This was built using the new Bandini Chassis a 1959 body and 1966 mini running gear uprated to 1100cc and was tax exempt, The built took a year and full text is available, not an easy built but very rewarding when finished. The Bandini is still available in kit form new. Very quick as one would expect with good road holding, as a 1959 body was used it was very crazed and required much work as well as bonnett modifications for the metro cooling system. The new body panels nowdays are fine. 12 inch mini wheels filled the arches well with spacers to fit the modified wheel arches, all mini 1275 GT instrumentation used fitting well. Spares are easy to come by as are tunning mods for the Mini lump but with power to weight ratio the standard 850cc engine is enough. The soft top provided better weather protection than the hard top. Problems are limited to mini Dampness and just getting to some parts. One problem is just getting in and out of the vehicle which can be awkward if you are tall. It is cheap to insure and run with fast performance which catches many unsuspecting motorists out.

Review by Bob Howard.  URL: N.A

Manufactured: 1960.  Engine:1380cc

Best car owned and driven - ever.

This car was modified in 1974 by Dave Ratner and again in 1981 by Jonspeed racing. Nothing kept up with us on twisty roads. 60mph in 4 seconds. Responsible for a ban after it was caught at 140mph! I owned this car for 14 years and covered nearly 200, 000 miles using it on a daily basis from delivering logs in a trailer to towing a caravan on holiday, until I had a near fatal crash two years ago after hitting some water and then a tree. I lost the use of my right arm in the accident but it’s the car I miss most. I now have a new project that involves a basket case Berkeley and a Rover V8.

This vehicle can be seen on Gallery 258