Blyton Park 2018: the people

A report in pictures of what was - by far - the sunniest Mk1 Performance / Maximum Mini Action Day at Blyton Park so far. For now I'm focussing on the people who took their Mini based cars to Lincolnshire, up next is a report with more about their vehicles.

After two years of negociating, the always enthusiastic Tim Harber had finally secured this Biota! The deal was struck three days before the event. More about the car in the next article

Picture Jeroen Booij 

Goff Allen and his MiniJem with my co-driver Rolf Roozeboom, who kindly invited me to join him to Blyton Park this year. I would not have been there without Rolf!

Picture Jeroen Booij 

I was really pleased to meet Frank Hubbard, who'd beautifully restored the Oyler Contessa coachbuilt Mini in less then 18 months. It's a real stunner - more to follow

Picture Jeroen Booij 

If you ever wondered where all the moulds for Mini based cars went: this is the man. Tony Bucknall of ABS Motorsports and partner Duls. Tony's latest acquisition: the Stimson Mini Bug moulds

Picture Jeroen Booij 

Tim Carpenter took his gorgeous Unipower GT to the track and certainly did not show it any mercy. It led to a cracked suspension strut, which was welded on-site. More to follow

Picture Jeroen Booij 

Bill Bell proudly standing next to one of six 1959 Mini Moke prototypes, which was used all day as a course car! On the bonnet the prize for Best Mini derivative, although I wouldn't class it as such!

Picture Jeroen Booij 

The Moke on the track with the day's co-organizer Pete Flanagan behind the wheel

Picture Jeroen Booij

John and Elaine Fischer had taken several of their cars to Blyton. They drove the Crayford Mini Sprint themselves. The car was restored in record time from total wreck to show stopper

Picture Jeroen Booij 

David Dunnebier and Peter Camping with Peter's trusty Midas Gold convertible. These guys make it from Holland to Blyton Park every year and are the ultimate Maximum Mini supporters!

Picture Jeroen Booij 

Alan Page with his Mk2 GTM Rossa. The car had just been finished from a restoration and now benefitted from 1380 power. It was used all day on the track, too

Picture Jeroen Booij 

Another Rossa, but this is a rare Mk1 with the original smooth front (and rear) bumper as designed by Richard Oakes. Owner Kevin Knipps standing proudly next to it here

Picture Jeroen Booij 

Peppermint freshness - lovely Heerey GTM owned by David Edwards had been to Blyton Park before but it was great to see it here again

Picture Jeroen Booij 

Tim Harber was not the only one taking a Biota to the event - Robert Scott was there also with his Biota Mk2, seen here during the parade lap...

Picture Jeroen Booij 

...And back to the paddock. Robert's co-driver had to get out to give him a little hand!

Picture Jeroen Booij 

Prizegiving! Left to right 'Jumping' Jeff Williams, John Fitzpatrick, Anita Taylor and Frank Hubbard, who won the Car of the Day title with his Contessa

Picture Jeroen Booij

Biota's aerodynamic testing

Rob Mellaart, who worked as an apprentice at Biota's in Dinnington in the late 1960s/early 1970s, dug up two fascinating pictures of a Biota Mk1 car on the motor way during aerodynamic tests. The car, registered 'YWT 65G' was later used as a demonstrator and was also the car seen later - with a hardtop roof - at the Amsterdam Motor Show (ad here). Thanks for sharing these Rob!

A Biota on the motorway in the late 1960s. The wool threads are for aerodynamic testing

Picture courtesy Rob Mellaart

Development of the Biota was taken very seriously but it never became the success hoped for

Picture courtesy Rob Mellaart

Same registration, same car? It certainly looks like it. These photos were taken in Holland in 1971 

Picture Rene Sontrop/biota.jouwweb.nl

That year it was also seen at the Amsterdam Motor Show. Where is this car now?

Picture Rene Sontrop/biota.jouwweb.nl

Another Beach Car resurfaces in southern France - UPDATED

Another Mini Beach Car, one of 14 made, resurfaced in the south of France recently, when it was offered for sale and sold swiftly. Beach Cars are a rare species and when one made it to auction in August 2014 it created some waves as world's most expensive Mini (full story here). Two years later, another example made it to the market, but made considerably less money (story here).

And here we go again. The news that another Mini Beach Car was sold recently just reached me. This was a car previously unknown to me, which is said to have spent all of its life in the south of France. It was sold by Cannes based dealer Europe Auto Classic Cars.

As most Beach cars, this car is a left hand driven Austin, built in 1963. This blue/black example is said to have been delivered in January 1964 and registered a few months later. The dealer stated: "It is a vehicle authenticated and certified by the factory, so the seller will provide all the official documents as well as the complete restoration file (with invoices and photos) to the future owner." I'd love to learn a little more about it. Last november another Beach Car that spent all of its life in the south of France was seen at a show after a decades-long hibernation (click here). When you know more about one of them, feel free to drop me a line.

French Beach Car is said to be 'authenticated and certified by the factory'

Picture themilliardaire.com

It's one of fourteen Beach Cars built, the majority of which are in the US

Picture themilliardaire.com

This one was unknown to me. It's registered on '06' plates for the Alpes-Maritimes

Picture themilliardaire.com

These seats do not look original to me. Was this car perhaps fully restored?

Picture themilliardaire.com

...And only 16 kilometers on the speedo may well suggest the same thing?

Picture themilliardaire.com

Many modern engine parts while engine bay looks as if it's new. Who knows more about this car?

Picture themilliardaire.com

UPDATE 15:00
Some more information was found. The car was indeed restored recently. The website Bringatrailer wrote: "According to the BMIHT certificate, it was originally painted Old English White on both the body and roof. This appears to be a period factory colour, though a slightly cheerier shade of blue would probably be better suited to a beach car." They also show a photo of the car's body taken during the restoration and one of its underside (both below), showing it's now been fitted with rod-change gear linkage. I would not be surprised to learn that the complete engine is a much more modern unit than the 848 originally fitted. What a shame they decided to do this, doing no justice to the car's history...

Repainted in a non-original colour. Not sure I would do that

Picture bringatrailer.com

But then this. That's a modern rod type gearbox. Oh dear!

Picture bringatrailer.com

Blyton Park 2018 is on its way

It's about time I started writing something about this year's Blyton Park action day, isn't it? To be honest, I wasn't expecting to come over to this lovely event this year. I'd used up my ferry ticket to pick up the Le Mans Mini Marcos Le Mans (click here) and so it looked to become the first one without Maximum Mini.

But... things took a turn as I have now been invited to join a dear old friend, who said an action day simply could not take place without Maximum Mini! We'll be there on Saturday afternoon / eve to join the festivities and be there on Sunday the whole day. I haven't arranged cars for the Maximum Mini display, but Tim Carpenter has already announced to park his stunning Unipower GT on the Maximum Mini display. Let's see who else will make it over. I have limited space for books and posters to bring, so please let me know want something and I'll be sure to bring it over for you.

Hope to see you there, this Sunday!
Here some reports from the last four events:

Blyton Action Day nr 1 (2014) - Watch the movie that we made that year (below)
Blyton Action Day nr 2 (2015) - Many Maximum Mini cars. All about them here Part 1 and Part 2
Blyton Action Day nr 3 (2016) - Busy with Maximum Mini 3 at the time, but a small report here
Blyton Action Day nr 4 (2017) - GTM celebration (click here) and many more Mini variants (here)

Earley Heerey GTM resurfaces in South-Africa

Mini based cars are everywhere and Leon Daniels recently found an early Heerey GTM in South-Africa. He wrote: "Whoops, I did it again! This was going cheaply so... I am asking around if anyone knows the car. We moved to the United Arabic Emirates in September last year, although I found the GTM on a Mini chat group in South Africa. There is a restored Cox GTM in Knysna and the owner tells me he sold this car after buying it from a Johannesburg based restorer. So I’m trying to get the Johannesburg guy to give me more details - he says it is definitely the one he sold. I hope the A-pillar and door supports can be repaired easily. How do they fit a whole motor in that tiny space..?" Thanks for sharing the images Leon, do keep me posted!

Early GTM needs lots of work but the body itself seems mostly unmolested

Picture Leon Daniels

A-pillars unfortunately have some serious damage, though 

Picture Leon Daniels

But the correct doors are still with the car

Picture Leon Daniels

As is the bonnet with the signature Heerey air vent

Picture Leon Daniels

Box section is another typical feature for an early Heerey GTM

Picture Leon Daniels

Le Mans Mini Marcos: floor repairs

Time for another update on the Le Mans Mini Marcos project. I am ever so happy with my new body builder, who is doing a fantastic job so far. After having filled a majority of the holes in the correct way and after having repaired the battery box (more here), he took a good look at the car's floors. Now, you may remember that these are rather unusual double skinned floors as used on very few Mk1 competition cars. (if not - all is revealed here).

Well, since the top skin of those floors were removed at some stage, they need new balsa core wood first and then a new top layer of matting over them. However, our handy man started to clean things up first and noticed the unusual slightly raised bands, running diagonally over both sides of the floor. He decided to cut away the top layer on one of them only to find out that they hide steel strips, topped with similar balsa wood strips before having been fiibreglassed in. And, you guessed it, the steel was in a sorry state while of the wood had turned into dust...

No problem for this super craftsman. He took out all of the corroded steel without hesitation, made new steel strips ad new balsa wood strips to measure and is ready to fibreglass these in now. He decided to have the wood lacquered before matting them in, so they will last slightly longer, but since the key to this restoration is originality it will be kept just like it was back in 1966. More to follow!

This is the car when I had just found it. Note the floors with the top skins removed. If you look good you'll also see the diagonal bands on each side of the floor

Picture Jeroen Booij

Close up of the left front footwell. Balsa wood was fitted in between the two floor layers originally 

Picture Jeroen Booij

But look at that! There are steel strips 'glassed in on both sides also. And the steel was badly corroded

Picture Jeroen Booij

And so it was taken out, with new strips now being fitted, topped by balsa wood, just like it was

Picture Jeroen Booij archive

Right hand front footwell with the balsa core trial fitted. We decided to lacquer it, too

Picture Jeroen Booij archive

Japan Unipower GT is alive and well

It was a long time since any news was heard from the red and silver Unipower GT (chassis number 4) that was previously owned by Simon Lee of Salisbury, who was the chief engineer at Janspeed at the time in the 1980s when he owned it. Lee fully restored the car and sold it in 1987. It went to a mister Suzuki in Tokyo but that's where the trace ended. However, it was snapped yesterday by Danny van Giel in the workshop of a Mini specialist in Osaka.

Originally, the car was sold in October 1966 to a well-known London silversmith and it was white in colour. Four more owners and three more paint jobs followed before the car ended up with Simon Lee. From an article about the restoration: "Originally he had hoped a weekend's work would make the Unipower roadworthy but a brief scrutiny of what was a pile of jumble spread around his front garden told him this was not to be." A very thorough restoration followed. Meanwhile, more than 30 years have passed, but the car still looks very keen. Thanks for the pictures Danny!

Voila! Unipower number 4 is unveiled in Osaka, looking unchanged to when it went to Japan in 1987 

Picture Danny van Giel

The car was fully restored by Simon Lee in 1980s, who was chief engineer at Janspeed at the time 

Picture Danny van Giel

This photo was taken just after the restoration was finished. Engine is a highly tuned 998 Cooper

Picture Jeroen Booij archive

The car's restoration was fully described in some of the specialist motoring mags at the time

Picture Jeroen Booij archive

As seen on a show at Hindhead in the mid-1980s. 'SUR 109D' is the car's original registration

Picture Tim Carpenter

The Bee Gee's Broadspeed (3)

Two more pictures have emerged of the Broadspeed GT owned by Bee Gee's drummer Colin Petersen (more of them here and here). Said to be the last GT built, the car was registered GKV 55D and was last seen in an advertisement, when asked 1,750 GBP for it. Or nearest offer. One reader suggested it may have been burnt out and scrapped, saying: "I did have a conversation many years ago with a chap who saw mine at a meeting and said his brother's yellow Broadspeed caught fire on a trip to Spain and was scrapped." But that's it. Could it be stayin' alive? Who knows more?

London mews, girl friend, Ferrari, Broadspeed and pet dog. Oh, the rock star life!

Picture Joanne Petersen

Bee Gees drummer Colin Petersen loved his special Mini GT. But where is it now?

Picture Getty images

Beaulieu goes Mini based

Last week I received a message from Tony Salter, who is organizing the Mini Cooper Register’s Beaulieu day on 10 June 2018. He wrote: "Each year we try and focus on a particular group of Minis and this year it is coachbuilt Minis. These coachbuilt cars are those converted by a number of companies over the years, Radford, Wood and Pickett, et cetera. This display is being organized by Neville Smyth and Steve Burkinshaw and we hope to have around 30 cars. Although our main display this year is coachbuilt Minis, we are having a secondary display of plastic mini based cars. I have space for 12, but only have 4 cars confirmed so far. I wondered if you could help me fill up the additional spaces? Each car would get a free ticket to the event and be parked in front of the main info caravan in the arena – top billing really!"

So there we go. I asked Tony what kind of cars he is thinking of, and he answered: "I had in mind the likes of Marcos, Jem, Biota, Ogle etc. As I said I already have a couple of GTMs and a Midas. If you could ask any who would like to come to contact me on beaulieu@minicooper.org I can sort out tickets for them." Well, here you go. If you like to enjoy Beaulieu as a guest and have your car on display there, do contact Tony. A report here will follow.

Two hatchback Mini Devilles next to each other at Beaulieu some years ago

Picture courtesy Stuart Watson

The Mini Cooper Register is expecting some 30 coachbuilt Minis for this year

Picture courtesy Stuart Watson

Among them Hoopers, Wood & Picketts, Radfords and some more unusual coachbuilts

Picture courtesy Stuart Watson

But... they are looking for 12 Mini derivatives like these, too: Ogle SX1000s and Mini Marcoses...

Picture Jeroen Booij

...Plus many more. Owners will get top billing for the event, says organizer Tony Salter

Picture Jeroen Booij

Peel Viking: the Dutch demonstrator (3)

Ah - the Dutch Peel Viking that went back to its original caretaker after a 49-year hiatus. Read all about the car's history in part 1 here and to find out about its survival and re-discovery click here for part 2.

Now, I visited Ben Konst recently at his home in Wassenaar, The Netherlands and copied the certificate he was awarded at the Belgian concours d'elegance back in 1968. He also showed me the award he was handed over at the time - a die-cast model car painted gold. But he also had some more pictures of the Peel Vikings that had gone through his hands. Not just the demonstrator we found back in Germany... Have a look for yourself below.

The certificate handed out to Ben during the concours d'elegance in Knokke in 1968

Picture Jeroen Booij

Ben is seen here on the podium in the Knokke Casino on that very day, left from the speaker wearing a tie and carrying the certificate seen above and the golden car trophy

Picture Ben Konst

He still has that, too. It's very heavy and we found out it's a 1968 Nissan Cedric!

Picture Jeroen Booij

Open the roof for your cigarette ashes. There's a paper saying '3e PRIX Prive GT'

Picture Jeroen Booij

And the Dutch demonstrator once again in its prime! Ben is planning a full restoration

Picture Ben Konst

But this is another. Ben remembered that the damaged car at the front was dark green. The empty shell was sold to one of his customers in the late 1960s

Picture Ben Konst

And yet another? Or the same green car? The number 'FZ-04-14' is unknown in Dutch registration database, but the car may be lurking somewhere in obscurity, too?

Picture Ben Konst