Minis and Imps

[John McKechnie]

Thanks for posting those images of our boy Colin.I took 2 years of motoring mags out to HD on the chance he would find something. As a no name driver there were too many minis then for any mention of him.

[kiwi285]

Here is the car a couple of years later, in 1971. Colin has picked up sponsorship from Boyle Motor Co. Note, because he had no money, he couldn't afford to buy the fibreglass bolt-on flares the other teams had, so welded on some flares instead, then ran the original trim pieces around the edges.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]17661[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]17662[/ATTACH]

Was this the same Boyle Motor Co based in Cambridge. I seem to remember that they did sponsor someone racing a BMC product

[AMCO72]

Kiwi285....... the Boyle Motor Co.....BMC....became Rozema Motors, then Bowie-Keith Motors, and Bruce Bowie gave some sponsorship to Angus when he was racing the Mini......'MINCER'... at Mystery Creek in Hamilton, in the early 1990's, and also later when he got into Mini 7's.

I remember Bruce making a valid point, that although his company might be known in the Waikato, once Angus was racing outside his home turf, the name Bowie-Keith motors meant nothing, and so the sponsorship money did not create any feed back in the way of sales etc. A competitor really needed a nationally known brand name sponsor to be worth anything, and it was hard to get back then as Colin obviously found out.......and indeed it has always been hard to get.

So perhaps the firm, which had been a well known garage in Cambridge for decades, had a history of interest in Motorsport.....Model A's to Mini 7's....
The site is now occupied by Wrightsons.

[Impy1]

Hi all. Been lurking for a while and am amazed by the wealth of knowledge here!

Anyway, here is a pic of my father at Oran Park in his Imp. Thought it would fit right in this thread

Not a lot of info known about the car. I can tell you it was black with gold pinstripes. Oh, and his name is Geoff Birt.

Hope someone knows of him or the car...................

[Ellis]

Neptune Racing's Jim McKeown raced a black one. Saw it at Calder. Beechey also had the odd drive of it.
Pic has been posted earlier in this thread...

A single frame shot from my 8mm movies at Calder pits

[ERC]

#216 This is a Broadspeed REPLICA... Bernie Hines had a chopped "Minisprint" that he had raced in NZ but was initially denied a CoD. He then got hold of a set of rear body moulds (I believe from Australia) and built the Broadspeed replica shown. Quite why it was turned down initially is anyone's guess (I have my theories...). The original Mini Sprints were produced in the UK and sold new, through Stewart & Ardern, BMC dealers, so the car should have had a CoD in its original form.

We clocked it in Broadspeed form on radar at Pukekohe at 129mph a few years ago, the lowered roofline and deseaming aiding aerodynamics considerably.

Fantastic car and driven well and has now been sold (to Christchurch I believe), but it is important to differentiate between a replica and the genuine article.

These are the genuine article. Note the other Mini variants in the background, including my favourite - the yellow Unipower.

[Steve Holmes]

Hi all. Been lurking for a while and am amazed by the wealth of knowledge here!

Anyway, here is a pic of my father at Oran Park in his Imp. Thought it would fit right in this thread

Not a lot of info known about the car. I can tell you it was black with gold pinstripes. Oh, and his name is Geoff Birt.

Hope someone knows of him or the car...................

Hey, great first post! Is this the Imp which appeared at the Mallala Easter Historic event earlier this year?

[Russ Cunningham]

#216 This is a Broadspeed REPLICA... Bernie Hines had a chopped "Minisprint" that he had raced in NZ but was initially denied a CoD. He then got hold of a set of rear body moulds (I believe from Australia) and built the Broadspeed replica shown. Quite why it was turned down initially is anyone's guess (I have my theories...). The original Mini Sprints were produced in the UK and sold new, through Stewart & Ardern, BMC dealers, so the car should have had a CoD in its original form.

We clocked it in Broadspeed form on radar at Pukekohe at 129mph a few years ago, the lowered roofline and deseaming aiding aerodynamics considerably.

Fantastic car and driven well and has now been sold (to Christchurch I believe), but it is important to differentiate between a replica and the genuine article.

These are the genuine article. Note the other Mini variants in the background, including my favourite - the yellow Unipower.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]18678[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]18679[/ATTACH]

There was a genuine Broadspeed kicking round at one stage. I remember my father buying it to resell in the 60's. From memory he was less than impressed with it but I did score a Broadspeed badge that was in the glovebox. The car was burgundy back then. Who knows it may still be somewhere in NZ.

[ERC]

I think that the (metallic?) burgundy base with a silver roof was a Broadspeed colour combination and would have been my first choice had I gone ahead with doing a replica - which I did start, but using a Riley Elf as the base, as the rear overhang was the right length.

[Impy1]

Hey, great first post! Is this the Imp which appeared at the Mallala Easter Historic event earlier this year?

Hi Steve, thanks.

Not sure mate. Not really in touch with my dad at the moment to get his feedback. I will see what I can find out although I don't think this is the same car.

[BMCBOY]

[Habu]

[BMCBOY]

[Imp Wagon]

I've recently got back from a holiday in the UK and while there i caught up with my old friend and former saloon racer, John Homewood who used to race Imps in the 1000cc special saloon championships over there in the 1970's with a huge amount of success over the years, regularly beating many bigger engined cars including the 1300cc Minis (the BDA powered ones too) and in the process winning a lot of championships and set a heap of lap records. Famously in a wet qualifying session at Brands Hatch circa 1975, John put the little Imp in the middle of the front row between Gerry Marshall in baby Bertha and Nick Whiting in the FVA Escort and then proceeded to chase Marshall around the track for a few laps until the track dried and he eventually finished 3rd. John showed me a pile of old black and white photos so I took shots of a few of them on my camera and thought I would put a few up here.
Cheers, Simon.

This shot shows John in the Rawlson bodied Imp leading Ginger Marshalls alloy bodied, Imp-powered Mini countryman, circa 1976
[ATTACH]21702[/ATTACH]

Here he is dicing with Jeff Ward's Imp and unknown Mini
[ATTACH]21703[/ATTACH]

Circa 1972 on pole at Brands Hatch with Terry Attoe's Mini outside him. John won the Kent messenger championship from Attoe that year
[ATTACH]21704[/ATTACH]

[Ellis]

In the late 60's well known Tassie and "Tas Motoring Hall of Famer" Geoff Smedley was contracted to PH Wong in Singapore to look after his team ( Newton Racing) of cars which included 3 Cooper S's. This was after Geoffs full time stints with John Youl and Total Team Matich.

Geoff changed the Cooper S 's to Cross Flow heads of basically his own design.....

[driftwood]

Impwagon
You have some incorrect info for the Thruxton chicane photo Your photo shows Homewood leading Jeff Ward in the Greatham ( space frame) Imp the Mini is I am sure 1300 cc car of Phil Winter the Mini countryman is not shown of Ginger Marshall this foto is around 75/6 as I am sure in 77 John had the Davrian based Imp running
The brands foto with Terry Attoe reminds me of my dad dragging me to watch him into paddock where he threw the min through the corner akin to an escort than a fwd understeering mini i think the foto is more 73/4 ish

[Steve Holmes]

Does anyone recognise this Imp currently for sale in the US on Ebay? Says on the ad it was built in New Zealand: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Other-Makes-Sunbeam-Imp-NZ-vuilt-Sunbeam-Imp-rally-race-car-/111187947502?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item19e3516fee#v4-40

[Steve Holmes]

You guys, the photos you have posted on here are just incredible! Keep them coming please.

[Oldfart]

Does anyone recognise this Imp currently for sale in the US on Ebay? Says on the ad it was built in New Zealand: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Other-Makes-Sunbeam-Imp-NZ-vuilt-Sunbeam-Imp-rally-race-car-/111187947502?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item19e3516fee#v4-40

I posted on this car in the "Lost Race Cars " thread Steve. RF responded.

[ROTATN]

Came across some pictures of my Dad & Uncles mini. From the first test drive down the acacia bay straight, to the strip down and rebuild, then the finished article.

I'm sure Dad (John) would get a lot out of the forum if he had more spare time and was more computer literate....

[ATTACH]22528[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]22529[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]22530[/ATTACH]