Vehicle Description
The notion that the Mini might have a future as anything other than
basic transport was an anathema, the idea of a high-performance
version was laughable. One man though, saw it quite differently.
Racing car manufacturer John Cooper already knew quite a bit about
tuning BMC's A-Series engine, he was running the company's Formula
Junior effort at the time and a test drive in a prototype Mini
convinced him of the car's competition potential. The Mini Cooper
soon established its credentials as a rally and race winner and the
stage was set for even faster versions. The first of these, the
1071cc Mini Cooper 'S' of 1963, took engine development a stage
further and provided the basis for the 971 'S' and 1275 'S' of
1964.Over the years of success, there were more than twenty
assembly/manufacturing plants for Minis established around the
world. In the early years of the Mini, the majority of Minis that
came to life outside of the UK were assembled outside of the these
shores. Everything the assembly plant needed was shipped as a kit
from England and assembled into the final product. Sometimes some
local changes were made; e.g., the few South African 1071 Cooper Ss
had a solid colored interior instead of the more familiar brocade.
These changes could have been only a matter of changes for
marketing reasons but usually they were driven by 'local content'
laws; meaning simply that Minis could be assembled in a country as
long as a certain percentage of the total content of the car was
produced in that country. This right hand drive Morris Mini Cooper
1275 S benefits from a recent ground-up restoration to near
concours quality in the correct early type, (lighter shade RD9),
tartan red with black roof. The car was exported on 3rd July, 1965
assembled in Portugal. It was registered to its first owner on 10th
November 1965 and remained in Portugal until 2016.Discovered as an
abandoned project, the previous owner started a restoration in
spring 2013 with every component being refurbished, renewed or
replaced. All the bodyshell details were revised and rectified,
using new panels where required. The engine was completely
dismantled, inspected and rebuilt using new parts only when the
originals were not suitable to re-use. The first step was to make
the revision of the AEG312 'S' short block. Therefore, after
verifying the good status of the crankshaft, pistons and con rods,
it was fitted with new parts such as pistons rings, bearings,
seals, oil and water pumps. A duplex vernier timing gear and chain
set was fitted along with a new camshaft kit. The original AEG163
head was beyond repair so a replacement Stage 3 head was sourced
from Minisport. The gearbox received the same attention as the
engine benefitting from a total strip and inspection before rebuild
using new baulk rings. A complete and new wiring loom was installed
along with all new electronic components throughout the car for
safety and reliability. The entire interior was retrimmed in the
correct Newton Commercial, (UK), red and gold brocade with new seat
covers, door cards, carpet, headlining and boot board. The car is
fitted with very rare original 3.5" Cooper S wheels, (including
spare), all running on Dunlop tyres and has an MoT test certificate
valid until March 2018 with no advisories and a recent bi-annual
service. The car was then converted back to right hand drive for
the UK roads something that naturally is very simple to do
especially as the initial Alec Issigonis design was conceived to
suit all and any markets.The accompanying history file contains a
UK V5 registration and a Heritage dating certificate. Very
difficult to fault, this is a unique opportunity to purchase an
outstanding example that, for most, would simply be impossible to
achieve. With examples in this condition commanding well over
�50,000, frankly, this looks like incredible value especially given
the rarity and wow factor. For sale by auction on Saturday 23
September 2017 with Historics at Brooklands, Brooklands Motor
Racing Circuit, Weybridge, Surrey, Call 01753 639170
