1989 build one complete - The World's first replica film Minis since filming using G plate 1969 Mk2 models converted into Mk1's and sold in the late 90's

In 2004 build two complete all genuine MK1's for Paramount Pictures "The Official Italian Job" and home of "TheItalianJobMinis.com"

Here is Gareth’s first Mini in original factory colour which had already been modified with SuperLite wheels, black vinyl roof, Wood & Pickett seats and Wood & Pickett walnut dash board with a nicely tuned 1070 S engine. In the spring of 1987 in his second home garage near Reading he began a total ground up restoration starting with a MK1 shell.

POJ 121G was originally a 1969 Mk2 998 Morris Mini Cooper converted into a MK1 by changing the shell for the rear panel bonnet and boot the bright work and painting it Island Blue to look like a 1967 MK1 Italian Job film Mini. He purchased the car in Balsall Common in 1974 just over five years old and custom painted it a few times before his final plan to build the World’s first ‘Italian Job Minis’ in 1989. His first car was this blue Mini POJ 121 G which he learnt to drive in, it was many different colours before he settled on Island Blue.

The late Ernie Dougmore who tuned engines for the B.M.C. works rally team rebuilt the engine after it went bang due part to wear and tear plus lack of maintenance a hard lesson who knows how to look after a car going on 18. The engine was a 970 Cooper S revving to over 7,500 and the sweetest A series engine I know. It is the engine to go for if you can still find one?

Gareth's first mini POJ 121G back in 1975. Obsessed with design and colour Gareth prepared his mini for a total body colour change in the new special Ford colour Candy apple red metallic then hiring a compressor and gun custom painted the gold with the white pin stripping by brush at home in his fathers lean-to but this was to change again in 1976 to Butter Cup Yellow and new graphics.

 This is how I found the Red and White Minis from the first set I built, below are two pictures like the green and white mini I restored then sold the green one to eldest brother Daryl which was later painted red by my youngest brother David. I used every available re-manufactured panel on the red mini all work carried out at my parents in the bespoke Mini garage I converted in Balsall Common (was originally the same green) no heritage MK1 shells back in 1979, white Mini just needed new wings and a re-spray, POJ 121G need the same amount of work as the Red mini which I rebuilt in Reading to primer stage and had painted on a farm workshop in Maidenhead…

Gareth fitted a complete with gearbox nicely tuned 998cc engine he built with Ernie Dugmore in his Coventry machine shop and later sold and fitted to friend Andy Brownhill Innocenti Mini in 1979...

---September 1989 Cranford Balsall Common first ever pictures of the three minis since filming

It was in spring 1987 when Gareth decided it was time to build all three Italian Job Minis having restored the green mini 10 years previously as pictured above in 1979 complete with mock up spotbar.

This was later purchased by David in 1984 who had it re-painted Tartan Red so this started Gareth thinking when he had the funding in 1987 he just needed the Blue and White Mini's.

After Silverstone and Gareth living in Reading with no plans to move back to the midlands the following year after the Bafta rally in 1991 David would set up a business called 'Ménage Motorsport' sponsored by Mr. T. Davies making and selling The Italian Job

Mini kits along side vehicle maintenance & restoration with a small amount of engine tuning starting with the Turbo engine Gareth had built in the Mid 80's.

With only two weeks before the 30th Anniversary at Silverstone to turn the three cars into 'The Italian Job' Minis Gareth had almost completed the Blue and Red minis in Reading just hoping a couple of weeks would be enough to complete the build as the White mini had just come back from the paint shop as a rolling shell as I did not have time to do the body work.

The final two weeks were flat out, with my three brothers and freinds chipping in we had did literately have two weeks 24/7 to get the Job done.

Gareth had almost completed the ground up restoration of his Blue mini in his home garage Near Reading, much to the relief of his wife Allyson and neighbors as the welding and grinding had stopped.

In the final two weeks leading up to the films Anniversary at Silverstone in 1989 Gareth left Reading (Mini POJ 121 on his trailer) to complete the build at his parents home in Balsall Common asking for help from his brothers and friends who we were still working on the cars as they were loaded onto trailers as there was no time to get MOT's.

Silverstone 1989 was full on, with the Mini's in position Mini fans descended on them in their thousands

David had pre booked a place for his Surf Blue Mini he had been rebuilding after his return from Australia at John King & Son in Napton while Gareth was funding & building the three Minis with help from his Dad to fund the painting and body work of the white mini. David's Red mini which Gareth had restored ten years previously which David had it painted Red but some small paint work was required so Gareth arranged to have David trailer it to Slough Skill Center as a training exercise so only having to pay for materials, which made a big difference to the Silverstone deadline so as the crowds diminished later in the afternoon David joined Gareth & Co, to help manage question from all the film fans who had surrounded the Minis it was probably this interest that David saw the opportunity to start a film kit business and just over a year later Gareth took up his offer to buy him out and get him established.

Click on the picture at the bottom of this picture below to watch the youtube video of the white Mini

10 months after Gareth completed his first build Popular Classic in July 1990 featured the three Minis in their magazine but with no editorial control Gareth found the story very creative & far from the truth!

 

I would like to thank Martyn Barnwell & Mike Askew for the great photos featured in the 1990 July addition of Practical Classic magazine but not Nick Larkin for his farcical imaginative words.

The only thing they got right were the pictures but Nick Larkin was not responsible for these, Gareth had no editorial control or able to proof read the story which is mostly rubbish and nothing about how they really came about with Gareth completing 90% of the work who also covered the main funding with his father paying for some body work and respray of the White Mini Gareth had found and purchased in Bristol.

With just two week until the 30th Anniversary Gareth took two weeks holiday and moved back to the Midlands for the final build with his Father providing tea and bacon sandwiches for all those who would turn up to help in the evenings in the final days with brother Daryl and friend Andy Brownhill providing two trailers and Antony who would also helped with odd jobs, cleaning the cars but neither of them had any financial input, David had started a new job working full time so would also help in the evenings.

In 1985 Gareth moved to Reading where he restored his original blue mini in his home garage, David already had his first ground up restored green mini having it re-painted tartan red which after 10 years just needed a new A panel so in the summer of 1989 when David was back from a gap year in Australia with Gareth working at Slough Skill Center, got David to trailer the Mini to Slough where Gareth was able to get it repaired as a training exercise just having to pay for materials, the colour match was not the best but we did’t have time for a complete re-spray as Gareth was still doing a ground up restoration on his blue mini in his home garage complete with body work preparation ready for painting at a local paint shop in Maidenhead.

In 1974 when I was seventeen my first car was the blue mini, a 1969 Mk2 Morris Mini Cooper 998 which I used to totally restored as an Italian Job Mini replica starting in Easter 1987 and finishing on the Friday the night before the 30th Anniversary of the Mini at Silverstone in September 1989.

The red mini was originally green when Gareth stated a total ground up restored in his parents garage in 1979 complete with mock-up spot-bar he made with friend Keith Marlow as a prototype Italian job replica mini but ran out of funds so I had to sell it to my brother Daryl who a few years later sold it to my youngest brother David as his first car who’s is 10 years younger than me.

Since 1981 I was constantly in scrap yards looking for Mk1 mini bits to put the three together, (very little re-manufacturing then). In 1987 I realized it was possible to make it happen but with David on a gap year in Australia I wrote to him that I had started the build of two Minis as I had savings and redundancy money my wife received now had the funds to complete the build purchasing part from Minispares, Hoppers of Bristol, Folly Mill Engineering David’s school friend to make the roll cages and the spotbars from the prototype I made in 1979. David’s Red Mini was the cheapest just required badges and the Italian Job mini kit.

Time was flying by and I needed the white mini with just one month to go I was visiting my sister in Bristol when I spotted a white mini rusting away in a drive-way so knocking on the owners door with fingers crossed I snapped it up for £50, so a week later picked it up with my trailer then back to Balsall Common and within three hours had it stripped down ready for David to take it to John King Vehicle painter in Napton for a new front end a rear valence with complete re-spray in Old English white.

I needed the white Mini back after three weeks max which would only leave one week for the final build so with just two weeks until Silverstone I used my remaining holiday to trailer the blue mini to my parents house with my wife Allyson joining me on the Friday before the show and in the evenings my three brothers and friends chipping in after work. The build was just completed at the eleventh hour early Saturday morning the day of the show. 

It was a year later after Practical Classic featured us that David started a small business making Mini kits and parts and this was when he was sponsored by the Old Man.

This first set were sold in the late 90’s and the current second set were built in 2004 but these had to be original M1’s in the original factory colours.

All of the Mini turbo tuning was from Gareth’s Metro and Renault 5 turbo days a few years before the build making and selling jetted valves calibrated to a predetermined pressure for each model for turbo boost control kits from inside the car. The Renault 5 intercooler and carb Gareth purchased from a vehicle breaker in Loughton, London after he put his trust in an A Series turbo tuner in Surrey who made a complete mess of the block so when he was given a replacement it had the incorrect compression of an aspirate block leaving Gareth to set about building his own 1275cc engine (best for Turbo head reliability) but sold the car before getting a chance to fit it.

He also had problems with the SU carburetor so when he purchased a Renault 5 turbo realised it's carburetor would be a better option for the turbo boost increase Gareth was planning for his A Series project. The car was sold before Gareth fitted it so gave the engine £1100 back in the day) to his younger brother David who modified the bulk head to fit it in the Red Mini complete with bespoke machined inlet manifold for the Renault carb so will update this in due course. 

I thank Nick Larkin from Practical Classic for the Magazine feature but not for his imaginative words. The only thing they really got right were the pictures but he was not responsible for these so as I had no editorial input had no control over the final copy so below is a brief explanation of how the three minis really came about and the funded by Gareth with his father providing teas and bacon sandwiches for the final two week build on his driveway then sponsoring David a year later in 1990 to establish a Mini kit parts business.