John Colgate's Timewarp 1967 Group II Downton Cooper S

[Johnny]

We have now arrived at the 50 year mark for this Mini. I figured I would post up some letters to show how it started.
Happy Birthday Mini.
I have the order of dates flipped, you'll have to start at the bottom.

[rich@minispares.com]

I wonder why it was specified to be right hand drive?

or was it 'cool' to have a car that was an obvious import?

[Pete]

Fantastic Johnny, your car shares a birthday with my Unipower, and the original engine supplier. Makes you wonder if both engines were on the bench at the same time down at Richard Miles! Lots of those early U.S racers were RHD, but mainly cos they were imported ex UK track cars, unlike yours of course. Interesting question!

[Pandora]

Many pre war 'foreign' cars were right hand drive, and I was told this was as circuits generally run clockwise, RHD puts you on the inside, closer to the majority of the apexes.

Al

[Johnny]

I think the reason for right hand drive was he preferred it for racing.
All the Works cars he raced for Donald Healey at Le Mans and Sebring were Right Hand Drive.
He had a lot of time behind the wheel.



Pete, would it have been Andrew Hedges looking after the Unipower engine as well as John's Mini?
If only to be able to go back in time.

[rpb203]

And a nice Unipower connection as well, not see the Hustler fork lift truck headed paper before from UPD, and signed by Andrew Hedges as well.

[Pete]

Pete, would it have been Andrew Hedges looking after the Unipower engine as well as John's Mini?
If only to be able to go back in time.

Hedges was pivotal in the operation at Unipower with his BMC connections. Universal Power Drives would buy engines in from the factory via Stewart & Arden and the first comp spec Unipowers used Downton conversions via Richard Miles, as mine had. They switched to Speedwell at some point according to factory literature. My car was built in December 1966, as stated on the chassis number, and a Competition model (I think the first) (though this is disputed) but no specific date.

I would love to interview Richard Miles, he'd have some great stories and I have made an approach but he's a long way down country for me. There's reasonably recent pics of him on the DEWS Facebook page I think with Steve Harris.

[Pete]

Off Facebook :
During the running of the 1960 Sebring 12-Hour race John Colgate and Fred Spross drove an Austin-Healey 3000. On lap 54 Spross came under the MG pedestrian bridge and into the Esses sliding off the pavement and hitting the curbing which caused the car to roll and flip three times.
Associated Press photographer Jim Kerlin’s dramatic photos of the accident are classic especially the third photo which shows the top of the car being ripped off showing driver Spross totally exposed with no roll bar.
The last photo shows the car, minus top, upside down on the racetrack. According to my information driver Spross was not badly hurt in the accident which is a miracle. He was wearing a seatbelt which prevented him from flying out of the car. He would return to Sebring in 1961 Driving an AC Ace.
Trivia: Porsche would have their first win at Sebring in 1960 with the Porsche 718 RS60 of Hans Herrmann and Olivier Gendebien coming in first and another Porsche 718 coming in second. Spross’s co-driver John Colgate was a descendent of William Colgate who founded the Colgate toothpaste company. John Colgate was a car dealer as well as a sports car driver. In 1962 he co-drove the Sebring race with actor Steve McQueen.

[Johnny]

The car survives.

[Costafortune]

Nicholas Van Der Steen would go on to open various upmarket car dealerships in London including B.M.W in the 1970's.