1964 Morris Mini Cooper-S, 1275

Our Mini Cooper-S represents Doug's mid-life crisis. We purchased the car in June of 2000 after searching for several months. We wanted not just a Mini but one that was pre-smog, had front disk brakes, and "dry" rubber cone suspension. Several cars were found that fit some of the requirements but the few that met all requirements were usually located too far away to go look at. For sentimental reasons and resale value we decided not to pursue purchasing a "re-shelled" (replacement bodied) early Mini.

Our Mini was built in June of 1964 and exported from the U.K. to Switzerland. It was raced there for several years and eventually found its way to Germany where in 1968 its first U.S. owner, Gordon Warren, purchased the Mini. Gordon brought the car back to North Carolina and continued to drive it until selling it to Tom Bishop of Raleigh in 1972. Tom used the car for a while but eventually parked it. In the early 1990s Tom sold the car to Nick England who intended to restore it. By the mid-1990s Nick realized he wasn't going to start the project and sold the Mini to Justin Shepard of Richmond, VA who also had intentions of restoring the car. After a year Justin too realized he wasn't going to restore the car and sold it to John Rhodes of Richmond. Like the others, John decided not to restore the car and put it up for sale.

The condition of the car in 2000 was not very different from the way it looked when it first came to the U.S. Gordon Warren noted that all the visible damage on the car was the same as when he bought it in 1968. The period accessories on the car also dated from the time before Gordon bought the car. Thus every panel and most components were original or period accessories. No significant changes or repairs had been made to the car since it left Germany 28 years earlier.

The Mini moved into our garage in the summer of 2000 for what was anticipated as a two to three year restoration project. Like all Minis, it suffered from rust in key areas. Many panels required minor patching and some had to be completely replaced. Working on the Mini only at night, the progress has been slow. By the end of the first year, the welding was complete and general bodywork had started. While these activities progressed, new, used, and NOS parts were located to replace the damaged or incorrect parts. We hope to have the car back on the road by the summer of 2002.

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