1968 Austin Mini Cooper

This is a short stroke, rev-loving Mini Cooper 998 in full competition trim. It was rally prepped in the 1970s and has only covered 3700 miles in the last 42 years. It has Cooper S front discs and calipers, a fly off handbrake, a works dash, roll cage, sump guard, strengthened floors and sills, a seam welded shell and adjustable front suspension. It’s recently been restored and recommissioned to its original rally specification.

The car has been deseamed and has a shortened battery box for extra ground clearance. Both subframes are also strengthened and a roll cage adds rigidity to the car.

It also has a works dash, internally routed fuel and brake lines, and battery cable. The handbrake is a fly off item and there are also four Wipac front spot lamps, and twin fuel tanks.

You’ll notice that the normal external body seams on this car are missing – that’s because they’ve been removed, smoothed and the shell seam welded to increase strength. The process also makes the car look less fussy than a standard one.

Almond Green is a classic Cooper shade and it looks great on this slippery looking lozenge of a Mini. The flared arches flow nicely into the bodywork and the chunky tyres sit on wheels that really have no place on a full sized motor car – the Minilite style rims are just 10 inches in diameter.

Cooper S spec disc brakes hide inside these diminutive rims – at the time they were the smallest disc brakes that had ever been produced. The car has the correct external door hinges and hinged door handles for its year.

The paint finish isn’t glass smooth but it looks really nice for a competition car and the little Cooper gleams in the spring sunshine – it’s ready to go, and it knows it. At the front four spotlights are ready to guide you down that mountain pass, while leather straps hold the bonnet shut, and the sump guard peaks out from under the front apron. This car means business.

Minis were never luxuriously appointed internally – that really wasn’t the point – but this one is more austere than most. This cabin is a place of work for a rally driver and their navigator. Everything is focussed on this aim, from the rev counter mounted right in the driver’s eyeline, with the red line pointed straight up for easy viewing, to the nearside mounted map reading light.

The driver also has controls for the front spot lights, plus a large red engine cut-off switch in case of emergency. Both occupants sit in snug fitting bucket seats with competition spec safety harnesses, and both are protected by a safety roll cage that’s bolted into the shell.

It’s all in nice condition and the perfect place to dream of being Paddy Hopkirk crossing the finish line of the Monte Carlo Rally in 1964. The tiny steering wheel is of a similar overall size to the wheel and tyre combo – you haven’t experienced go kart like steering and handling until you’ve driven a Mini.

This one dispenses with the rubber mats that would have been originally fitted, and the floor is finished in glossy cream paint, with aluminium alloy foot rests for both driver and navigator.

Under the Cooper’s bonnet the 998cc BMC A Series sits, with twin SU carbs feeding it. The engine bay isn’t as pretty as the rest of the car and a cosmetic spruce up under here would be easy and inexpensive to do – it’s a small area!

The engine itself would benefit from a repaint, and lots of the steel parts have surface corrosion which, although it in no way affects the running, doesn’t look great. However, these are all vanity issues and an enthusiastic new owner could have a lot of fun bringing the engine bay’s appearance up to that of the rest of the car.

The car’s underside is much sharper looking, with a very sound and solid look to it. The performance exhaust system also looks very healthy.

This Mini Cooper comes with a stack of old invoices for work done recommissioning it, and some historic photographs of it in action, taken while the car was with the owner who converted it to competition spec. There is also a selection of old MoT certificates. The owner says:

‘As you can see from the documentation the car had a lot of money spent on it and has covered less that 4000 miles since 1981. It has six previous owners, one of which I have traced. He was the one who rally prepped it circa late 1970s, and he sent me the pictures of the car showing it in action at some historic rallies and sprints that he entered.

‘This is a matching numbers car that I bought in December 2022, and I had it restored using some old pictures I found of it on the internet. I think it still appears as “Mini Cooper rally car 1968 not a toy.” There is also a lot of footage and pictures from the 50th IMM at Longbridge – it was the year when Wheeler Dealers showcased a Mini they had done.

‘We are a Mini loving family and I have driven the car around 400 miles, but due to a change in family circumstances it is now up for sale. It’s restored and recommissioned for someone else to enjoy. I still have the rear seat, bumpers and seat belts that can go with the car.

‘Below is an extract from an email I received from the previous owner I mentioned who owned it from the late ’70s to 2001. “It was good to talk to you and hear about our old car. It was positioned in a top spot by the organisers at the 2009 IMM 50th show at Longbridge.

There was only one fuel tank fitted and we had a dummy filler cap. I know this as we ran out of petrol on an HRCR regularity rally in a remote part of Wales! Most embarrassing to be towed into the control point!”’

If you’re looking for a fun way into historic motorsport you won’t find a better one than a classic Mini Cooper. Alternatively, if you just fancy squirting around some B-roads and visiting the local pub, you’ll have a lot of fun doing it in this.

We estimate this Mini to fetch between £12,000 to £16,000 in auction.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with the vendor in Thrapston, Kettering, United Kingdom. To arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.