Classic Cars - 1974 Mini
Owner: Simon Bromham of Pontardawe.
Vehicle: 1974 Mini 1380cc Britax replica.
Simon bought the 1974 British Leyland Mini in September 1996. It had had many owners – somewhere between ten and fifteen in fact! The car cost £80 and the first thing Simon did was fit a stage 1 kit and start to enjoy driving the Mini.
In 2000 Simon started the first restoration which meant buying a new heritage body shell and refurbishing all usable parts and replacing the others with new ones.
The standard interior was re-trimmed and the body was then sprayed in red with a pearl white roof. Once again it was time to enjoy the car - attending runs and Mini shows is all part of the fun of owning a classic and the little car known as ZOOM always turns heads wherever it goes. Simon and the car have been to Ireland, Holland, Belgium, Germany, even around the Nurburg race track a few times! The most recent trip was to France and included a visit to Paris.
Restoration number two came in 2011when all the rust was cut out and repaired, the head gasket changed, diff and oil seals replaced. The bodywork was taken back to bare metal and re-sprayed in bright yellow while the roof was done in black. The interior was dyed black and the car was rewired, a works dashboard was made and new brake and battery lines fitted. Finally stickers were applied to the Britax livery.
Simon did all the work in his spare time - he drives articulated lorries for a living so driving a little Mini is quite a difference!
Simon like many other restorers has not counted up the cost of restoration as it is best not to know! It has certainly cost a few thousand but for the pleasure it gives it is worth it.
