402 replies to this topic

[rally515]

Anyone know of any surviving pic's of minis in the rac rally (60s-70s).?

[mab01uk]

[mab01uk]

[mab01uk]

[mab01uk]

[mininuts]

Just acquired this photo for my collection. Looks like it was taken in the late 70's but, I can't find any info on the team. Anyone remember the 'Happy Eater Racing Team'?

[Chaddy]

Cracking Photos Gromit, I mean mab01uk !

[mab01uk]

Some 1970's Mini racing photos from Australia.

[mab01uk]

More Aussie Clubmans........

[mab01uk]

Mini 1275GT v Mk1 Escort.........and a rear engined air-cooled NSU (merged into Audi)

Edited by mab01uk, 11 February 2012 - 05:48 PM.

[mab01uk]

More old period racing photos here on Mk1 Performance:
http://mk1-performan...tuning_pics.htm

Edited by mab01uk, 19 April 2012 - 05:56 PM.

[mab01uk]

"FOR THE FULL UNABRIDGED HISTORY OF HARRY RATCLIFFE & BVRT VISIT THIS SITE"
http://mountgreen.co.uk/

The BRT Developments V8 Mini Cooper-Buick re-appeared at some shows a couple of years ago!
"1964 Mini Cooper S Buick. The car is very original and has been stored for over 30 years. The body is in excellent condition and is better than it looks in the pictures. The car was originally a fiesta yellow 1071 Cooper S, which was a new car when the project started in 1963. The car was built by Harry Radcliffe and Jeff Goodliff and was also raced by Harry and many other celebrity drivers. The car has a tremendous amount of history. There is an original Buick engine to go with the car, also a Jaguar gear box, original Les Leston steering wheel, seats, wheels, some of the Perspex screens. The car needs a radiator (which could probably be found using the under bonnet pictures).









In the 1964 season Harry Ratcliffe of BRT had demonstrated with his Cooper Buick that when it came to low volume specialist cars, there was no such thing as bad publicity. The Cooper Buick had been a bit of a disaster from the start. A Mini with a 3.5 litre Buick V8 in the boot driving the front wheels through a special prop shaft and converted E type Jag axle in the front.

Harry described driving it at speed as being like trying to throw a sledge hammer shaft first. The strange thing was that the motoring press loved it. The Cooper Buick was featured in almost every major motoring publication of 1964 bringing some much needed publicity to the, at that time, little known northern outfit.
http://www.minisprint.eu/page2.html

[mab01uk]

Gordon Allen's Mini 850cc BDA Engine
This unit was a purposely designed two cylinder engine built for racing Minis. A specially manufacture alloy block and forged steel crank formed the basis of this engine. Bores were 85mm diameter and the stroke 74mm, giving it 848cc. A halved, standard Formula Atlantic BDA head with full size valves giving an 11.8:1 compression ratio was employed, and this was fed by a single 45DCOE Weber. The engine was mounted on a Mini transmission using an adaptor plate. Early versions of the engine gave an extra 20bhp over a standard racing 850cc A Series, this difference nearly double in the next 5 years.
http://www.racing70s...enu_engines.htm

Designed and built by Gordon Allen from half a 1700cc BDA (so rated at 850cc). In the 1970's special saloons there was an 850cc class which was full of destroked/overbored 970 Cooper S engines, usually running exotic 8-port heads and the like. This 2 cylinder BDA was a real winner once a few niggles were overcome. It was used by Peter Day in a Mini and also a Fiat 500 (the "Mighty Mouse") Here it is at home in the Mini;

[mab01uk]

This book includes several references to Gordon Allen:

http://www.amazon.co...t/dp/186126254X

http://www.minimania...5/InvDetail.cfm

In the book 'Mini - The Racing Story' it quotes Gordon Allen as having a superb workshop in the cellar of his house. After selling his business Allen Crankshafts, in about 1980, Allen continued to work from the cellar until his death in 1984. It also quotes of his 'engineering expertise' and that he was 'a likeable & lovely man to deal with'. His racing career is detailed over several pages along with a photo with driver Rod Embley (an accountant) and the 'Twin Jag Mini' 620 AXE. It states the twin engines had modified Jaguar heads with blocks cast to Allen's own design and has another photo of the rear transverse mounted engine poking through the Mini's rear seat bulkhead!

Emlyn (EM) Newman who owned the EN Tool and Jig Company in ajoining premises at Slough is also mentioned as a great friend of Gordon Allen.
Peter Baldwin (Honorary MCR Member) was the race driver of Allen's famous 1300 Mini-BDA unit after seeing it on show at the 1975 Racing Car Show.

Page scans from the book below:



The Jaguar Mini engine today now owned by a MCR member........note that 'ALLEN' is cast into the block.

Edited by mab01uk, 19 April 2012 - 06:21 PM.

[mab01uk]

Loads more brilliant 1960's and 70's Mini Racing photos here on the BVRT website:
http://www.mountgree...ita_D_1964.html