Mini specials, Deep Sanderson, Unipower and Cox GTM etc.
Discussion
Having spotted a Unipower yesterday, I had to google the reg to know what it was, got me drifting around on the web and reading the Unipower thread on PH from the beginning.
There's a list here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Mini-based_c...
There's a list here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Mini-based_c...
We had a Cox and a Heerey GTM - both had sat unbuilt. Incidentally, we also had the deep Sanderson formula junior, which we sold, went via Duncan rabagliati, and resurfaced at the Goodwood revival.
I would LOVE a unipower GT, but they are so far out of reach for me they might as well be on mars...
I would LOVE a unipower GT, but they are so far out of reach for me they might as well be on mars...
I was offered a works seat with Unipower in 1970 to do Le Mans, Spa, Nurburgring and the Targa Florio. My then wife, who up to that point had quite enjoyed my low level motor racing, suddenly decided that this was all getting too serious and started kicking off big time to the extent that I had to choose between her and what I hoped would be a full time career racing rather than part time. Stupidly, I chose her! Piers Forester owned the company at that time, a really great chap, sadly lost his life on a 750 Suzuki at Brands in, I think, 1977. In the event they had a terrible season dogged by bad luck and hampered by the fact that the car was a bit heavy despite the very early use of carbon fibre reinforced bodywork. I remember going to the works in Park Royal to try the first car for size, it had a very short exhaust pipe on a Broadspeed 1293 engine IIRC and the noise under the corrugated iron roof was simply shattering. Good memories, still wish I had said yes to Piers and no to the wife!!
Mike-tf3n0 said:
I was offered a works seat with Unipower in 1970 to do Le Mans, Spa, Nurburgring and the Targa Florio. My then wife, who up to that point had quite enjoyed my low level motor racing, suddenly decided that this was all getting too serious and started kicking off big time to the extent that I had to choose between her and what I hoped would be a full time career racing rather than part time. Stupidly, I chose her! Piers Forester owned the company at that time, a really great chap, sadly lost his life on a 750 Suzuki at Brands in, I think, 1977. In the event they had a terrible season dogged by bad luck and hampered by the fact that the car was a bit heavy despite the very early use of carbon fibre reinforced bodywork. I remember going to the works in Park Royal to try the first car for size, it had a very short exhaust pipe on a Broadspeed 1293 engine IIRC and the noise under the corrugated iron roof was simply shattering. Good memories, still wish I had said yes to Piers and no to the wife!!
Fascinating story! I grew up around formula junior (my dad and uncle both raced them), but inrace historic saloons. I've never done contemporary stuff, other than teaching at Croft. All the other instructors used to take the mock when I said it was fun with little grip, but now they are all buying historics? Sadly I never had the money, and it was very frustrating being beaten by slow people in fast cars. I still race, but only a couple of times a year.Oh. And my ex hated Motorsport. Why is she an ex?!
I was working in Wellingborough in the late 1970's when the Cox GTM operation was bought by Mike Smith who ran KMB Autosport. (He had supported my drag racing Junior Modified Frogeye Sprite and built the chassis/engine for my Competition Altered "Muscle Sprout"). He did some re-engineering to the GTM and produced spares but then sold GTM on.
I believe they are all in Japan these days and worth a fortune.
My own personal favourite in unusual minis (and simply because I owned one) was the innocenti 120L - cooper underpinnings, Italian hatchback steel body (surprisingly less rust prone than the standard mini). The body looked like an early R5 and a Yugo had hooked up in a dark nightclub whilst drunk and done the deed.
It was unusual (possibly unique) in the U.K., FAST and cute as hell - I loved it. He was called Henry, and it suited him. Classic example of how outright speed isn't the key to a good car. I'd have swapped him in a blink of an eye for a unipower though!
My own personal favourite in unusual minis (and simply because I owned one) was the innocenti 120L - cooper underpinnings, Italian hatchback steel body (surprisingly less rust prone than the standard mini). The body looked like an early R5 and a Yugo had hooked up in a dark nightclub whilst drunk and done the deed.
It was unusual (possibly unique) in the U.K., FAST and cute as hell - I loved it. He was called Henry, and it suited him. Classic example of how outright speed isn't the key to a good car. I'd have swapped him in a blink of an eye for a unipower though!
ChevronB19 said:
I believe they are all in Japan these days and worth a fortune.
It's true to say many Unipowers did get shipped abroad in the 90s when the Japanese market was hot and several have gone overseas since then but a few have come back from long holidays since, including my own car. There's around a dozen or so cars still in the UK, of which two are (retired) race cars, three are on the road and the rest in various states of restoration or disrepair! They do come up for sale now and again, one appeared on Ebay earlier this year!I run a Facebook page dedicated to the cars here :
https://www.facebook.com/unipowergt/
Website under construction here :
http://www.unipowergt.org.uk/
Mike-tf3n0 said:
I was offered a works seat with Unipower in 1970 to do Le Mans, Spa, Nurburgring and the Targa Florio. My then wife, who up to that point had quite enjoyed my low level motor racing, suddenly decided that this was all getting too serious and started kicking off big time to the extent that I had to choose between her and what I hoped would be a full time career racing rather than part time. Stupidly, I chose her! Piers Forester owned the company at that time, a really great chap, sadly lost his life on a 750 Suzuki at Brands in, I think, 1977. In the event they had a terrible season dogged by bad luck and hampered by the fact that the car was a bit heavy despite the very early use of carbon fibre reinforced bodywork. I remember going to the works in Park Royal to try the first car for size, it had a very short exhaust pipe on a Broadspeed 1293 engine IIRC and the noise under the corrugated iron roof was simply shattering. Good memories, still wish I had said yes to Piers and no to the wife!!
Great story, thanks Mike! I've met quite a few people over the years that knew Piers who all had stories to tell and remembered him with affection. He was evidently quite a character! As for running the company, he was more interested in the racing for sure!Amazing what these forums can do, as a result of the above I have been contacted by a really interesting chap in The Netherlands who runs a blog called maximummini which I thoroughly recommend to any Mini fanatic, it deals with all the mini specials ever made and is really good reading.
One pic he sent me is of what may have been the Unipower factory and behind the Unipower in the doorway is what appears to be a GT40 with the rear bodywork missing. This is fascinating because Piers ran a white GT40 on the road for a time and around '69, when the pic was taken, he was rammed up the stern by some clown in a Mini who was trying to race him along the Cromwell road. They accelerated off the Gloucester Road lights but then Piers stopped at the Beauchamp Place junction - and the Mini didn't, ploughed into the back and destroyed the rear clam and the very expensive exhaust system.
I've said it before but he was an extraordinary, charismatic chap, most of us only meet one like him in a lifetime - if we are lucky!
One pic he sent me is of what may have been the Unipower factory and behind the Unipower in the doorway is what appears to be a GT40 with the rear bodywork missing. This is fascinating because Piers ran a white GT40 on the road for a time and around '69, when the pic was taken, he was rammed up the stern by some clown in a Mini who was trying to race him along the Cromwell road. They accelerated off the Gloucester Road lights but then Piers stopped at the Beauchamp Place junction - and the Mini didn't, ploughed into the back and destroyed the rear clam and the very expensive exhaust system.
I've said it before but he was an extraordinary, charismatic chap, most of us only meet one like him in a lifetime - if we are lucky!
Pete F said:
It's true to say many Unipowers did get shipped abroad in the 90s when the Japanese market was hot and several have gone overseas since then but a few have come back from long holidays since, including my own car. There's around a dozen or so cars still in the UK, of which two are (retired) race cars, three are on the road and the rest in various states of restoration or disrepair! They do come up for sale now and again, one appeared on Ebay earlier this year!
I run a Facebook page dedicated to the cars here :
https://www.facebook.com/unipowergt/
Website under construction here :
http://www.unipowergt.org.uk/
Hi Pete - good to hear the love for the little monsters, I do think they look the most 'purposeful' of the mini specials. How much do they go for these days in average condition, last time I looked prices were nudging those of work's rally minis!I run a Facebook page dedicated to the cars here :
https://www.facebook.com/unipowergt/
Website under construction here :
http://www.unipowergt.org.uk/
ChevronB19 said:
Hi Pete - good to hear the love for the little monsters, I do think they look the most 'purposeful' of the mini specials. How much do they go for these days in average condition, last time I looked prices were nudging those of work's rally minis!
The project car on Ebay recently went for about £15K , a reasonable one with an MOT would be about £25K I would have thought, anything restored about £35K and cars with race history.. you tell me! All I know is that they very rarely ever come up for sale publicly , anywhere in the world!This was the car off Ebay,a few months ago, ex Peter Filby (author/journo/Mini nut). . It had been in storage for many years and is pictured on a trip back to Arch Motors where the chassis were manufactured originally and still going strong!
My car at the excellent Castle Combe Autumn Classic last year...
I do know one or two that may be coming up for sale.
Not a unipower, but our old car - brilliant handling, not enough power...
https://racecarsdirect.com/content/UserImages/6931...
https://racecarsdirect.com/content/UserImages/6931...
Yep thats the Cannon GT! My Janspeed Unipower was pretty successful early on in 1150cc Special GTs with Geoff Mabbs but the Costin Nathan wiped the floor with everyone! Of course you couldn't fit a cross flow Mini head to a Unipower so even John Miles struggled in his Gordon Allen Unipower the 1967 championship.
Gassing Station | Classic Cars and Yesterday's Heroes | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff