 sea miles eastwards from Petit St. Vincent we arrive at the shores of Barbados. Several Terrapins were built here after Allan Staniforth paid a visit to the island, and I will write more about these soon.

But what I also found is that a local chap named Michael Gill used to race and hill climb two Mini based specials back in the early 1970s here. The first was an open top sports car named 'Minilan' that used a 1293cc engine. I now quote from the Barbados Rally Club's web site: "His finest hour to date came at Bushy Park; driving the Minilan, he set the pace at the opening race meet on Independence Day 1971: the only driver to win all three races in his Group, he was the circuit’s first Champion Driver and its first outright lap record-holder. And it was there that Gill’s other talent would be best displayed, as designer and constructor of some remarkable racing machines. In 1972, there was the spaceframe Fort Royal Special (later 'Royal Bank Special'), Mini-based, with components including the front suspension from Irishman Alec Poole’s Mini, which had competed at Turners Hall the previous November. This proved completely reliable until the Players No 6 International in November, where it non-started". Gill stopped racing in the late 1990s but appears to be still active in the Barbados racing scene. I bet he has some more good stories to tell.

UPDATE 20 september 2013: More pictures of the Minilan are found. Click here.

Michael Gill behind the wheel of the Minilan special he designed and built

Picture courtesy www.barbadosrallyclub.com

Gill and his Minilan did well at Bushy Park, a dirt track constructed at an old plantation

Picture courtesy www.barbadosrallyclub.com

The Minilan at the start grid behind a VW special that was named 'Foolishness'!

Picture courtesy www.barbadosrallyclub.com

The lack of a proper body suggests that Gill's second Mini racer was inspired by it!

Picture courtesy www.barbadosrallyclub.com

'Royal Bank Special' used spaceframe, much modified suspension and ultra wide wheels

Picture courtesy www.barbadosrallyclub.com