NEW MkI MINI SHELLS

British Motor Heritage

(BMH) is now taking orders for MkI Mini (1959-1967) body shells – with deliveries expected to start this May. Priced at £9950, it offers restorers the chance to start from scratch with fresh sheet metal. The BMH shell makes use of classic Mini specialist M-Machine’s floors and sills; retooling for these parts would, claim BMH, have made the project unviable.

Firmly tilted at historic motorsport use, the firm has also used later front bulkhead crossmember assemblies and opted not to form the roto-dip hole in the rear seat squab pressing as per an original MkI Mini shell. BMH stated its intention to produce 15 retail standard bodyshells by April.

“For someone doing historic motorsport needing a new rule-compliant shell it would suit very well. For someone rebuilding a road car that has either lost its original shell many years ago or the shell is beyond repair, then it’s at least an option,” registrar Bill Bell (from the 1959 Mini Register) commented.

From a purist’s point of view, Bill felt BMH’s shell was inevitably a compromise. “It would be impossible for them [BMH] to make a single MkI shell to please every restorer, type, model and year.”

He continued: “In the eight years of the MkI there were five different complete floor pressings; in 1959 alone there were two, with three different front panels that year as well. There were differences in terms of dry [rubber cone] suspension and Hydrolastic. Between the 850, Cooper and Cooper S models, the roofs are different along with the boot floors, panels, front windscreen surrounds and so on.”

All enquiries regarding the new MkI Mini shells should be made by emailing sales@ bmh-ltd.com or by calling 01993 707200.

BMH is now accepting orders – with a 25 per cent deposit down payment. Further details of BMH and all its products are available online at www. bmh-ltd.com.