from the 1071S. This gave me the incentive to start the restoration. I was also able to reunite the 1071S with its original number. ‘I did some of the restoration work but then put it on hold again because of other commitments. I returned to it just two

Not that’s it’s what I would call quiet. Factor the Downton long-centre-branch exhaust manifold and straight-through single silencer system into the mix, and the result is a car that’s invariably heard before it’s seen. Yet has a wonderfully sonorous quality.

I can imagine just how it must have felt back in the Sixties, when it was being driven around London by Princess Margaret, on her way to meet such luminaries as Peter Sellers and Peter O’toole. Often portrayed as the original Royal rock star, Margaret – a witty, charismatic, rebellious but most glamorous woman, and a royal fashion icon who was fond of short skirts and plunging necklines – must have revelled in the delights of this nimble and potent car. It was as much of a break with tradition as she was.

However, it was Lord Snowdon who spent most of the time behind the wheel of 999 FYL. He adored fast cars, and loved driving them with enthusiasm. Snowdon – who, along with Margaret, was attributed with revitalising the monarchy – is said by people who knew him to have ‘wrung the neck’ of the Mini as he tore from one engagement to another.

It’s clear why he enjoyed using it so much – in contrast to other tuned Mini’s I’ve driven, the engine feels far less peaky. This characteristic, coupled with the plentiful torque, results in smooth and swift progress, even up steep hills. This is why enthusiasts eulogise over Downton engines. I’m fast becoming a convert.

Gear selection is good and the ratios spot-on, although the action is rather physical and far from quick. I’ve experienced this in other Minis that have covered just a handful of miles since a rebuild and I’ve no doubt that the gearchange will ease and improve with use. The clutch, a pukka competition item, has short travel requiring a firm push, though it also manages to be smooth and progressive. The same is true of the servo-assisted front disc/rear drum braking system. In fact, it’s a very nicely balanced set-up. The servo helps, but, thankfully, doesn’t take over proceedings. All-in-all, the brakes have plenty of feel, lots of bite, and are well able to handle the power.

The chassis still impresses, too. The incredibly space-efficient, extremely advanced, all-independent rubber cone dry suspension was a motoring milestone when the Mini was launched. Combined with adjustable dampers, it makes for invigorating, if occasionally bouncy progress; a legacy of the short wheelbase and rubber cones. A properly set-up Mini like 999 FYL provides the driver with such an intimate connection with the road. This car is so tactile, and with such ultra-direct steering, it flows from one bend to another. Naturally, there’s a tendency to understeer in tighter corners, but it generally dispatches bends with contempt.

‘The power is delivered seamlessly; I can see why enthusiasts eulogise over Downton engines’

I do have one criticism though – the period-correct crossply tyres tend to follow road irregularities and cause the front end to wander, requiring a tad more steering input than I’d anticipated. Radial ply tyres were an option with the introduction of the 1071S, and were later fitted to this car; if it were mine I’d trade authenticity for precision and fit radials, keeping the crossplies for show arenas. Otherwise, it’s pretty much perfect and a wonderful reminder of how and why the Mini was such a revelation, and why it commands so much attention and respect today.

Owner Dave Boswell, a renowned Mini collector and restorer, has a long association with this royal example. He restored it himself, along with rigorously tracing its history. ‘From 1964 to the early Seventies, the car was in regular use,’ he explains. ‘The majority of the driving was done in London, which explained why it has only covered around 31,000 miles. Unfortunately, in 1973, it was involved in an accident. Snowdon was driving it through Putney and collided with a Jaguar. It was on a roundabout I believe. ‘The damage wasn’t sufficient to write the Mini off, but enough to convince Snowdon to buy a new Mini 1000. He had originally planned to have the supplying dealer swap 999 FYL’S drivetrain over. However, because of differences in the transmission tunnel size, the swap wasn’t possible. In the end, just the registration number was transferred.’

For whatever reason, the damaged Cooper S languished, gathering dust, until the late Seventies, which was when Dave was made aware of the car’s existence and learnt that it was stored in a lock-up behind a main dealership. When he went to view the car, it was in the condition it had been following the accident. And very dusty of course. The only thing missing was the passenger door.

‘It had been cut off by the firemen who attended the scene,’ explains Dave. ‘After a lot of searching amongst the junk in the lock-up, I found the remains of the damaged door. This was lucky, because it meant that I could salvage parts, including the special lock that Hooper had fitted.’

There has been speculation that the accident was so severe it had resulted in the Mini being written off and re-shelled. Dave has more than fifty Minis, three of which have been re-shelled – but 999 FYL isn’t one of them, as corroberated by independent marque experts who witnessed the bare bodyshell of the car during its rebuild.

‘I only started the restoration in 2002,’ says Dave. ‘There were a number of reasons for this. Other projects had kept me busy but it was mainly because that was when I acquired the remains of the Snowdon’s Mini 1000 – also crashed – and all of the documentation showing that the 999 FYL registration was transferred to this car

discover that it had a special billet crankshaft and Spite/midget conrods. These are much stronger items.

‘I paint all of my cars, but it did take me quite a while to get the correct colour match. It’s Rolls-royce Brewster Green. Eventually, I found someone who could mix the correct shade. I then aged the paint to give it the correct factory-finished appearance.

‘Of all my special Minis, this one is among my favourites. There’s its Royal connection, which makes it unique, but it’s also a very nice car to look at and to drive. It’s a keeper!’

The BMC Mini, arguably the original classless car, is undoubtedly an icon of its time. It led, others followed. And, in many ways, this free-spirited front-wheel-driver, small in size, yet most definitely a technological giant, is the perfect embodiment of that era.

Of course, being a Hooper-converted car, one with Royal connections, 999 FYL became distanced from its humble roots. Hooper, along with companies such as Radford, was a master of the Mini makeover. Some of the conversions were quite simply exercises in excess but, undoubtedly by Royal request, 999 FYL was treated more sympathetically and looks very classy, restrained even. The seats, special binnacle, walnut door cappings, extra instrumentation, Moto-lita steering wheel, Aston Martin sun visors, cigarette lighter, and driver’s side winding window, are exactly as originally fitted by Hooper, creating a striking yet subtle effect. The special grille, complete with spotlamps, was fitted during 1965.

Owning 999 FYL undoubtedly gave the Snowdons great pleasure, and thanks to the sensitive restoration, period parts, and provenance, it’s giving great pleasure to those who see it today. For a model whose success can be attributed to its classless appeal, this regal Mini shows just how classy it could be.