1972 Morris Mini Special

First registered on the 1st of October 1972, ‘Mildred’ has been the recipient of a ridiculous degree of mechanical fettling and upgrading over the years, work that includes a tuned engine, Gaz suspension, and a fully stripped, ultra-safe interior.

The base car is a Morris Mini 1000 MkIII, which Mildred’s previous owner purchased in April 2014 in order to compete in the Tour Britannia, an event that combines circuit racing with rally special stages and road regularity events, so it needed to be both road-legal and MSA-approved. The subsequent invoice from Bill Richards Racing came to more than £8,000.

Sadly, he didn’t get to undertake the event and so sold it to the vendor, who bought her to race with his son. Again, life got in the way and she ended up languishing at the back of the garage - and I think we can all agree that Mildred deserves a better life than that, doesn’t she?

Which is why she’s here. Running beautifully, looking gorgeous, Mildred is being offered with no reserve, so will sell from the very first bid, no matter how derisory that might be. 

The beige bodywork, complete with black roof and wheelarch trims, is in good shape and looks so much better than any beige car has a right to. She’s not concours of course, but then she is considerably more interesting than any trailer queen could ever be - but then you’d guessed that from the ventilated bonnet, flared wheelarches, chunky spot- and reversing lights, safety pulls, and leather bonnet buckles, hadn’t you?

Fitted with ten-inch Minilite wheels that are fitted with brand new Yokohama A008s, the spare is matching, both wheel and tyre.

As we will never tire of explaining, our experience shows that matching high-quality tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly. Their presence does not, of course, preclude the need for a thorough inspection - something the vendor would welcome, by the way – but do give you a shortcut into their attitude towards maintenance.

Problems? Well, none as such. The wheels show a few marks, the bonnet straps are well patinated, and the bodywork itself shows the odd stonechip and minor mark. Probably the most visible patination is on some of the seams, which are untidy and show the odd speckle of rust, and the roof rain channel and edges of the doors, all of which have some rust starting. None of it looks to be serious, but it will need sorting out eventually if kept outside. But then this car is the antidote to the term ‘trailer queen’….

The interior was fully stripped in order to compete in Tour Britannia. Bill Richards, the respected Mini expert, supplied and fitted the following safety equipment:

• an FIA-approved Safety Devices roll cage

• a pair of FIA-approved Cobra Monaco Pro seats and Cobra mounts. The bespoke anchor points are welded to the chassis

• a pair of TRS Magnum five-point harnesses

• a pair of FIA-approved battery cut-out switches inside and out

• an MSA-approved Lifeline Fire Marshal 2.25-litre mechanical fire extinguisher package which has been professionally plumbed-in with outlets under the bonnet and inside car aimed at the driver. The electrical cut-off switches are also plumbed into this fire suppression system; as you might be starting to appreciate, this is a very well thought out car.

Additional instruments include a Smiths rev counter (neatly angled, it’s yet another example of the care with which this car has been built…) and two rally timer clocks in front of the co-driver.

Other miscellany includes a deep-dish Sparco steering wheel, a Varley Red Top battery (relocated from the boot to behind the driver’s seat and fitted with new wiring), and two TRS tow-straps.

It’s all in great shape and the most patinated item is probably the suede steering wheel. The seats and harnesses, by far the most visible items, are almost new and look unworn.

The safety equipment was, we are told, approved to the relevant safety standards at the point it was fitted but may now be out of date and/or not up to the latest standards. Please do check that it meets the requirements for any motorsport events you intend to undertake.

Work to do includes the central switch panel, which is starting to rust, and the boot, which is solid but untidy.

The engine is the highlight of the Mini, and the list of work the owner tells us has been undertaken includes (deep breath):

The engine was rebuilt with new piston rings, an MED 83.5 stroke crank, EG521 Cooper S connecting rods, 20659 Hepolite (AE) pistons, and a duplex timing chain.

The cylinder head is a Swiftune Mini Cooper S item with “very large ports”, big valves, and a Mini Sport competition head gasket. It also features roller tip rockers, a 286 Kent scatter cam, and Mini Spares ‘ISKY’ type cam followers.

The oil system is equally impressive, and comprises a Metro Turbo high-flow, high-capacity oil pump, a central oil pickup pipe, and an oil cooler.

It breathes through a Weber 45 carburettor on long manifold, and is cooled via a twin-core radiator, two fans (engine-driven and electric) and it is running with a collar and heat exchanger radiator.

Other features of note include an ultra-light flywheel, a pre-engaged high-torque starter motor, and an Ultimate steady bar with polybushes.

The drivetrain has straight-cut drop gears, a Quaife limited-slip differential (LSD), Mini Cooper S drive shafts and hubs, Hardy Spicer driveshaft joints, and a remote gearshift with a quick-shift mechanism.

It also has Cooper S brake calipers including new discs, pads and Aeroquip hoses, Gaz dampers on all four corners with new suspension knuckles, Goodridge 600 Series fuel and oil hoses, an electronic ignition system, and a new steering rack.

Once this little lot had been fitted it was serviced, MOT’d and fully set up on a profession laser alignment system by Bill Richards Racing.

The owner tells us that he has replaced the gearbox (the old straight-cut one with LSD is included and can be picked up from the vendor’s house in Essex), and fitted a new rear sub-frame and exhaust system.

We’ve driven it and can confirm that it is a) fairly hard-core on the road, b) fantastic and hilarious, and c) with those caveats, running and driving exceedingly well.

The Mini’s MOT certificate expires in May 2021 and was gained without any advisories, something it has been doing since 2014.

It comes with a number of expired MOT certificates plus a sheaf of invoices and bills to confirm the work that has been done to it over the years.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other paperwork to support our claim that this car has been modified to a high standard.

If you’d like to inspect the car prior to placing a bid – something we would encourage – then please use the Contact Seller button to arrange an appointment.

NB. We know that many of you will be limiting your social exposure over the coming days and weeks, so if you’d rather not come to see the car in person, please give us a call and we can shoot a personal video of the car honing in on any areas you’d like us to concentrate on.

Featuring a Mini-lover’s wish list of mechanical upgrades, Mildred’s current specification would make for a delightful, if hard-core, fast road car or ultra-quick trackday special. Also, subject to checks on its eligibility, it would be perfect for sprints or hillclimbs, or road-regularity events such as LeJog.

And, as is almost always the case, the virtual hammer price will represent only a fraction of the cost of building one for yourself – and the vendor accepts that he’s going to take a hefty hit.

How hefty? Well, it’s almost impossible to accurately price a car like this as so few come up for sale but we think it’ll sell for somewhere between £8,000 and £12,000 – and those of you with a mathematical bent will have realized that the mid-point represents the invoice from Bill Richards for fettling, which means you practically get the car for free…

And, the seller has sufficient faith in you lot to offer it with no reserve, so it’ll sell from the very first bid. So, if you’ve ever fancied owning an incredibly well fettled fast Mini, now’s your chance!

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; 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’.