"This car can be viewed in person from 14th to 18th July 2020 at our the auction site, Windsorview Lakes, Datchet, SL3 9HY
Originally designed as a small affordable family car, the Mini quickly proved itself in many forms of motor sport. The most notable success was undoubtably the overall victory in the 1964 Monte Carlo Rally, the works Mini Cooper S ably piloted by Paddy Hopkirk with his navigator Henry Liddon. This victory, against considerably more powerful machinery, cemented the Mini’s competition status.
This 1964 Morris Mini Cooper S, registered ‘487 FDA’ was purchased in 1990 as a standard car by Jeremy Coulter, a well known UK motoring journalist and rally driver who wrote for magazines such as Thoroughbred & Classic Car and also broadcast occasionally on Top Gear and similar programmes. Coulter had the car rebuilt in 1990 by Roger Tello of Mighty Minis, a well known UK competition Mini preparation specialist, with a fully seam-welded shell and FIA roll cage and with all brake lines run inside the body. The 1293cc engine was built by Bill Richards Racing and generated 112bhp. The gearbox was by Jack Knights and had straight cut gears and a limited slip differential. He had fitted at the time FIA seatbelts, fire extinguisher system and navigation equipment including a Halda Speedpilot. It still sits on Minilite wheels. Coulter had bought ‘487 FDA’ – at the time a two owner car from new – with the specific objective of creating a car capable of winning the FIA Historic European Rally Championship, which he duly did in 1991, co-driven by Paul Howcroft.
No other Mini has won this championship either before or since, therefore making this car unique.
Coulter drove the car in the Pirelli Classic Marathon in the UK, the Monte Carlo Challenge in France, the San Remo Storica and Copa d’Italia in Italy, the Bavaria Trophy in Germany and the FIA rallies in Belgium and Czechoslovakia, as well as various other UK events. Having achieved his objective of winning the European Championship, Coulter sold the car in 1992 to Frank Fennell. Fennell, a former Irish historic rally champion, competed successfully with ‘486 FDA’ in the Rally Corsica, the Circuit of Ireland which he won in 1992 – the Classic Marathon, the Brittannia Rally and many other events. Fennell retired the car into his Dublin museum in 1996 where it remained unused for 18 years. The history file depicts various photos of the events it competed in and also copies of its 2014 FIA Historical Technical Passport (the original 1990 FIA papers are also included in the history file). The Historic Rally Car Register know the car well and are keen to see it back out competing. ‘487 FDA’ is the only car of its kind to have won the FIA.
The health and safety of both our customers and team remains the utmost priority, we are therefore operating to Government guidelines throughout viewing and auction day."