ANPAC - Associação Nacional Pilotos Automóveis Clássicos

José Mota Freitas (Austin Cooper S MK2)

Este blog apoia a ANPAC
http://www.anpac.pt/quemsomos.htm

Rally do Benfica 1966 - Regresso ao passado!

O encontro que tive esta manhã já vinha a ser agendado desde há quase 4 anos! A ideia inicial era juntar a equipa que participou com o GE-90-01 o Rally do Benfica 1966, isto é o Carlos Edmond Santos - Manuel Coelho da Silva e proporcionar-lhes um 'regresso ao passado'!

Infelizmente o Carlos Edmond Santos já nos deixou , mas tenho mantido contacto assíduo com o seu 'pendura' (termo da época, actualmente 'navegador'...) não só nesse rally como em muitos outros em que brilhantemente participaram,

Decidi finalmente ir ao encontro do Sr. Coelho da Silva.

Um 'jovem' de 78 anos que, ao ver o Cooper, disse de imediato: 'Era verde!'...de facto este Cooper S MK1, como todos os CKDs da época, era 'monotone' verde. Em Março de 1965 o Carlos Santos alterou o livrete para 'verde e outra' e pintou o tejadilho de branco (Old English White).

A alegria do Coelho da Silva foi enorme e pudemos dar umas voltas com ele a 'cantar' umas notas á boa maneira da época , usando os mesmos termos e tudo. E não perdeu 'a mão'!

Ficam aqui algumas fotos que servem de pequeno agradecimento ao Sr. Manuel Coelho da Silva pela sua extraordinária memória que me permitiu reconstituir o historial do carro, nos seus primórdios, a era mais importante.

Na foto acima MCS recorda os momentos em que nas etapas nocturnas substituia o Carlos Santos 'à roda'...

Na foto acima 'homem e máquina'...

Na foto acima , á semelhança daquela que foi tirada pelo famoso fotógrafo Ávila á dupla Carlos Edmond Santos / Manuel Coelho da Silva à porta do Estádio da Luz em 1966, aqui, uma foto tirada junto ao Casino Estoril num local tantas vezes palco de complementares do Rally TAP, Volta a Portugal, etc!

Como ilustre Seccionista do Sector Automóvel  do Sport União Sintrense - que a muitos de nós proporcionou, nos anos 60, belas provas na Base Aérea da Granja do Marquês - o Sr. Manuel Coelho da Silva teve a gentileza de me oferecer uma medalha comemorativa das 3 Horas da Granja do Marquês de 1969 !

Obrigado Sr. Coelho da Silva !

Keith Calver visit to Portugal

Keith Calver is one wellknown person in Mini World! He has been writing technical articles for Mini Magazine and Mini Mania since many years and is considered by many as one the best Mini gurus together with A C Dodd and David Vizard! During the restoring process of my car I've e-mailed him many times and his sugestions were the solution for many , apparently, insoluble problems!

Now I had the pleasure to receive him and his wife Karin in Lisbon during one week, and they loved it! Weather was marvellous - too hot for them! - and obviously Keith had particularly enjoyed Portuguese gastronomy...and beer!

 

Photo above was taken in Manuel's garage with his pride and joy. Keith, as he mentioned, despite being in another 'wave' (he races one 1275 GT, like the one on the right) but sure has much appreciated these imaculate and mint Austin Cooper MK1 1967 and Austin 1275 GT completely original. Photo below inspecting the quality of  M. workmanship...

Manuel didnt lost the oportunity to test Keith's immense knowledge, and ask him to identify one old AEG163 (original Cooper S MK1 head)...' this is one of the first as has the 'boss' inside', he told as he was putting his 'little' fingers inside the ducts...

Also he honoured us with a visit to see the 'subject' of so many e-mails all along these years! He has also, too, helped a lot in the final result, Austin Cooper S MK1 1965:

He promised us to return with his 'needles box' as he considers that only in one good rolling road + 'needles box' will be possible to sort out these little beasts! Being , him and Karin, Port Wine lovers , they will start next visit by Oporto...so keep tuned. Thanks for your visit Karin and Keith!

Works Minis (1960 to 1970) (#1)

I'll try to start here a modest retrospective (one more...) of Works Minis from the 'sixties', trying to describe each of them - I suppose were 71 in total - since the 'first' one YOP663 (August 1959) to SOH878H (January 1970), distributed as follows...: 850 cc (9), 997 cc (11), 1071 cc (1) and 1275 cc (50). I will be adding some curiosities from those I have photographs and other data. I apologize to Works gurus about any innacuracies...

(photo during 2004 Annual MINI COOPER REGISTER Meeting in Beaulieu, UK)

As nowadays, these works cars, speccially those used in 1960's rallies all over the world, by BMC Team , were quite different from those sold to the public...their mods and some unique technical details (those which are known...) have attracted me since I become an MCR member several years ago.
Some of the following photos were took by my good friend Eduardo Perdigao, Works Mini enthusiast, with whom I've learned a lot about of these little cracking and complex machines!