1965 Austin Mini Cooper - S 1275

Austin Cooper S ‘1965

VIN C-A2S7-L-820537, engine no. 9F-SA-Y 39838

Manufacturing date 02.12.1965

Delivery date 17.12.1965

1275 cc engine with two SU carburettors, Matching numbers

Four-speed manual transmission

Tartan Red with black roof – exterior colour

Red + Gold Brocade Grey – artificial leather upholstery

Fully restored with high standards

History and restoration documents, British Motor Industry certificate of authenticity, Classic Data certificate

Registered as a historic vehicle

By the 1960s, British Cooper had won a couple of consecutive Formula World Championships, largely thanks to the rear-engined racing car they had developed. In 1961, the engine displacement of junior Formulas increased from 1000 to 1100. At the same time, Cooper’s racing workshop came up with the idea of installing these new, more powerful engines in the small passenger car bodies of Austin and Morris that had been introduced a couple of years earlier and which were intended to compete in the standard car series. The Cooper S was born.

The first Cooper S was introduced in 1963. The exterior did not reflect the increased power, but under the hood there was a lot of fun: the displacement of the BMC A-series block had been increased to 1071 cubic inches and inside there was a nitrided crankshaft and forged pistons and rocker arms. Lockheed developed 7.5-inch reinforced disc brakes for the front axle of the car.

The following year, new versions were introduced for the under 1,000cc and under 1,300cc classes: the 970cc and 1,275cc Cooper S. The bore was the same, the displacements were adjusted to suit the racing series by changing the stroke length. The 1,275cc “Big S” became by far the most popular and was immediately successful in both rallying and on the track, the most impressive achievements of which were three official championships in Monte Carlo Rallies in 1964, 1965 and 1967.

In Finland, Minis had two official dealers: Austin Mini was imported by Oy Veho Ab and Morris Mini by Voimavaunu Ab. Minis were popular in Finland due to the motorsport success of Finnish Mini drivers.

This 1965 Austin Cooper S was manufactured on the second day of December 1965 and sold new from Veho in Helsinki. In the 1990s, A-P Kanerva from Helsinki sold the car to Mini specialist Tapani Laurinen, who carried out a complete, high-quality restoration. The restoration was completed and the car was registered as a historic vehicle in 1995.

In 2004, the car was bought by Mini specialist Ilkka Ojala. The car still has matching numbers and matching colors, including the AEG312 cylinder block and the Tartan Red & black roof color combination. The gearbox, brake booster, windshield wiper motor, etc. are also original.

In 2021-2022, the car was thoroughly overhauled, including the engine, transmission and fuel system.

The car was Classic Data inspected in June 2024 with a rating of 2+.

Registered as a historic vehicle, will be Mot/Tüv inspected if the buyer so wishes.

Working with Cooper S is also special for us – Clasanteri: “Our family’s enthusiasm for British cars originally stems especially from Minis. My great-uncle Antti Kytölä worked as a mechanic for rally legend Timo Mäkinen. When Timo Mäkinen drove Finland’s first Monte Carlo victories with Minis, everyone had to get their own Mini, for respecting the role model and testing their own driving skills.”

The car is located in Vantaa – 25 minutes from Helsinki – Vantaa Airport. Views by appointment.

Worldwide shipping with generous rates.