1965 Morris Mini Cooper 970 S

The Mini Cooper soon established its credentials as a rally and race winner, and the stage was set for even faster versions. The more powerful Mini Cooper 1071 'S' appeared in 1963 and quickly became the basis for competition-focused models. Larger disc brakes, more luxurious upholstery and discrete 'S' badges on the bonnet and boot were subtle upgrades with the real changes made to the adaptable A-series engine. With competition in mind, particularly the British Saloon Car Championship, in 1964 Cooper produced two 'S' models, the 970 and 1275 aimed clearly at the under-1,000cc and under-1,300cc BSCC classes respectively. The road-going 970 'S' was a real 'Homologation Special' with its 'revvy' little short-stroke engine producing over 65bhp but it was expensive to manufacture, so BMC made it a 'special-order' model, and consequently, very few were sold (with even fewer remaining today). The 970 'S' was only produced from June 1964 until April 1965 and with just 963 examples supplied, of which 397 were badged Morris, it's one of the rarest and most sought-after Mini models.

This rather smart 970 'S' is superbly finished in Tweed Grey with an Old English White roof and was the subject of a comprehensive restoration some years ago with new floor and panels as required. It's fitted with a straight-cut gearbox and the engine was fully rebuilt in 2021 by its present owner to standard 970 'S’ spec with new cam, cam followers, flywheel and clutch. The carburettors were rebuilt, a new electronic distributor from Swiftune was fitted and the dry suspension was fully rebuilt utilising new subframes. The impressive interior is correctly finished in Porcelain Green/Dove Grey and boasts reclining seats-an expensive option at the time. Another option was an additional fuel tank and filler on the right-hand side. Standard wheels were vented, 9-slot, 10”x 4.5” painted Old English White, with central chromed-steel hubcaps and had a more negative offset than the standard Mini and Cooper. Front and rear chrome bumpers were fitted with over-riders and corner 'nerf' bars.

The odometer currently reads 53,490 miles, which is largely academic considering the cars extensive refresh, and our particularly fastidious vendor will ensure that this little 'S' will be absolutely on the button for the sale at Race Retro.