Mini Cooper S

Description for Austin Cooper S 1966

This is an original, ocumented Mini Cooper 'S' which has lived in California since new and still has the California blue plate. It was purchased brand new on 7/13/66 from a dealer in San Francisco and cost $2765.80 out the door (and the buyer notes he could have saved $320 if he bought it overseas).. The following documentation is available with this car:

• British Motor Industry Heritage Cert (chassis and body numbers match correctly)
• Original BMC service booklet showing services from 8/22/66 through to 1980
• Original BMC Customer Identification Plate (metal plate stamped with original owner's name, ddress and the car's chassis number). These were issued to be used when expediting warranty service to BMC customers from March 1, 966 onwards
• Original Driver's Handbook
• Original sales brochure with handwritten notes on the extras added to the car and their cost

The car is running and driving well and my original intent was to do a full restoration as the shell and major components are all good. This car was originally built with a 1275cc engine and still has a 1275cc unit. but it's not the original block. Apparently it was replaced sometime in the early 1980's. It has the correct twin SU carbs and runs very well, ith no issues. If sitting for a period of time, ome oil drips are left on the ground but nothing that wouldn't be expected from an older engine.
The gearbox and clutch are good, hough gear changes feel slightly stiff. This could be due to road grime/grit gathered around the remote linkage underneath the car, ut it's really not noticeable after a minute or two of driving.
The paint was redone by a previous owner and while it looks good from 10 feet away, he quality of the finish is below par. There is no rust or damage to any of the panels, hough the plastic 'add-on' wheel arches have been poorly fitted and have some gaps. If restoring, 'd replace both the drivers and passenger floor pans. It looks like the car was incorrectly jacked from underneath, ending the floor pan and therefore cracking the underseal. As a result, here are small holes appearing in the floor pan on both sides.
The car left the factory tartan red with a black roof and my intent was to restore it to the original color scheme. Somewhere in it's history the car was painted blue, hen finally the green and white/cream color it shows today.
The interior is in good condition, hough the dash could do with some fresh varnish. The car was used for autocross events in the 80's and 90's so has a roll bar bolted in behind the driver and passenger. Factory options include a heater ($65 in 1966), il cooler ($40 in 1966), nd seat belts ($17.50 in 1966).
The original Hydroelastic suspension is still on the car, hough I'm not sure how effective it is at this point. My plan had been to switch across to dry suspension during a rebuild.
Overall, his is a perfect candidate for a full restoration as it has all the documentation confirming it's authenticity as a real Cooper 'S' vs one of the many faked ones in existence. The shell is solid and if doing a full rebuild, was planning on swapping in an engine with some period modifications to give it a little more power. While the cost of rebuilding a regular Mini would be the same as rebuilding this one, ltimately real 'S' will have more value. I'd love to restore the car,but family commitments have taken precedence, o I have to reluctantly let my project go to another home.
Please feel free to email with questions and good luck bidding.