Morris Mini-Minor Mk1 1959

This is a 1959 Morris Mini-Minor with a difference. It has its original bodyshell with all the 1959-specific details. recently restored and retaining its flat original sills and large-footwell floors. and it's well known to the 1959 Mini Register. Its engine. however. is a piece of early-60s tuning history because it is fitted with a period Shorrock supercharger conversion.

Back in the day. these were just bolted on to a standard engine. Here. though. it has been engineered properly with the engine optimised to suit the forced induction. While outwardly standard. the engine has been rebored to 910cc. has a Piper 265 camshaft. a ported and flowed 12G295 head with bigger valves. a centre main bearing strap and oil pick-up. a tubular short-centre-branch exhaust manifold feeding into a two-box RC40 exhaust system. and various other mods for strength and longevity. all put together by one-time Mini racing-engine gurus. Osborne Auto Preparation. Power is 70bhp at 6000rpm according to the rolling road at CCK Historic.

The gearbox is a baulk-ring unit with a 3. 4 diff for unstressed cruising and a particularly sweet gearchange via the straight (not cranked) gear lever. Front brakes are Cooper S discs. rears are Minifin drums. the wheels are perforated 4. 5J Cooper S type. Dampers are Koni all round.

Returning to the engine. the SU H4 carb has an ITG foam filter. Originally the Shorrock kit left no room for a filter but a racing clutch master cylinder and remote reservoir have created the space. The supercharger is driven by a polyvee belt and has been rebuilt at great cost by the top expert in old superchargers. Derek Chinn. The cooling fan is the original 1959 four-blade item.

Inside there's a period Speedwell rev-counter and an Allard Shorrock boost gauge – Allard was the Shorrock agent. There are period-style seatbelts and a Weathershields sunroof. Other features are inner-wing shields as optionally available for very early Minis. to keep road dirt out of the scuttle and A-panels. the correct toolkit. and a second. Cooper S-type petrol tank.

The Heritage certificate gives the build date as Sept 29-Oct 1 1959. and there's an original handbook and workshop manual.

This Mini has been featured in Octane. MiniWorld and most recently in Autocar. in a twin test with an original Fiat 500. in which journalist Andrew Frankel described it as 'a revelation – quite the nicest Mini I've driven. probably including the Coopers. ' It's a fully-sorted car. with everything working and ready to go. Corgi Vanguards even made a model of this actual car.

We had a great time in it on the Mini-Cooper Register's Minis to Ireland tour last September. where it kept up with some genuine ex-works Minis on the rally stages. There is unlikely to be a faster. more usable 1959 Mini on Britain's roads.

Please send a message or call for more information or to arrange a viewing: telephone 01442 872120 or 07710 243360. This car is also advertised elsewhere. Payment preferably by cash or banker's draft.

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