Lot details Registration No: DRR471B Chassis No: CA2S7563165 Mot Expiry: Jan 2013
Admittedly the Monte Carlo Rally no longer has the cachet of old, but when Paddy Hopkirk and Henry Liddon won the 1964 event in their Morris Mini-Cooper S, registration `33 EJB', both car and crew starred on Sunday Night At The London Palladium and were front page news in all the national newspapers - it was one of the greatest British motorsport stories of all time. Works Cooper Ss won again in `65, `66 and `67, though were controversially disqualified in `66. The first Mini to bear the name of F1 racing car constructor John Cooper was the Mini-Cooper of 1961. The stroke of the standard 848cc engine was lengthened to 997cc which, together with other improvements, raised the power output from 34bhp to 55bhp. A closer ratio gearbox and front wheel disc brakes completed the package. The engine was replaced by a shorter stroke 998cc unit in 1964. With an eye on the appropriate racing classes, BMC eventually produced a total of three versions of the more powerful Cooper S with 970cc, 1071cc and 1275cc engines respectively. As tested by Motor magazine in 1965, the 1275 proved able to hit 60mph in 10.9 seconds and a top speed of just under 100mph.
The 1275 Cooper S on offer is a right-hand drive Austin example, which was built in 1964 and exported new to Johannesburg, South Africa. Having dwelt inland until its repatriation last year, the Mini is said to have remained notably rust free and original. It reportedly comes complete with close ratio gearbox and bucket seats, and is finished in Green with a White roof and Gold wheels - the latter relating to its status as a South African export model. The vendor regards this tidy-looking Cooper S as having "good" bodywork and paintwork and "very good" engine and transmission. The odometer currently shows an unwarranted 30,500 miles.
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