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1967' Austin Mini

£55,000

Publicado 22 Outubro 2026ID: 9OWtHX

H&H
Cheshire
+44Ver número

Information from the owner

Idade: 59 anos

Combustível: Gasolina

Transmissão: Manual

Cor exterior: Vermelho

Comentários do vendedor sobre 1967' Austin Mini

Sandown Park | Esher, Surrey Viewing: Wed 9th December from 12pm Auction Thursday, December 10th: From 12:00pm (Noon) Location: Portsmouth Road, Esher, Surrey KT10 9AJ UK Registration No: OBL 45F Chassis No: C-A2S7S1012033A MOT: Exempt Campaigned by the Works in MK1 and MK2 guises as both a rally and race car Class winner on the 1969 Tour de France Auto with Paddy Hopkirk / Tony Nash. Also driven by Timo Makinen / Paul Easter and John Rhodes Acquired by its previous keeper in 1981 and then treated to a twenty-five year restoration Part of the Ronald White collection since 2008, when it was bought via one of our auctions Accompanied by a history file, including several period competition photographs Works Minis are known by their UK registration numbers not only for ease of reference but also because, in some instances, said number plates are the only constants in their lives! Bodyshells, engines, gearboxes, suspension, brakes and wheels etc were all deemed replaceable service items during their time with the Abingdon Competitions Department (and afterwards if they were subsequently campaigned by privateers). ‘OBL 45F’ is arguably among the most interesting Works Minis due to its history encompassing MK1 and MK2 iterations and both rally and race duties not to mention its association with such Mini folklore greats as Timo Makinen, Paddy Hopkirk and John Rhodes. The registration number ‘OBL 45F’ was applied to at least three different cars by the Abingdon Competitions Department. Beginning life as a late MK1 Cooper S, the Austin’s first Works foray was as Timo Makinen and Paul Easter’s recce car ahead of the 1968 Monte Carlo Rally for which it was equipped with a spare wheel laden roof rack and near standard engine. Allocated to Tony Fall and Mike Wood for the July 1968 Gulf-London Rally, the Mini was converted to Group 6 specification complete with a far more potent powerplant and limited slip differential. It may or may not have been re-shelled in preparation for the notoriously tough, 2, 000-mile long event too. Setting the fifth fastest time on the opening Oulton Park stage, ‘OBL 45F’ succumbed to LSD failure thereafter (indeed, only thirty-nine of the 106 entrants managed to complete the rally). Reconfigured as a circuit racer for 1969, the Austin was prepared for the opening round of the British Saloon Car Championship on 16th March complete with a MK2 Cooper S bodyshell, fuel-injected 1293cc engine, Salisbury LSD, Group 6 dual-circuit tandem braking system, lightweight panels, rubber cone suspension and a hefty rear anti-roll bar etc. Qualifying eighth with former BSCC champion John Rhodes behind the wheel, ‘OBL 45F’ made a lightning start only to suffer a terminal coming together with Chris Craft’s ******. Reincarnated with its third (or perhaps fourth) Works shell for the September 18th – 26th 1969 Tour de France Auto, the Mini was brought up to Group 5 specification. Equipped with a mixture of race and rally components the better to tackle the vagaries of the 3, 000 mile event, it was entrusted to Paddy Hopkirk and Tony Nash. Adopting a ‘never say die’ attitude, the duo overcame all sorts of car issues to finish 1st-in-class and a highly credible 14th overall. As the Abingdon Competitions Department was being shut down in 1970, ‘OBL 45F’ was sold that August to Phil Cooper, of Frank Cooper & Sons Ltd. at the Regency Garage in Oulton, near Leeds, minus its fuel injection and knock-off Minilites. Although no relation to John Cooper, Phil was a big name in racing and rallying during the ’60s and ’70s, not only with his namesake Minis but also with 1275 GTs, hot Austin 1800s and Allegros, Triumph Dolomite Sprints and TR7 V8s. He had access to some of the best cars and parts, since Frank Cooper & Sons was a large Leyland dealership, and he owned around 10 ex-works cars at different stages, including the 1968 Cooper MK2 rally car in this sale. He tweaked ‘OBL 45F’ to suit his own needs and campaigned it in several rallies, notably including the 1970 RAC Rally in November, where he finished second in class, and the 1971 Circuit of Ireland. It is believed he was getting some covert assistance from British Leyland Special Tuning, which superseded the Competitions Department (he had works support when he drove the 1970 London-Mexico with an Austin 1800). During the Circuit of Ireland, Cooper rolled the Mini, so he rebodied it with a new Works shell. After a few months, in 1971 ‘OBL 45F’ passed to Christopher W. Paxton of Harrogate, whose ownership was brief. That November, it sold again to Thomas Daffern Seal of Coventry — Tom Seal, of course, being a name which requires no introduction to the cognoscenti of racing Minis. Seal started his career at Jaguar’s experimental department in 1968, where he was involved with developing new parts for the straight-six and V12 engines, but when he got home he invested his free hours in the noble pursuit of making Minis go as fast as possible. ‘OBL 45F’ certainly...

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