£ 96,000

MINI Cooper S Works - SOLD

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Description:

This car is in auction on The Market website. The auction is LIVE now. The price shown is the lower estimate.

All bidding takes place on The Market (see photos for web address), plus you will find further text, over 90 photos/video fully illustrating the car and its service history, and the ability to ask questions directly to the seller. The text below is just a brief summary of our full description.

LBL 606D is an ex-Abingdon ‘works’ Mini Cooper S with known history from new – and what a lovely history it is. Said background includes both outings as, first, a rally car and then later, as a race car. It’s also one of only two Abingdon racers known to exist.

Over to the vendor, “Tony Fall rallied it on the 1967 Monte Carlo Rally (finishing in 10th place) and then the following year Paddy Hopkirk took 2nd place overall (and 1st in Class) on the TAP Portuguese Rally. In 1968/’69 Abingdon turned it into an Mk2, which was quite a common thing for the factory to do when a new model came out. It was then loaned out to a number of BLMC dealerships for showroom publicity before being offered to BBC Wheelbase journalist Michael Foslake for another tilt at the Monte.”

BLMC’s Motor Sport department then converted it to full Group 2 specifications (including lightweight alloy boot, bonnet and doors – frames as well as skins) for the 1970 season, and it ended its works career at that year’s Spa 24 hour race. “Two cars entered, but neither finished,” says Jonathan. “This one lasted until dawn, when it retired with an engine issue.”

When the factory closed it then sold the car to Jim Whitehouse, a well-respected Mini tuner, at Equipe Arden (ex BSCC champion 1969) who planned to race it in 1971. However, it was only ever used as a back-up car and wouldn’t see action again.

The car was then sold to a Mr Lloyd-Roberts who found it difficult to drive the car on the road with a race engine in it, so the engine and gearbox were whipped out and stored, and a 998cc Cooper unit installed. After a number of years LBL 606D disappeared from UK roads but remained with that owner until around 1988.

“The next owner had heard of a red and white Mini in a lock-up near his Birmingham home. When he went to view it he couldn’t believe it was LBL 606D. It’d hit someone up the backside, been stood for a long while, and was in need of restoration.”

Well-respected Mini aficionado Paul Stanworth bought the car and duly carried out that process, restoring the car (including its original Group 2 race engine and gearbox) to its final ‘works’ specification, as per Spa 1970. And that’s how you find the car here. The Mini then spent 10 years in a significant private collection.

“After trying to purchase for four or five years I finally bought it in 2015,” says Jonathan. “Owning a ‘works’ Mini had always been on my bucket list. It’s just one of those historically important cars, and supremely well known by Mini enthusiasts the world over. Since restoration it’s only ever been used for shows.”

However Jonathan has now decided that it’s time to sell, so LBL 606D is now on the lookout for a new home. You could call this a once in a lifetime opportunity, and you’d be bang on.

And there’s no doubt that our man, Mr Buncombe, knows his Minis – he won the 1972 British Saloon Car Championship Class B title in a Mini Cooper S!

For much more description and photos see The Market website.

The vehicle can be viewed with us in Abingdon, South Oxfordshire.

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To view full listing with full service history and comprehensive photos, use link: https://themarket.co.uk/en/listings/mini/cooper-s-works/f5f92e43-29bd-43f0-9333-a5defe0e1649