Mini Cooper S MK1 Downton

Introduction

Where do I start!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Sit back. prepare for a good read & take your time.

For all you Mini enthusiasts. you will know what this car is. why it is so important. why it should be found a very good home. who the owner was & why it needs to be preserved.  The history of this car is so so great. so unique & so important to the UK's Motoring history.

Dr Alex Moulton

Owned from new by Moulton Engineering Ltd. the founder no less than Dr Alex Moulton. the inventor of the original Mini suspension. Hydrolastic suspension & Hydrogas suspension along with the original folding bicycle of Moulton Bicyles. two of his most famous inventions.  Hydrolastic suspension was used on the Minis. but Hydrogas was invented by Dr Moulton & used in mass production on the Mini Metro.  This Cooper S is the only Hydrogas suspension Mini in the world.  He used this Cooper S for testing new inventions. particularly the hydrogas suspension & when the car was stolen in 1993 but quickly found only hours later. it was thought it was possibly industrial espionage. (Newspaper cuttings from Western Daily Press. April 15th 1993 in the file).

An interesting letter from Richard Longman & Co on file. confirms at that point they where instructed to find some Hydrogas units for replacement. on the vehicle. in 1994. from Minispares. some 30 years after he invented it!  Isn't history surreal?

Owned from new for over 46 years. the car has only come up for sale sadly due to Dr Moultons death on 09th December 2012 at the age of 92.

Downton Engineering

Dr Moulton bought this car direct from Downton Engineering. & therefore is a genuine Downton Mini.  Downton where a very highly respected engine tuning company. supplying engine components direct to BMC for use on the Mini. including the race division. seeing the Mini being successful in many race victories.

There are a whole host of letters on file from & to each other (Downton & Moulton Developments) regarding the purchase & delivery of the Mini. with all modifications.  These make very interesting reading & can be found by clicking the link below:

Purchase Letters

Downton supplied Minis to the rich & famous. some being supplied to:

A brief history can be found in the two following links 

GMR135D

Dr Moulton loved this Mini. & as previously stated bought direct from Downton Engineering.  There are many "non standard" features on this Mini.  Dr Moulton lived on a large estate. & used the roads on his estate for testing various suspension.  He even went to the lengths of adding multiple speed ramps for this reason & an article commemorating his life shows them & the mini on his estate.

Click Here - to read an article of Dr Moultons life

Dr Moulton used this Mini along with a Mini Moke. for testing & developing Hydrogas suspension & upgrades of his design.  Included in the history file are too many articles & documents to list. however I found the one below fascinating.  A datasheet from a road test on the M4 motorway in 1974 testing the new suspension.

Road Test 1974

The car was re-shelled in 1968 with a brand new MK11 Cooper S shell by Dr Moulton. & then significantly strengthened.  Modifications to soundproofing. suspension arms. subframes etc where made & Hydrogas added.  This was then the basis for further development.

There are a series of letters in the early 90's with Dr Moulton & Ian Dix who had helped Dr Moulton with the modifications.  Dr Moulton had restored the car in the early 90's after storing it for 10 years since 1980. In the letters Dr Moulton who would have been around 70 at that time. was picking the brains as to what they had done with this car as his memory was not to great on the subject.  They are attached below & make fascinating reading.

Ian Dix Letters

Internally there is no passenger seat & the rear seat has been removed. A single seat has been replaced at the rear passenger side. There are 2 quick release brackets in the front for a removable seat.  The reason for this is that during the fuel crisis of what I believe to be in the 70's Dr Moulton parked up his Rolls & had his chauffeur drive him around in the Mini.  As Dr Moulton was a very tall man he chose to sit in the rear & stretch his legs out!  What a fascinating man.  What fascinating history. & the car is still the same some 40 years on!  

The history file as stated is much bigger than listed as I said. so if you want to see more you'll have to visit. for instance 2 letters. one from John Cooper himself & one from Paddy Hopkirk. on their own items of value. however I will end here with a link to some photos.  One of Dr Moulton in his Mini. one of the Mini in a chicane test for Hydrogas at Keevil Aerodrome & a 3rd period photo.

The history file on it's own would probably be worth a great deal of money to a collector.

Photo's

Also published at eBay.co.uk

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