early mini7 restoration, looking for history.

[minihaha]

Hi there, these are some shots of an early mini7 that was last raced in the late 70's

The last known driver was Mark Spargo but we are looking for previous drivers/owners or any pictures or history.

Some distinctive features of the car are the large hand beaten steel flares and also the recessed electrical switch on the right rear corner. We believe it may also have had AC Delco stickers on the rear flanks with this paint work.

Previous to being white the car was painted bright green, and prior to that a bright orange.

We are looking for pictures and information so that it can be brought back to race condition under schedule K.

Any info or leads would be well received, thank you.

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[minihaha]

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[kiwi285]

Great to see another historic race car saved from oblivion.

[minihaha]

Note: I have listed this on behalf of a friend. He has registered as username MiniDr. He's not a frequent user of the internet but may comment from time to time. Thanks.

[Steve Holmes]

What an amazing barn find! Thats a neat little car, and showing its history. Are you certain it ran as a Mini 7 and not in Sports Sedans or OSCA? Those flares are a real work of art. They've even gone to the trouble of adding the standard metal strip to the outer edges of them. Good luck with your search.

[minihaha]

Yes this car has all the usual Mini7 running gear of the time. 850 engine, drum brakes etc. We do know that the car was last raced by Mark Spargo in the Lime green colour and then later in the colours you see it here. It sounds like the car was sold by Mark because he was no longer able to race with the steel flares.

The car is built from a very early shell, probably a 59.

There is also speculation that the original bright orange colour is there as the car was originally a Reg Cook car.

These are the bits of info that we would like to know more about, or see in any photos people may have.

[David McKinney]

I believe the orange Mini-7 raced by Reg Cook was owned by John Provo

[Steve Holmes]

Was the Reg Cook Mini 7 different to the one he raced in early 1970s NZ Saloon Car Championship?

[minihaha]

It sounds like Reg built a few minis over the years. He hasn't been contacted yet for info but is on the list.

[AMCO72]

Those flares look very like the ones Shaun Burton had on his Mini7 in the early 90's. I think his were deemed illegal as they constituted an aerodynamic aid which was forbidden, although I know he did compete with them on. This makes Steves comment on whether it was an OSCA car at some stage relevant. Shauns car was black in the time that I knew it. Reg has had a 'hand' in lots of cars over the years, not the least Mini's, and his attempts at lightening have to be seen to be appreciated. I believe his tool of preference was an angle-grinder!!!!!!

[minihaha]

This shell seems reasonably original apart from flares and front valance mods for brake cooling. The original well modified 850 engine is all machined etc awaiting assembly and is/was a good engine mods wise. It will be reassembled in this state to run as it last did.
Suspension and brakes are all as last raced with the usual mini7 tricks of the time and again will be rebuilt to stay as such. The car was last raced by Mark probably around 78/79 and sold to a new owner who dismantled it to this state and it's been in dry storage ever since. It may have had normal fibreglass flares at some stage before the steel ones were built, this is one of the things we don't know.
Re the angle grinder- I haven't seen signs of this sort of work. It is a 59 shell so is very light to start with. I can't quite remember but I think it still has its rear parcel bins and possibly the rear seat base but I would have to check. Actually I'm pretty sure the rollcage main hoop is inward of the bins.

Before panel work begins the owner is really trying to find out which of the drivers/colour schemes/ sponsorship the car would be best restored back to.

[minihaha]

I personally would love to wash, vacuum, dust it. Put the mechanicals in it and go racing after growing huge sideburns and a moustache!!! But thats just me! :0)

[Adrian L-L]

If it is a 59 Mini and orange it is poss Jimmy Harveys 73/74 CMR Team car. I helped Jimmy build it but apart from being a 59 and orange its hard to tell. If the orange on the tank is overspay ( its the right colour) then it isn't Jimmys as we did a bare shell paint job and the colour around the windows is too reddish to be right, the isolation switch looks wrong, I think we neatly welded it in to the shell, all those screws and pop rivets look like too much weight! The flares aren't Mini7 because the regs said only trim the wheel arches and fit those skinny GRP flares. Jimmy is still about, I could dig up his number if you like.

[minihaha]

I'm not sure about the orange on the tank and where it came from. It's interesting that you recognise the way that the isolation switch was done. Was this the way and the position that Reg mounted them, giving us a hint that it could be a CMR prepped shell? The orange around the windows is definitely an earlier colour and is quite bright.

Jimmys number would be great! Even if it's not his car He may be able to help. :)

[Steve Holmes]

This is the car Reg raced during the early 70s. Had a 1300 (ish) motor I think?

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[minihaha]

I have studied the pictures of that car Steve and I think it's a later shell as you can see the indentation for the windscreen rubber in the surrounding panel. 59 shells don't have this. I have also studied the other earlier car that is in the Mini and Imps thread with the 12" wheels and number 100 on the side. This one looks like an early shell with similar bonnet pinning but no rollcage at the time. Does anyone know what happened to that car? Did it become a CMR car later on?

[Marty]

MY CMR Support Team photo on the lunchroom wall has John Provo owning the 200 car, 1973/74.

I don't know how many minis Reg had but there must have been a few as he also raced one at Waikaraka Park for a short while.

[minihaha]

Found out today from the owner that this car was run by Mark Spargo in the bright green colour with the steel flares before he painted it the colour scheme in the photos.

And yes Adrian that is the petrol tank from the car. It is a very early tank and has fittings to match the pump etc mounted in the boot.

[minihaha]

Just giving this a bump to see if anyone has had any thoughts about it. Also in case there are any new members that may have some ideas.

Thank you for all contributions so far, they have been very helpful.

Heres a random pic to say thanks...

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[seaqnmac27]

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so 100 is at Levin Jan 68, 200 is Pukekohe Jan 73

[Oldfart]

Isn't the "mishap at the hairpin" photo also at Puke hairpin?

[seaqnmac27]

Yeah mate. Realised after I had posted them. But hafn't had a chance to modify the post

[Paul Wilkinson]

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/car-parts-accessories/austin-rover/auction-457395157.htm
Any history attached to this old beast with a roof-chop on trademe?

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[Steve Holmes]

Wow! Thats cool.

[Paul Wilkinson]

Looks like a pretty solid start to a cool project for only $500!

[minihaha]

Just giving this another bump to see if there is any new interest.

[minihaha]

Just letting you know that the original 850 engine is machined and waiting for assembly once the body is done. All the original bits will be pieced back together. We are still hoping for pics or info on who ran it and the colour schemes that were used. This will dictate how it finally ends up. Thanks for the info so far.

[Powder]

The car was last raced by Mark probably around 78/79 and sold to a new owner who dismantled it to this state and it's been in dry storage ever since.

It looks like the car was entered at Manfeild, 28 Oct 1979. Possibly its last race?
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[minihaha]

WOW, thats awesome info!! We didn't know when it was last raced. This will help fill a small gap. Lots of familiar names on there!

[Steve Holmes]

Any luck with this yet? At the NZFMR this year I was chatting with Colin Warrington who was racing in NZ with the Australian Trans-Am cars in the Historic Muscle Cars/U3 races. Colin is an ex-pat Kiwi who has lived in Queensland for several years. But back in the late '60s and early '70s when he was a young bloke he raced a Mini in the 1,000cc class against Barrie Phillips, Rod Collingwood, Jim Richards etc. He visits this site regularly in the hope some old photos might appear on here of him in the Mini.

Anyway, I asked Colin what colour his car was, and if it had any special features that made it stand out from the other cars of the era. He said the car was painted white, then had the hood and boot lid painted orange. But, he said because he was a young bloke racing on a tight budget, he couldn't afford to buy bolt-on flares, so instead welded on steel ones! His was a bit special in this respect, as most of the other cars had the bolt-ons. He also said because he couldn't afford disc brakes, he raced with drums.

It could be a long shot, but this could be Colins old Mini. He will be making his way back home after the NZFMR and will take a few days to settle, but I'll flick him an email and see if maybe this is his old car. He usually raced as #21.

There are pics of Colin at this years NZFMR racing his '69 Camaro, which by coincidence, is also painted white and orange, on the HMC thread.

[minihaha]

Thanks, Steve. If he has a look at the photos on page one, hopefully he may recognise some details in the car.
The owner has started to make contact with some of the people on the entry list above as he already knows quite a few of them. These things take time though. Fingers crossed the trail continues!

[minihaha]

Just giving this another bump to see if there are any fresh leads or pics for this car. The current paint scheme is from AC Delco sponsorship. Original colour for the car is similar to the Austin Horizon Blue colour. Then lime green. Then Orange. the car must have run with the large flares in both orange and white. The car is still running the original brass door hinges. After looking at the cage today it is obvious that the car had a rear roll hoop and stays fabricated out of tube and bends. This actually looks gas welded. The front legs, bar across the top of the windscreen and side intrusion bar (missing) are roughly bent out of a slightly larger diameter tube and are attached to the main hoop via a D clamp arrangement. The rear bins and door bins are still there. The cage feet are bolted in.

[rf84]

Have you checked with Reg Cook yet? I remember Reg well when he, John Provo and I were all students at Massey University in Palmerston North in the late 60's. He had an orange Mini in those days. It was a road going car but he used it for the odd Massey University Car Club and Manawatu CC event. It was orange BUT was a "matte" orange-not a shiny enamel. I suspect he had painted it with what was known as "Seachrome primer" a paint that was commonly used those days as an anti-rust primer paint. Also seem to recollect he had a blue/green coloured Mini-what some would describe as "duck egg blue" or tourquoise colour. Maybe they were one and the same cars repainted. It was always hard to keep track of Reg's cars and engines. It was rumored on campus that Reg went through 8 motors in one year!

[Steve Holmes]

Time to resurrect this old thread. Here is a period photo of the car in the opening posts. Love those flares!

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[Jemini]

what a coincidence, I saw this car just last Saturday, and was speaking to the person who built the flares just yesterday!

The flares were done by Les Green of Palmerston Nth and the shell is sitting in the loft at PD Automotive in Wellington.