RE: Mini Van: Spotted

[soad]

T-195 said:

Hilts said:

Looks great

Do you think it's worth £45k?

That's not the asking price though, chap.

See the (dealer's) link for cost breakdown/work carried out: https://www.dukeoflondon.co.uk/product-page/1981-a...

[T-195]

soad said:

T-195 said:

Hilts said:

Looks great

Do you think it's worth £45k?

That's not the asking price though, chap.

See the above (dealer's) link for cost breakdown/work carried out.

I see.

[soad]

"Bespoke made dog bed in the rear".

[Hairymonster]

Love that mattress in the back - fairly single purpose though!

[Mr Peel]

Looks like great fun. Shame about the straight-cut gears though. Too much like hard work.

[Ahonen]

soad said:

That's not the asking price though, chap.

See the (dealer's) link for cost breakdown/work carried out: https://www.dukeoflondon.co.uk/product-page/1981-a...

I can sort of see where the money went as those highly tuned A Series aren't cheap. Looking at the advert it was absolutely immaculate when it was purchased. I'd have left it as it was and bought a more tired one for the conversion.

[bobtail4x4]

Turbobanana said:

85Carrera said:

Does seem rather a lot.

Plus I’m not interested in cars from dealers who cover up the registration number so you can’t check the MOT history ...

There's so little of the original left it's probably irrelevant anyway.

IIRC these were the cheapest new vehicles in the UK in the sixties, due to their exemption from Purchase Tax (being a commercial), so all the young lads bought them. I suspect plenty of them had mattresses in the back

mine did

[3795mpower]

Mr Peel said:

Looks like great fun. Shame about the straight-cut gears though. Too much like hard work.

My friend has a 1425cc A series built by Bill Richards.
I’m luck enough to have driven it.

That car has a straight cut JK gearbox with straight cut drops and a
Salisbury LSD.

Straight cut gears don’t make it difficult to drive....they just make it noisy.
It’s still a fully synchromesh gearbox which works like any other.

It’s not a Dog box which involves a lot of crashing about.

So the van for sale wouldn’t necessarily be tricky to drive.

Edited by 3795mpower on Friday 5th April 09:41

[can't remember]

I like it but for £45k I'd expect the engine to be Japanese and behind me.

[eldar]

[gazza285]

eldar said:

You've reversed over a shopping trolley...

[eldar]

Worth it got the pound

[donkmeister]

eldar said:

Ooof... any pictures of what's turning those tubbed rears? That must be a hell of a narrowed rear axle!

[Charlie Croker mk2]

This was mine , 1972 - 74 . No longer on the DVLA DB

[WJNB]

I suppose that mattress is going to be dumped in a lay-by somewhere, can't think of another reason you'd want a mattress in that van.

[bobtail4x4]

I found I could get 5 mates in the van for a weekend trip to Scarbro,
or one willing female for shorter trips

one evening while parked up I must have knocked the handbreak off, as the car rolled into the road mid coitus.

[easytiger123]

Hilts said:

Looks great, just need to get rid of the Jimmy Savile mattress.

Either that or spray 'put the lotion in the basket' on the outside.

[eldar]

donkmeister said:

Ooof... any pictures of what's turning those tubbed rears? That must be a hell of a narrowed rear axle!

Jaguar engine, judging by the exhausts sticking out the roof.

3.8 jag engine.

https://www.theaccelerationarchive.co.uk/features/...

Edited by eldar on Friday 5th April 17:54

[foresterlad]

In the 1960’s I worked for Marcos and well remember a Downton 1293cc Cooper S engined minivan which the mini-Marcos team briefly used for parts collection.
Unfortunately it was broken up to create the works
MiniMarcos which raced successfully.
I think this might have been due to an embarrassing moment when Jem Marsh co founder of Marcos watched our van out accelerate a customer collecting
His 3 litre Marcos out of the factory towards Bradford On Avon
It caused huge amusement to us

[Hrimfaxi]

My Dad had a green one that he used as a plumbing van. Had to park on hills facing downwards to bump start it on when he was on his own

It was just any old commercial van back then, he really wished he kept it now!

But this, plus a few more Minis in the family made want one for myself and it happened!