primotipo…

“Don’t even think about!” said Liz Stanton of the Mini Automatic. “It hasn’t got enough poke to pull ‘yer foreskin back, the Cooper S is the go for a studmeister like you,” or words to that general effect.

Pix photographer Bob Donaldson shot the Mini Matic launch at Surfers Paradise in September 1967 and five years before, a Morris Cooper test in October 1962, not to forget his November 1964 Zetland Grand Prix shots…

By the look of the backgrounds on some of the action shots, the drive and photos took place on the British Motor Corporation’s massive site centred on Zetland, six kilometres south of Sydney.

While common knowledge to Oz motor enthusiasts, some of you furriners may not be aware that a huge range of BMC cars were manufactured in full in Australia – bodies and engines included – until the favourable tariff treatment afforded the mother-country was eliminated in the early 1970s, after you bastards joined the EU…

Click here for a timeline of key BMC/Leyland Australia events from 1950-1975, from the company’s birth until death: http://www.bmclaheritage.org.au/timeline.htm This one outlines the various factories/facilities: http://www.bmclaheritage.org.au/sites.htm

Surely there has been no better small performance car on road, track, the hills and in the forests than the Cooper/Cooper S? Not to forget the iconic status of Alec Issigonis’ brilliant, original ADO15 (Austin Design Office) design.

Topsy grew in engine capacity – but critically not in size – from 997cc-54bhp to 998cc-54bhp, then 1071cc-69bhp, then for a while 970cc-64bhp, and 1275cc-75bhp, before settling at that 1275cc magic-number…

Note the factory extractors and twin HS2 SU carbs, the 997 gave circa 54bhp, not shedloads, but the thing weighed nothing and far more was easily capable of being extracted.

That instrument-pod never changed, thankfully. Coopers got a remote gearshift which was fast and great to use, the 850 got a long pudding-stirrer. The standard steering wheel was shit but no Cooper was complete without aftermarket Mota-Lita or Momo wheels and a Smiths tach. Oh yes, a racy mirror too, but only on the driver’s side.

The 7.5 inch front discs were effective, rare on small cars then too. Issigonis and John Cooper knew a thing or two about competition after all.

“Where is the other 5-gallon tank?” you ask. That came with the 1275cc S from 1966.

“Oh no!” Those steel wheels have got to go, and usually did. The well heeled bought Minilites but I always thought a set of Cosmic wheels were hard to toss visually, and were a bit stronger for road use and abuse.

For another level of minutiae on the Australian Coopers, click on this Nostalgia Forum thread written largely by my friend, Cooper expert, Stephen Dalton: https://forums.autosport.com/topic/199685-mini-coopers-in-australia/

Zetland Grand Prix…

Paddy Hopkirk competes in the little known ‘Zetland Grand Prix’ in November 1964.

Factory BMC drivers Hopkirk – winner of the Monte Carlo Rally aboard a Cooper S partnered by Henry Liddon that January – John Fitzpatrick, Timo Makinen and Rauno Aaltonen were in Australia to contest the first Sandown 6-Hour enduro on November 29.

Part of the promotional activities set up by BMC Oz while the visitors were in their grasp was this demonstration of the capabilities of the cars built by the Sydney workers right in their own backyard.

Note the content of the safety processes/briefings: to the workers, ‘keep an eye on the cars’ and to the drivers, ‘try not to hit anyone’…Mission accomplished I believe. What a blast that would have been.

Credits…

Bob Donaldson, Pix, State Library of New South Wales, The Sun UK, LAT, Ashley Tracey

Tailpieces…

Paddy Hopkirk races around Monaco during the final 1964 Monte stage, and below after securing the historic win, with co-driver, Henry Liddon.

Sandown 6-Hour 1964, the end of the first lap perhaps with the Barry Topen/Digby Cooke Fiat 2300 leading two of the three works-Cooper S.

These 1275 S were British built cars brought to Australia for the event by Zetland’s newly formed competition department, the idea of BMC PR Manager – and rally driver – the much respected Evan Green.

Alan Kemp managed the department, while the three Cooper S racers were prepared for Sandown by the legendary Peter Molloy – then working with Brian Foley in Sydney – at BMC’s Melbourne workshop in Moorabbin.

Peter Manton/Brian Foley were second, seven laps adrift of the victorious Alec Mildren Racing Alfa Romeo TI Super driven by Roberto Businello and Ralph Sach. The Hopkirk/Fitzpatrick car was sixth, while the Makinen/Aaltonen pair failed to finish after losing a wheel and rolling. See here for some footage of the race: https://youtu.be/LZiQ4PJSmyo?si=Sb39mqNzckopf-kK

Finito…