Deep Sanderson found in Mexico-City (3)

You've read all about the discovery of a Deep Sanderson in Mexico-City (here) and the considerations of the man who found it (here) - now over to the man who bought it, with bits and pieces from the messages I received in the last two weeks or so:

15 February: Dear Jeroen, as Henry said, my name is Victor Milke. He found the car and evaluated purchasing it for himself, but I am very grateful to him that he is letting me purchase it. I have been looking for a Mini, which are rather rare and expensive down here... but to my surprise, this Deep Sanderson 301 not only fits the bill, but is also a very attractive one and with a great marque history and rarity! It seems like a very good car that perhaps with a good cleaning and recommissioning can be put back in the street. That is what I intend to do, at least that is the plan for the time being and even before seeing the car in person... performing a sympathetic restoration, aiming more to getting a nice usable little car in the end than a racing car or a beauty queen. I believe cars were meant to be used. I should have it in a couple of weeks and will send more detailed pics of whatever interesting bits I find, numbers or anything that you may consider useful to try to determine a bit more of the car's history, in case you could help me a bit with that.

16 February: It is apparently fitted with the 1960 Morris Minor engine of a car that was sold originally in 1960 in Mexico and was registered to that car's original papers. Unfortunately there is not much history on the car's papers, from what the seller tells us, but I will find out once I get it and update you with any interesting info. 

25 February: Dear Jeroen, the car is being picked up today but will be stored at a friend's place for a couple of days before making the trip to me. Once I get it I will give it a good cleaning and make a through inspection of the car which may tell us a bit more about it. I will have better pics for you soon... and I will be trying to find out a bit on history about it. The invoice has the past owners mentioned and signing on its back (that is how you transfer property down here), and I will try to locate some of them to see if I can find out something about it. The invoice, as I believe Henry or me mentioned, is really from a 1960 Morris Mini 850... surely that car was scrapped with its mechanical components used to assemble the Deep Sanderson on an original kit car that was somehow imported into the country. That is my theory. 

26 February: I am a purist and will prefer to do the car as a kit car for a sporty and cute toy... and not a racer. Therefore, no Minilites are on my scope, but the original wheels and hubcaps and I would love to see your pics of the dashboard of that particular car or any other original pics that will show what the cars used as interior light switches, etc... as I would would love to find suitable original type (probably Lucas) bits and pieces.

26 February: The car is stored at my friend's ware house in Mexico city now, just at the exit to the highway there... and one hour or more away from where it was this morning. I live 2.5 hours further north, but we have road repairs and the trip could take very long. I never went to see it and trusted Henry with his description and pics.

1 March: Dear Jeroen: The car arrived. I am pretty excited! It is a bit worse than what I saw in pictures, in the sense that I need to do everything... I was kind of dreaming that I could save the paint or interior, but no, I will have to do them... But the car looks pretty complete, not damaged or tampered with... so it is basically a great little project. We are doing a good initial cleaning and I will then be able to look at it better. Rat excrements made me not want to get inside and look at dashboard and details.... but I am attaching a few pics for you to see a bit more of the car. Later today, I will install a battery and start looking at what those switches are for. 

1 March: I would surely love to get a new wiring loom. But I wasn't sure if a Mini one would work, as this one has additional instrumentation and car size may also play a trick... it looks like headlights are far away from dashboard, at least comparing with a Mini. I was thinking of doing a new wiring installation to measure, trying to make it look as original as much as possible. For the time being, I will keep the engine it has... but I need to find the correct carburator. Currently it has a terrible installation of a Japanese unit and a water tank in the place where the carb should have been. 

2 March: Those holes in the front bonnet (probably Buick fender portholes), will be the first thing to go, once I paint the car. I am considering Primrose Yellow... to try to resemble the prototype ARX2, but I don't know yet. Yes, the carb will need to be replaced for originals, horizontal or twin SUs, don't worry. And I will have to find out what could be correct before that. Great that you tell me on the Mini wiring loom. I will get one soon, and also the interior switches and bits. Thanks again for all your help, Victor

So there we go for now. The car's history is still pretty much shrouded in mystery, but I'm sure we'll be able find out more. If anyone does have more on the background of this car in Mexico or wherever before, please get in touch. Myself and Victor would surely much appreciate that.

Cleaned and now with its new owner - the Deep Sanderson will stay in Mexico

Picture Victor Milke

"I was kind of dreaming that I could save the paint or interior, but no, I will have to do them... But the car looks pretty complete, not damaged or tampered with"

Picture Victor Milke

About two weeks earlier: the car is moved into the daylight for the first time in many years

Picture via Victor Milke

It's still a bit of a mystery exactly how this Deep Sanderson ended up in Mexico

Picture via Victor Milke

And up the flat bed trailer to make the trip from Mexico-City to its new home up north

Picture via Victor Milke

"The car looks pretty complete, not damaged or tampered with... so it is basically a great little project"

Picture Victor Milke

It will be in good company, too. Victor owns a number of other classic (sports) cars

Picture Victor Milke

Deep Sanderson 301 found in Mexico-City (1)

There is no doubt that the number of long-lost Mini based cars that are being found has increased considerably over the last couple of years. But the find of a previously unknown Deep Sanderson 301 in a totally unexpected corner of the world - Mexico-City - well, that even knocked me off my socks. 

About a month ago I was contacted by Henry Davis, who lives in Mexico. He wrote: "Hello, I have been reading your Maximum Mini blog for some time. Occasionally you write about Deep Sanderson, and seem to know quite a bit about them. Well I seem to have found one, and I’m thinking of making an offer to purchase it, but I have no idea about these cars. If I send you some pictures would you be so kind as to help me out understanding the car a little better? Thank you, Henry"

I must admit I was skeptical at first, but when Henry sent me the images there was no doubt that this was indeed a Deep Sanderson 301. And from what I could see it looked like an unmolested road car, which hadn't been touched for a long time. How on earth did it get there? Of course there was more to follow - that's for the next article.

A time warp Deep Sanderson 301 was found in Mexico-City last month

Picture via Henry Davis

Apart from a few very 1970s mods such as the air outtakes, the car is very original

Picture via Henry Davis

Road registered on Mexican historic plates. Badges are protected with Perspex covering

Picture via Henry Davis

A left hand drive car - possibly the only one? Interior seems very original, too

Picture via Henry Davis

This was always a road car. Standard 301 dashboard trimmed with wood veneer

Picture via Henry Davis

Remarkably, the engine is an 850. Note odd Nikki carburetor and signature gearbox

Picture via Henry Davis

The petrol tank in the front is not the long-range one seen in the racers

Picture via Henry Davis

Unusual but signature LawrenceLink rear wheel suspension is all there, too

Picture via Henry Davis

Deep Sanderson 301 found in Mexico-City (2)

Following up on yesterday's discovery (this one), the story of the Deep Sanderson 301 in Mexico began to shape with every next message I received from Henry Davis, the man who found it. I have copied parts of his messages that followed in the next couple of days after his initial contact. I did reply to them all, but thought Henry's messages would be interesting enough for publication here. 

8 February: Hello Jeroen. Thank you very much for your insights, they are very helpful It believe the car has been in Mexico City most or all of it’s life. And cars here don’t rust as bad, it is high and dry. I will decide if I buy it in the next couple of days and will get back to you with more news.  If I decide to pass I can certainly put you in touch with the seller if you are interested.

Regards Henry 

11 February: Hello Jeroen. Saw the car today, I will appreciate your comments. It has a Mini 850cc engine (which is disappointing), and is registered with that number. One thing that concerns me is the angle of the steering wheel, it is angled sharply to the left (not parallel to the dashboard). I tried to take some pictures that showed it, but they don’t actually show the true angle. I also took some pictures of the steering shaft under the dashboard and it certainly has a weird angle. The other DSs I’ve seen in pictures don’t seem to have this issue. Could this have to do with the lhd conversion to this car? I have seen and driven some cars with a slightly angled steering wheel to the left, but this one is far worse than anything I’ve seen. I’d appreciate your thoughts. The carburetor is also an issue, as are these holes they opened to get the carb to breathe. Would a horizontal carb be the more common alternative? Also under the carb there is a water tank that I haven’t seen in other cars, and that might explain the need for a vertical carb. I guess the car had some over-heating issues, which would also explain the holes in the bonnet to try and help cool the radiator. The other thing I could not find anywhere was a serial number tag anywhere on the car.  Please share your thought with me, they will be of great help. 

Best Regards Henry 

12 February: Hello again Jeroen The Mexican licensing agency is closed for Covid (and has been for the last few months), so no way of contacting them. But the car is registered as an antique vehicle (with antique car plates issued for it). This requires the car to pass an inspection with a government entity. The inspection documents are there and so the car has officially been 'validated' as a 1960 Morris Mini. And the car has a tax sticker form 1972 affixed to the windshield, and registration papers dating from 1973. I’m guessing that the Mexican authorized were unable or unwilling to register it as a Deep Sanderson (a name surely not in their data base) and they registered it with the engine number and documents of what was probably the engine donor. The Mexican Registry was famous for marking cars that didn’t have a clear provenance, and that might explain the stamped numbers directly on the block -vs. the little plate which is easily removed. A car such as the DS would certainly have attracted special scrutiny. Just a theory anyway. 

Regards Henry

14 February: Hello Jeroen I have decided to pass on the Deep Sanderson, but a good friend of mine has made a deal to purchase it. His name is Victor Milke and I am copying him in this email so that you both can get in touch and have further discussions about the car. Victor and I are very good friends and this will allow me to stay close to the car and follow the process to bring it back to life closely. Thank you very much for all your help.  

Regards Henry

So it doesn't end there. There's more to come as Victor was the next to get in touch with a great number of messages. He is now trying to establish more of the car's history. But first: tomorrow's article will see the car being moved from its lock-up, possibly for the first time in almost 40 years. Stay tuned.

Engine number is stamped directly into the block. "A car such as the DS would certainly have attracted special scrutiny"

Picture Henry Davis

Different gauges - Smiths, Jaeger and 'SW'. Odometer reads out zero miles!

Picture Henry Davis

Headlights seem correct with wide chrome bezel, Riley sourced I believe?

Picture Henry Davis

Chassis is built around a central tube, seen here at the front. "Cars here don’t rust as bad, it is high and dry"

Picture Henry Davis

Nikki carb must have been fitted because nothing else was available? And what is that water tank below?

Picture Henry Davis

Steering column seen here worried Henry. "It certainly has a weird angle"

Picture Henry Davis

Wiring seems to be a bit of a mess and could do with a full refreshment

Picture Henry Davis

That front radiator must have worked hard to cope with Mexican heath!

Picture Henry Davis

Happy 2022 - Deep Sanderson is Find of the Year 2021

Happy New Year! 

We have a winner here: the Deep Sanderson 301 found in Mexico-City last year received the most votes for the Maximum Mini Find of the Year contest, so congratulations to its finder Henry Davis and owner Victor Milke. 

Victor is a happy man: "Dear Jeroen: Happy new year! May it be a great one! Thanks for the results on the poll. I am glad the car community has an interesting project to restore... and eventually I will get to my task. The idea still is to restore it as a regular driver, not a racer. So far, only gathering a few parts. I bought a steering wheel that could work on it and switches and small bits so far. Best wishes! Victor"

Maximum Mini Find of the Year 2021: the Deep Sanderson 301 of Mexico-City

Picture courtesy Victor Milke

The car was unearthed from its long-term hiding place in March last year

Picture courtesy Victor Milke

More on Ogles in America

As promised here some more information on Ogles in the USA. Brian Hunt contacted me with the following information: "I am an avid follower of Mini news and wanted to provide some items. I used to race a Mini Cooper in the early 60’s in New England and met George Olton, who ran a sports car parts shop in Hingham, Massachusetts in the 1960’s, specializing in British equipment. He had the first Mini Cooper in the USA flown in to Boston and raced it extensively, wining his sedan class at Thompson course in Connecticut June 1964 and at Lime Rock park in CT in May 1964 (New York Times newspaper archives). I used to race with George at several tracks in New England and Canada. I had a Cooper 995 and he had a Cooper 1300. This included regular track and winter ice racing."

"George became the Boston dealer for the Ogle and imported several. He used his demo car for rallying. I participated in the winter Tri State 24 Rally in 1964, me and a co-driver in my Cooper and George in his Ogle SX1000. This was a mid winter rally starting in Portland Maine and proceeding for 24 hours through Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont, ending back in Portland 24 hours later. He came in 6th with the Ogle and I finished 22 out of 130 entrants."

"I believe he did not do too well with the Ogle sales so dropped the dealership in 1965."

Unfortunately Brian couldn't find any photographs and I do not have any either. A Google search for George Olton didn't provide more insight, too, although 'George Oulton' gave quite a lot more hits, especially when combined with words such as 'racing' and 'Mini'. But nothing to be found on Ogles. Remarkably I did come across a hit of the man having entered a Mini Marcos at the 12th Annual Bahamas Speed Weeks - in as early as December 1965. I'd love to find out more about that, too.

UPDATE: I should have known this but the two cars seen below actually are the same, with the California plate used on the New Mexico car... Thanks for letting me know though.

This Ogle SX1000 hailed from New Mexico, USA. Probably after being imported by George Oulton

Picture Bring a Trailer

Oulton supposedly sold several from his base in Massachusetts, like this California car?

Picture Bring a Trailer

As he seems to have entered a Mini Marcos in the Bahama Speed Weeks races of December 1965

Who knows more?

Picture Racingsportscars.com

Find of the Year 2021: the candidates

Well-well, 2021 was a remarkable year when it came to long-lost Mini based cars. With 24 exciting discoveries in sheds, barns, gardens and woods the number of Mini derivatives being rediscovered keeps on growing. It's not easy to make a top-5 with so many exiting finds. From Broadspeed GT to Magnum Spectre, and from pairs of Ranger Cubs, ABC Tricars as well as Scamp six-wheelers to the unique AC Donington.

Like last year, I found a few cars myself with Belgium proving to be excellent finding ground: there was the 1967 Cox GTM in a garage in Belgium, the sole GTM 'Euro' Coupe in a Belgian lock-up and the Ogle SX1000 which was originally sold to Belgium and had always remained there. But there was also the Guinness World Record 'blind drive' RTV in bramble bushes in England and the Dutch Barclay Mini Bug.

Now, to vote simply drop a message below or send me an e-mail if you like. The one with the most votes wins the title 'Maximum Mini Find of the Year 2021'. Over to the 5 candidates.

Pellandini number 1. The first and only space framed Pellandini as built by Peter Pellandine in Australia was one of three Pellandinis resurfacing recently, this one with an Aussie crash repairer. (full story here)

The Ogle Mini prototype. A one-owner car for more than 50 years, this is believed to be the first Ogle Mini built. It was sold last May with the restoration starting straight away. (full story here)

The Ogle SX1000 in Belgium. Another Ogle with another unusual story. This one spent all of its life in Belgium after being sold by Mini racer Julien Vernaeve there when new (full story here)

The Deep Sanderson 301 in Mexico. This was one find I could hardly believe myself - a Deep Sanderson 301 road car in a very original state resurfaced in Mexico-City in March. (full story here)

The Nimbus Coupe prototype. The prototype that was later turned into a successful racer by Gary Shillabeer was freed from bramble bushes in rural Dorset in May. (full story here)

Ogles of America

Somehow, Ogle founder David Ogle must have found a clever way to sell his cars abroad. 16 Of the 69 Ogle SX1000s built are said to have been exported to the USA when they were new. That's almost a quarter of the total production. However, the last year or so these American Ogles are exported back to the UK and Europe rapidly, or so it seems. I knew of three that were sold recently from the US, and now number four has just arrived ashore in northern England, too. Oddly, that particular car has been prepared for historic racing, but it seems to have a nice slice of heritage, too. It's new owner Guy Loveridge wrote: "It is left hand drive, reputed to have been raced at Sebring, and is illustrated in Orlando High-School's Year Book for 1964 as a member of the faculty owned it!" More to follow...

First, there was this car (chassis number #32) that made it from the US to the UK

About a year later Ogle SX1000 #60 was sold from New Mexico, USA 

Only to be followed shortly by #58. Sold by its American owner since '65!

Meanwhile, Ogle SX1000 #37 has landed in the UK, too, after a life in the US

Swiss SX1000

Several Ogle SX100s were exported from the USA in the last few years (see 4 of them here), and I know that two of these returned to the UK. Another went to Italy (see here), while last week I received a sign of life from the fourth. It's the cream coloured Ogle with chassis number 60 that now found its way to Switzerland. I understand that it looked like a nice and original car in the pictures, but turned out to need a nut and bolt restoration in the end. But then the new owner is determined to tackle things right. The restorer Markus Tanner went as far as Belgium to find a furniture cloth that is very similar to the one originally used on the seats. There was some questioning whether the grille was a modification or not but according to Tanner the one found on this car, is supposed to be right. It seems Ogle changed the design of the grill during the production run. He could be right there, as I have seen other late SX1000s (69 were made between December 1961 and December 1963) with similar fronts.

SX1000 from New Mexico looked nice in the pictures but turned out to be nasty

Picture courtesy Bruno Meier

Restorer believes the grille apperture was changed throughout the Ogle's lifespan

Picture courtesy Bruno Meier

The Mini powered Beach racer

Mini based Beach Cars - we've seen plenty of these over here, haven't we? But hang on, this is one of a different kind. And avid reader Peter Camping prompted me about it: the Mini powered Beach Mk4 - an ultra light racing car from the US of A for goodness' sake. Before Gene Beach made a name in Europe with his Formula V cars, he'd built several other racers. And the first of his Mk4b's (serial number 100) was at one time kitted out with a Mini engine. According to Beach Racing Cars (still in business!) this car was originally shipped as a kit to a racing enthusiast in Texas in September 1964 who built it up with a Bandini engine. He raced it for several seasons, too. After that it was traded and received a 1275 Mini engine in 1968/'69 by its new owner who ran a Mini specialist shop in Texas (really!). A new body was made, too, and the racer now became knnown as the 'Pop-Rivet Special'. It was raced in Texas and Mexico, both with the original fibreglass body as with the new alloy one. Until 1970 it did so when it was sold on again, once again receiving another engine. As a matter of fact the car lives to this day. It's had an Cosworth engine, and more recently a Ford 1600. Unfortunately no pictures of the engine bay in its Mini day seem to have survived. It's a car that does belong here though. Thanks Peter!

Haulin' Texas style. The Beach when Mini powered and owned by Walter Mays

Picture courtesy Beach Cars

And that's the same car in 'Pop-Rivet Special' guise. Still Mini powered here

Picture courtesy Beach Cars

Deep Sanderson 301 - where is it?

How many Deep Sanderson 301s were made? No-one seems to know for sure and all the figures that I have come across and heard about, including from its late-creator Chris Lawrence himself, can be taken with a pinch of salt, or so it seems.

But surprises still come. One was found in Mexico City two years ago (click), while a sole picture of another yellow mystery car (here) has been haunting me for some time, too. And now another sign from this car turned up in the shape of an old advert. I found it in a 1968 copy of Motorsport magazine, so very old indeed. But despite being a much darker colour it does seem to be the same car registerd 'CPP 929F'. Where is it now?

A Deep Sanderson 301 is seen for sale... in 1968. Another survivor?

Picture Jeroen Booij archive

Utterly Ogle

Only a month or two ago, a white Ogle SX1000 - one of 66 built - appeared on eBay in the south US.
It did not sell, but for those interested, another lhd example now appeared in New Mexico by a seller who appears to have owned the little coupe no less then 45 years. It comes in striking gunmetal grey and looks rather splendid.
Bidders, go here.