1964 Austin Mini Cooper S 970

To many, its designer Alec Issigonis included, the notion that the Mini might have a future as anything other than basic transport was an anathema, and the idea of a high-performance version was laughable. One man, though, saw it quite differently. Racing car manufacturer John Cooper already knew quite a bit about tuning BMC's A-Series engine - he was running the company's Formula Junior effort at the time - and a test drive in a prototype Mini convinced him of its competition potential. John Cooper appealed to BMC Management, with Issigonis' concerns being disregarded and the two good friends eventually cooperated in creating what rapidly became, and still remains, a legendary little motor car - the Mini Cooper.

The more powerful Mini Cooper S appeared in 1963, and quickly established itself as the basis for competition-focused models. Larger disc brakes, more luxurious upholstery and discrete S badges on the bonnet and boot were subtle upgrades with the real changes made to the adaptable A-series engine. With competition in mind, in 1964 Cooper produced two S models specifically for circuit racing in the under 1,000cc and under 1,300cc classes respectively (rated at 970cc and 1,275cc). The road-going 970 S was a real 'Homologation Special', specifically produced with the under 1-litre class of the BSCC in mind. It's specialist short-stroke engine produced 65bhp but was expensive to manufacture, so BMC made it a special-order model, and consequently, very few were sold (with even fewer remaining today). The 970 S was only produced from June 1964 until April 1965, with just 963 examples supplied, making it one of the rarest and most sought-after Mini models.

The car presented here is a right-hand drive, home market-supplied, 1964 Austin Mini Cooper 970 S. We understand from our vendor that by the late 1980s, it found its way to Switzerland, where it stayed for a number of years before returning to the UK (in 2003) and into the custodianship of a prominent member of the Aston Martin Owners Club. Again, we are told that due to its 'time away' and some oversight/(suspected) unscrupulous behaviour around the use of its identity, an anomaly was flagged-up by the DVLA in May 2012. Hence, evidence was supplied to the DVLA, and the car was presented for an official inspection, and subsequently it was deemed able to retain registration XFX 515B, thus officially ratified as chassis #C-A2S7/549730, a 1964 Mini Cooper 970 S, as per its accompanying Heritage Certificate.

Originally supplied in Almond Green and Old English White, it was superbly restored/mechanically overhauled in 2008 by the Fullbridge Restoration Company of Maldon, Essex (invoices relate in its accompanying history file), whilst still retaining lots of original features. Now in a more dashing Tartan Red with Black paint scheme, it has been made ready for sale with a full recommissioning service after its time as part of a private Collection.