Now in Maximum Mini Newsletter #51

Neville Trickett's Siva Mule 00001 found!

Other William Towns' prototypes now also registered

Yuk Hodgon's mad rally Mini Marcos

Stage rallying a Mini Marcos

Auto crossing or stage rallying can be rough sports for cars such as a Peel Viking, a Mini Jem, an Ogle SX1000, a Cox GTM or a Magenta or even a Status 365. I can't remember having seen pictures of a Mini Marcos covered in mud from a rally though. But Yuk Hodgson proves it has been done, although it is perhaps not the ideal vehicle. He added: "Yup. Young, daft, no talent, less money, but keen, 1340cc, split 45 Webers, competition everything and lsd. Phew, it was a handful. Weighed as much as a bag of crisps, bloody dangerous!" Have a good weekend folks. 

UPDATE 17:50 - John Mellors writes: "A road rally would you believe. Not quite so grand a spec either. 1275, twin SUs, no LSD and not quite so light with full roll cage and underfloor plating. Quiet a handful though. How do I know all this? I was the driver!" Thank you John!

Rallying a Mini Marcos - it has been done! 

Picture Yuk Hodgson

Hrubon Phaeton Six - meant as a rallying Twini?!

The Hrubon Phaeton as well as its later sibling the Schmitt, both made in France, were a sort of Mini Moke but then substantially shorter so that it could be parked head-first in a spot. But there was a six-wheeled 'long' wheelbase version of it, too. I only had one picture of that (registration '286 W 67' well visible) and very little information. 

But recently I came across another picture of it. It's a horribly low-quality shot, but at least it does provide some of the much-hoped-for more info. It shows us that the car was dark blue in colour, but what's more: a tiny little side bar with info tells us it was not just available as a four-seater, but also as a Twini! From the text: "Disponible en bi-moteur pour les rallyes debut '82". That is: Available with twin-engines for the 1982 rally season. For heaven's sake - who knows more about that!

Hrubon Phaeton Six was, as far as I know, only built in a number of one

Picture Jeroen Booij archive

This snippet gives a little bit more. Available with two engines as a rally car!

Picture Jeroen Booij archive

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

Magenta goes rallying

Remember the works-Lightspeed Magenta that was entered in the London to Sydney Marathon back in 1977? Its builder and driver Philip Young passed away, but the car survives and was reunited with Magenta man Steve Johnson back in 2012.

Anyway: the Marathon car was not the only Magenta being rallied. John Hendley navigated Clive Edward Pace in one from 1978 to 1982. This was a 1293 powered car, which they entered in the Manx National and on the Uniband Stages Rally to name just two. Thanks for the photographs John!

Pace/Hendley entered Magenta was a regular in the rally scene in the late 1970s/early 1980s

Picture courtesy John Hendley

Kicking up some dust. Like the London-Sydney works car it used a now rare hardtop, too

Picture courtesy John Hendley

This picture was taken on the Manx National Rally over Starvey Jump back in 1981

Picture courtesy John Hendley

This also is the isle of Man in 1981. The island is always good for some fording!

Picture courtesy John Hendley

And the Magenta managed to control the water of the infamous Spitfire Bottoms, too

Picture courtesy John Hendley

Fletcher GT goes rallying

We now know there have been several MiniJems that were used for auto crossing. But how about a Fletcher GT for rallying? The first of the two images below was kindly sent over by former Fletcher owner Paul Ogle, who's much loved car was sadly joy-ridden and burnt two years ago now (report here). Paul wrote: "Hi Jeroen. As Christmas is well and truly on its way, I thought I'd share a pic with you from the 1970s. This is the other running Fletcher that was the sister car to my car. I believe this was originally the 1967 racing car show car with the distinctly re-fashioned rear. This car later went rallying as apposed to track racing from what I have discovered so far. (more on the car here-JB). Have a great Christmas Jeroen Hope to catch up again at some point soon. Regards Paul."

That's lovely mate, thank you! Meanwhile, I found another shot of the car in the files at the same event. It turns out to be the Castrol National Rally of 1979 with the car being driven by Leigh MacLachlan and Nick Doughty. It would be awesome to learn a bit more.

Fletcher GT goes rallying. Note distinctive rear lights from an Austin Balanza

Picture courtesy Paul Ogle

Same car at the same event. Drivers were Leigh MacLachlan and Nick Doughty

Picture Jeroen Booij archive

Rallying a Cox GTM

We've seen an odd rally car come by here (click) - here's another. Yep, that's a Cox GTM rallied in the mid-1970s by Tim and Nick Porter. Hang on, it could be a Heerey GTM, too, I'm not sure. Anyway: the Porter's weren't doing bad with their little Gran Turismo Mini, coming fifth overall in the Somerset Stages rally in 1977. The car came with a 1293cc engine with inclined valves and head of around 130 bhp. It used a straight cut gearbox with drop gears and was bought in Edinburgh where it had previously been rallycrossed..! Oh! And the good news is that it survives to this day.

Rallying a Cox GTM, here at a stage at the Cricket St. Thomas estate in 1977

Picture courtesy gtmdrivers.com

Over the bridge and straight left. Thundering along country lanes was never cooler

Picture courtesy gtmdrivers.com

'YRM 675 J' survives to this day. Not sure if it is a Cox or Heerey GTM though

Picture courtesy ebay.co.uk

Arches were seriously widened. Please do not put a motorbike engine in it

Picture courtesy ebay.co.uk

This GTM is not afraid of the cold

So you have parked your Mini derivative in its heated lock-up now that a supposed harsh winter is approaching? Greased the suspension points, took the battery out and waxed the body? Good. But not everyone pampers his car when temperatures hit minus Celsius degrees and salt is used to grit the roads. How about Edward Todd and his GTM Coupe? Pictured below are Todd and navigator Andy Brown on last year's Christmas Stages Rally. But Todd seems not afraid to use his car anyway (Holy cow! - click here). He's entered the car again for this year's event (here). Go-go-go!

Todd's GTM Coupe is campaigned all year. Here at last year's Christmas Stages Rally

Picture courtesy Russell Hunter

Rallying a Status 365

With not one but two Status 365 project cars (both in signature cheddar yellow as they should be) sold recently on eBay there appears to be a bit of a rise in the interest for this wedgy Mini derivative, for as far as that is possible. It reminded me of a picture that was sent to over here some time ago. It depicts one of the 38 built 365s in full rally trim, or so it seems. I have no other trace of 'BUT 18B' but according to the source (Cars and Car Conversions magazine) it was driven by a Peter Banham in 1976. Cool isn't it? Now, why not replicate one of those project cars to a similar rally specification, put some helmets on and enter it in the 2012 historic rally season? I'm pretty sure it would become a hit. It would here!

An unlikely contender it may have been, but Status 365 was rallied

Picture: thanks to Roald Rakers. Source CCC magazine