Thanks for the Mini Memories – A South African Mini Story

A 255 page hard cover book “Thanks for the Mini Memories – A South African Mini Story” has just been published. It covers the Mini’s history in South Africa from the first fully assembled prototype for tooling purposes that arrived in September 1959 and the first locally assembled Austin 850 that was completed on 21 December 1959 to October 1983 when the last classic Mini rolled off the assembly line at the Elsies River plant. The author, Ryno Verster, is the historian of the Mini Owners Club of Southern Africa and previously published another booklet on Mini history in South Africa.

This book is the end result of more than four years’ research. Days on end were spent in the National Library, scanning all motoring journals published in South Africa since 1959. More than 60 former Mini racing drivers were located, visited and their scrap books, newspaper cuttings and Mini memorabilia borrowed and documented electronically. These racing drivers were located in Cape Town, along the Garden Route, in East London, Durban, Pietermaritzburg, Johannesburg, Pretoria and one was located in Qatar and another in Belgium. This turned out to be a very good source of tracing Mini history in South Africa yet the real breakthrough came when the author located and befriended Ralph Clarke who was the Engineering Manager at the BMC/Leyland Blackheath plant since 1955 until his retirement. The valuable information and pictures that he made available, enabled the author to take this Mini Story to another level.

The book consists of 15 chapters and 9 appendices and the South African Mini Story is also pictorially told by 122 black and white and 108 colour pictures. Not to disrupt the flow of the story by prices and market share statistics, production figures, NAAMSA sales figures, local content time line, technical specifications etc. these were included as appendices for reference purposes. Some unique Mini Memorabilia was also included in these appendices. The original official homologation papers of the Royal Automobile Club for the Austin 7 and Morris Mini-Minor (dated 17 September 1959), the Austin and Morris Cooper and the Austin and Morris 1071 cc Cooper ‘S’ models are part of the appendices.

The 15 chapters are mainly dedicated to the different Mini models. The story line for each chapter is different and even includes Mini Memories that were made by two South African Wolseley 1000 Minis in America. Due to the Mini’s exceptional performance on South African racetracks, an overview of the particular model’s performance in racing and the race records of the most successful drivers in that particular model, are also included.

What will make this book also a good reference book for and should enhance its appeal among other old British car lovers, is chapter 3 on the history of BMC South Africa and Leyland South Africa and an appendix on the official BMC production record of all cars built at Blackheath from 1955 to 1971. The chapter includes pictures of the first car, an Austin Cambridge, assembled on 21 May 1955 at Blackheath, as well as pictures of the 10 000^th and 100 000^th car assembled at Blackheath, pictures of the first BN 4 Austin Healey 100/6 and Austin Healey Sprite assembled at Blackheath as well as the first Jaguar assembled at Blackheath after the plant in East London burnt down. The record provides reliable information that was not previously available. These include production figures for all Austins, Morris, Wolseley, Riley, MG and later Jaguar and Rover variants assembled at Blackheath during the period.

The book is priced at R 275 plus postage and packaging and is now available from:

Ryno Verster, P.O. Box 51599, Wierdapark 0149 South Africa

e-mail: Ryno Vodamail

or Ryno Exxaro

cell phone 083 609 1509

For full contents see below

Contents

Chapter	Title
1	About Sputniks, Minibriks and Several Firsts in Early Mini History
2	The Mini and the Local Content Programme
3	The British Motor Corporation of South Africa and Leyland South Africa
4	The Round Nose Sedan Era
5	The Cooper Models in South African Mini History
6	Round Nose Mini Special and Limited Edition Models Unique to South Africa
7	How to Change an Elf into a Mini Mk 3
8	Everybody is Allowed One Favourite – A South African Wolseley 1000 Story
9	The Clubman Era
10	Mini Clubman GT and GTS models
11	Clubman Saloon and 1098 cc Clubman Special Editions
12	The Station Wagon Models
13	The BMC/Leyland Light Commercial, Utility (and Agricultural) Vehicles
14	Some Unique South African Models
15	The Mini is Back……..and the Mini is Gone

Appendix	Title
A-1	Homologation Papers for Austin 7 and Morris Mini-Minor 1959
A-2	Homologation Papers for Austin and Morris Cooper 997 cc
A-3	Homologation Papers for Austin and Morris Cooper ‘S’1071 cc
A-4	South African Schedule B Homologation Papers for Austin and Morris Cooper ‘S’ 1275 cc
A-5	South African Schedule B Homologation Papers for Mini 1000 ‘S’
A-6	South African Schedule B Homologation Papers for Mini Clubman 1275 GT
A-7	South African Schedule B Homologation Papers for Mini Clubman 1275 GTS
A-8	South African Schedule B Homologation Papers for Mini Deluxe 1098 cc
B	Local Component Production –Time Line
C	Technical Specifications of South African Mini Models
D-1	NAAMSA Mini Sales Figures
D-2	Record of Units Built at Blackheath 1955 to 1971
D-3	Morris Mini-Minor and Morris Traveller Production Figures at Motor Assemblies in Durban
D-4	BMC/Leyland Light Commercial Vehicle Statistics
D-5	Mini Moke Statistics
E	1071 cc Cooper ‘S’ – Personalised Notes
F	Mini Prices and Market Share
G	ADO 19 – The ANT
H	Revolutionary Rubber Cone Suspension

The book is priced at R 275 plus postage and packaging and is now available from:

Ryno Verster, P.O. Box 51599, Wierdapark 0149 South Africa

e-mail: Ryno Vodamail

or Ryno Exxaro

cell phone 083 609 1509