1966 Austin

2.0L 16valve Convertible

4 - Cyl.

Manual

MA2SA367658

Clear

Gasoline

VERY COOL, VERY FAST, CLASSIC MINI COOPER.LISTED WITH NO RESERVE, YES NO RESERVE1966 Morris Mini, imported from the UK 5 years ago as an abandoned project. The previous owner with his street rod builder friend had built this car to be a drag racer with a removable roof. MiniMag did a short blurb about the car at that time as a "what to look forward to" upcoming project. Sadly a change in marital status meant the car had to go. MiniWorld featured pictures of this car in its issue about the MINI 50 party in north america in 2009. I brought the car over and started about completing it. At that time the roof was removable with the rear and side glass. It was crazy heavy to lift off and was bolted on the rear with clasps at the reinforced windscreen header rail. I drove like this for 1 year at which time i removed the roof complete and fabricated the rear shelf with cowls and fixed this to the car. i did cut off the front 6 inches of the roof as it did clasp tightly and was water proof. I had a custom auto upholstery expert make the top, the frame was made from an MGB stowaway frame so it snaps into two pieces and folds up. the top rolls up on the head rail and it all fits neatly behind the seats with room to spare. very weather tight. NOW the best part: this is a rust free car. the body work and flares are metal, not plastic or bondo, done by a real craftsman in the UK. this is basically a mini body grafted onto a Puegeot 205GTI chassis. the entire drive line, suspension, power brakes, steering and wiring is all Puegeot. The front end flips forward with the removal of 6 bolts. the wheel base is 2.5 inches longer than a mini and about 2.5 inches wider, thus the fender flares. For those in the states not familiar with the 205 you will find that they have a very loyal and dedicated following worldwide, much like the mini, with numerous owners websites, parts and info are very easy to come by, they just never sold them in north america. The engine that was in the car was a fuel injected 1.4L version that the PO intended to turbo charge for drag racing. After reading the many sites i saw that the most popular upgrade for a 205 GTI was the 2.0L (1980cc) dohc MI-16 aluminum motor. these are a direct bolt in with a different header. I purchased this motor and tranny from a Puegeot engine builder in the UK and shipped it over 4.5 years ago. It is very highly built with a stage 4 head, hot cams, 4into1 custom header, MSD ignition,quad R1 bike carbs and a 5 speed tranny from a 405 to give better highway final gearing ratio. This car is the equal or faster to any VTEC mini here in the states up to 100/110 mph. No B or D series Honda's could keep up with it but a K20 could. I have owned/own more conversion minis than anyone in the states so i know what i am talking about. Even better this car has NO torque steer, the Pirelli tires grab well and it will take off down the road as straight as an arrow with no hands on the wheel unlike any VTEC mini you will find. It also rides better than any mini you come across, the suspension is all Puegeot with a rear torsion bar axel with Bilstien gas adjustable sport shocks, the front has macphearson struts with Bilstien sport shocks and coils. The sport set up that Bilstien sells for these cars is about an inch shorter than stock and stiffer, they also sell a racing set up that is even more stiff. I also installed an OMP front flex brace for better cornering. The car runs and drives spot on, all the custom interior, the seats are from a 70's BMW, the roll bar is welded into the rollcage rear braces. you will see speakers in the cowls and there is a small sub box and amp in the boot area that powers them, sounds very nice going down with the road the Pioneer am/fm/cd head unit. i had the car final prepped and painted here in the states 6 years ago, it is now showing a couple dings and small hairline cracks, if you wanted a pristine show car these small areas could easily be touched up, i have the paint code for the base coat clear that was used. it is sitting on 5.5 by 13 inch rims with 175/50/13 tires. you could go back to 10 inch rims if so desired or put in the stock height springs and use 14 inch wheels for more top end. i have the stock struts and will include them in the sale. any questions please email me. you could drive this anywere in the country, it is very reliable. it has a key on ignition with push button start, i have a couple short videos i took showing and hearing the car run and accelerate from 10-90 in 4th gear on the highway. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZFqTS4fP8AI HAVE THIS CAR ADVERTISED ELSEWHERE SO IT CAN BE WITHDRAWN AT ANY TIME SHOULD IT SELL, BUY IT NOW IS VERY FAIR, DONT MISS OUT ON A ONE OF A KIND CLASSIC LIKE THIS. Relisted yet again from a non paying bidder, PLEASE get permission from your parents or spouse before bidding, THANKS.