Remembering Kirsty the Flogle

Wearing chassis number FO 1 8 66 - for Fletcher Ogle number 1, August 1966 - it's 50 years ago that the Fletcher GT debuted. Speedboat manufacturer Norman Fletcher had acquired the Ogle SX1000 project and turned that into the Fletcher GT, which was first seen at Castle Combe when entered in the Hagley 100 race on the 20th August 1966. It used an ageing 1100cc engine at the time and a John Aley rollcage was fitted. The car was entered by Gilbert Baird and driven by John Handley and managed to win its class despite an aging 1100 engine.

More on the car's history here. We all know what happened to it more recently when in ownership of Paul Ogle, who'd lovingly named it Kirsty the Flogle (if you do not know what happened, click here, but be warned), so it's good to remember the car now that it would have celebrated its 50th birthday.

First of the Fletchers in the Castle Combe paddock, where it debuted in August 1966

Picture courtesy Paul Ogle 

Driven by former Broadspeed driver John Handley, it finished first in class

Picture courtesy Paul Ogle 

This picture, dating back to the 1980s, came to the light only recently. Note lack of grille

Picture courtesy Paul Ogle 

This is what it looked like when Paul had the car. Unfortunately it is no longer with us

Picture courtesy Paul Ogle

Repairing a Jem - by Fellpoint in the '70s

Some great period shots came in via Jeremy Harrison‎, who's restoring a Mini Jem Mk2 and found out the car had undergone body repairs in the 1970s. And what's more: this job was carried out in Penn Garage, where Jem builder Robin Statham had his company Fellpoint Ltd based, and there are some good photographs to prove it.

Jeremy wrote: "After I bought this 1969 Mini Cooper 'S' based Mini Jem, a few years ago, I dismantled the car to a bare body shell and embarked on a complete restoration. After about 6 months, the original owner turned up to see the progress I was making and surprised me with a set of photos of car taken after it has been hit in the rear by a lorry, which pushed it into the car in front damaging both ends. He had had the car repaired by Fellpont, the builders of Mini Jems in the 1970s. My bare shell restoration is now almost complete, with the exception of the wiring and interior trim. It is now fitted with an MED 1380 Clubman engine giving 120 bhp with a 45 DCOE Webber carb, a close ratio, straight-cut, 4 speed MED gearbox, adjustable suspension with Konis all round and up-rated Cooper "S" disc brakes. It promises to be rather rapid when completed because it weighs only 5 cwt on the road." Love it!

A collision with a truck led to some severe body damage on this 1969 Mini Jem

Picture courtesy Jeremy Harrison

And not just the front - the rear had been hit, too, as can be seen here

Picture courtesy Jeremy Harrison

Petrol tank still in place but that body needed the craftsmanship of Fellpoint…

Picture courtesy Jeremy Harrison

Front repaired. Fellpoint Ltd. must have used the original car's moulding to do so

Picture courtesy Jeremy Harrison

And the same goes for the rear. All this was carried out at Penn Garage, Hazlemere Road, Bucks.

Picture courtesy Jeremy Harrison

This is how the car looked when Jeremy got hold of it. Note ingot an opening rear hatch now

Picture courtesy Jeremy Harrison

And once again it was stripped to a bare shell to undergo severe body restoration

Picture courtesy Jeremy Harrison

Almost there! It looks Jeremy's Jem will be resurrected very nicely soon

Picture courtesy Jeremy Harrison

Another Broadspeed GT replica - now from France

Work on replicas of the Broadspeed GT is going on in several countries, and over in France, close to Lyon, Olivier Filliettaz is slowly but surely getting his car ready. Olivier has been working from photographs to build the Mini of his dreams, as he wrote: "Hi Jeroen. I am 44 years old and bought my first Mini when I was 19. After having travelled to the UK at 20 where I bought my first copy of MiniWorld, I fell in love with the Broadspeed. Since that time I had a Van, Pick-up, Moke and a lot of Mk1/Mk2 Minis, several Coopers and Cooper 'S's, but I always longed for a Broadspeed GT. And so I bought a very poor Mk1 998 Cooper and started work on that. I have 'Sprinted' it and made a master mould from the roof to the rear back, working only with pictures. It's on the way now, as the fiberglass roof, taken from the mould, is on the car at this time. I think in the Spring or Summer of next year it will be driving. The car is for myself, but also to see how the job between fiberglass and steel will need to be done… I have also already bought a cut roof Mk2 shell, which will be turned into the second car…"

Update 24 February 2017: Work is progressing, but first a little note: Olivier writes: "Jeroen, I think we have to rename the tittle of your article. Broadsprint may be better than Broadspeed GT replica, I think, because I'm sure that the original Broadspeed GT wasn't 'sprinted' on the bottom? Mine is sprinted top and bottom!"

Take a poor Mk1 Mini shell and lots of fiberglass to build your dream car. Olivier does it!

Picture courtesy Olivier Filliettaz

Taken directly from the mould - a brand new roof/rear section, ready to fit to a Mini shell

Picture courtesy Olivier Filliettaz

Like so. First car will be Olivier's own proto but he is thinking of building more of them

Picture courtesy Olivier Filliettaz

Olivier's Broadspeed GT replica should be finished by next year. We'll keep an eye on the project here

Picture courtesy Olivier Filliettaz

Resurrection of the Sandringham Six Mini

Another mystery solved! The mysterious Sandringham Six Mini that was seen here twice (here and here) with the request for more information rung a bell by reader Kees Plugboer, who'd seen it in a magazine and started a search in his attic. Out came a June 2000 issue of Mini Magazine with, indeed, a feature on the car. And it's an interesting story, too. As believed, the car was owned by Sandringham Motors boss, Peter Jones, and dreamt up by his brother John. Peter was quoted in the article: "I'd never driven anything like it. Having various motor dealerships, I'd owned 19 new Rolls-Royces and Bentleys, plus Mercedes, Aston Martins - all sorts of cars. But I used that little Mini so much, and even transferred my personal number OD 1 to it, which seemed quite appropriate really." Initially, the car came with the standard Clubman-front, but when Peter's wife had a collision with his Rolls-Royce Corniche, and the grille had to be replaced, the idea came to fit that to the Mini.

Peter continued: "Then, for some reason, after driving the car for about four yearsI sold it to a family in Norfolk. I kept the original pate, of course, so the Mini was back on its original number BWS 30S. I regretted it almost immediately, as you often do - I really missed the car, and not long afterwards I tried to buy it back, but they had already sold it on Traveling around the country, I always kept an eye out for it - after all it wouldn't have been difficult to spot!" Eventually the car was found in a scrapyard near Great Yarmouth, where it had been lying neglected for eight years. Despite the fact that most of the remarkable Mini was ruined, Peter did buy it back 'for silly money', with the idea to fully restore it to its former glory. Well… Peter, back in 2000: "Of course, I'd have to restore it - we have all the facilities. That was the original plan, and I even acquired a couple of old Minis and put them aside to use as donor cars for the job. But now that we've had a chance to look at it properly, it's beyond that, totally rotten - except for that grille of course! So we're going to start again and build a replica around that grille."

The article mentions that Peter bought a brand new heritage body shell plus engine and reckoned it would cost him some 14,000 GBP by the time it was finished. "But it will be my personal car for the rest of my life." he added. "I've certainly learnt my lesson - there's no way I'll ever sell this one!" Now, once again, how did it end sixteen years after the article was published? The search continues...

The car before the grille of Peter Jones' Rolls-Royce Corniche was fitted to it

Picture courtesy Mini Magazine

Mini Magazine had a nice feature on the Sandringham Six Mini back in June 2000

Picture courtesy Mini Magazine

And reader Kees remembered it, dug it up, scanned it and sent it over. Hat tip to you!

Picture courtesy Mini Magazine

Market round up (Summer 2016)

Let's have a little look at cars that made it to the market recently, as there were some interesting offerings. Some of them can still be found online, so be quick if you are interested...

This Wildgoose VEB comes with build number ME 50, so is perhaps the last one made?

It's for sale in The Netherlands (£16500...) but is still on its original 1967/68 UK plates 

This cool Siva Mule is in Somerset and it may well be the best you will ever find

The seller writes that 8 were made, but there were 12. Still not too many though!

An lhd Unipower GT was seen for sale in Kentucky briefly before the ad disappeared

Unusual overriders may have been there for American legislation reasons? Asking price was $25,000

1972 Wood & Pickett Mini Margrave looks splendid and comes with full vehicle history 

It has a lovely oxblood leather interior, but unfortunately misses the signature W&P dash

This very nice Andersen Cub from Coventry (ad here) is registered as a 1966 Morris Moke

I have lways had a soft spot for the Whitby Mini-Warrior. This one sold for just over 300 GBP...

What happened to this modified Mini Bug?

This unusual Stimson Mini Bug was snapped by Rolf Roozeboom in 1999, or as he says 'the pre-digital era'. Fortunately he was kind enough to scan the images for us lot. Verifying the registration number indicates it was built around 1964 Riley Elf mechanicals which is on SORN. Who knows more about it?

Low front, raked screen and Targa roof are a unique modification but suit the car remarkably well

Picture courtesy Rolf Roozeboom

In order to have something of a rear view the back has been given a screen into the bodywork 

Picture courtesy Rolf Roozeboom

DART at Chateau Impney

These photographs of the DART were taken last weekend at the Chateau Impney hill climb in Droitwich, where it was entered in the production saloon cars class! Last year saw the revival of the event with some 200 competitors to take the course over the two day event. The photos are kindly provided by Armando Loni. Thanks mate!

The many faces of António Batista's Mini Marcos

Yesterday's story of a Portugese Mini Marcos led to a whole string of photographs of the Mini Marcos, driven by António Batista in the 1970s and 1980s. The power of the internet!

Francisco Costa had already found a beautiful old photograph of the car raced at Vila Real; Neil Kilbane sourced another from a 1981 magazine and Francisco translated the Spanish caption that came with it: 'António Batista was the main entertainer in an uninteresting race'.

Cristian Sanmartin Castro dug deeper and got in touch with Hugo Batista, son of the racer himself, who provided him with more exiting photographs of the car in different guises. Hugo also told him the car will soon return to competition! We're are eagerly awaiting that now. Thanks very much gentlemen!

The António Batista Mini Marcos in its early life. The body has not been altered too much

Picture courtesy Hugo Batista, thanks Cristian Sanmartin Castro

Next step: wider arches, dramatic front and rear spoilers and big fresh air openings

Picture courtesy Hugo Batista, thanks Cristian Sanmartin Castro

Vila Real 1981, when 'António Batista was the main entertainer in an uninteresting race'.

Picture thanks Neil Kilbane

Francesco Costa's shot. Note that the headlights have now been removed from the bonnet

Picture via Francisco Costa

Even wider and even wilder and now in orange. Originally this is a Mini Marcos Mk3

Picture courtesy Hugo Batista, thanks Cristian Sanmartin Castro

And this is the latest picture of it. According to Hugo Batista the car will soon return to competition

Picture courtesy Mini Marcos Owners Club

Portugese Marcos with a difference

Reader Alex Coreira sent in some Mini Marcos shots from his native Portugal and supposedly taken at Vila Real in the 1980s where it was raced by a Antonio Batista. Like the famous TransXL Mini Marcos as well as Pete Crudgington's Granny Smith Racing Marcos, this one also has a much altered and streamlined body but still it's a racing car unlike any others. Who knows more about it?

Ultra low nose and ultra fat and integrated wheel arches. It's a Marcos unlike any other

Picture via Alex Coreira

Same car, different colour scheme. Supposedly raced by Antonio Batista at Vila Real

Picture via Alex Coreira

And in anger, too, or so it seems, giving the racing Minis a hard time

Picture via Alex Coreira

Update 13 July: Francisco Costa is very quick with a reaction, including the photograph below. He writes: "I have some more pictures, but I don't know much more about the car. I do know some old folk in Vila Real that may know, but only when I get back there can I ask (I used to study there and fell in love with the circuit and all it's story. This picture is Vila Real, early seventies I think. In your second picture I can't recognize as Vila Real, looks more like Vila do Conde (another portuguese circuit raced at the time). The third also looks more like Vila do Conde, but I may be wrong."

Picture courtesy Francisco Costa

The Sandringham 6 Mini again

Last Thursday's story on the Sandringham 6 Mini remains shrouded in mystery. One reader suggested the car's registration may well be DD1 as as in 'Dunlop Denovo' with the car acting as a promotion vehicle for the tyre manufacturer (it is fitted with Dunlop Denovo wheels…) and that certainly was a clever suggestion, but a brief video fragment shows it's definitely OD1. The fragment again comes from Gary Buesnel and he found another image of it in one of his scrap books, too, now showing the side of the car with a lady in the back. There has to be more information about this unusual conversion. Who will be first?

UPDATE 27 July 2016: mystery mostly solved. See here

Still from film fragment shows the car's front. Registration is OD1 rather then DD1

Picture through Gary Buesnel

And now we have a view on the side of the chauffeur driven 6-wheeler, too

Picture through Gary Buesnel

Very briefly it may be, but this video does show the thing on the move

Video courtesy Gary Buesnel