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Mini
Engine: 1000cc 'BMC 'A'Series
Configuration: front engine, front-wheel drive
Driver: Ryan Lee
Class: Special Saloons up to 1000cc
Date: 1972 at Silverstone (top) Ryan Lee
Date: 2000 (bottom) l to r - Jon Lee, Ryan Lee
Image Copyright: Jon and Ryan Lee
Information: Lynx AE website
Ryan bought this mini in 1965 from Bill McGovern to run in the under 1000cc class of Special Saloons. The car remained unaltered for its 1st season (1966) and Ryan was 4th first time out, winning his first race on the 6th attempts. A development programme for 1967 saw the 45DCOE Webers replaced by 48 IDAs, which gave most, power when fitted with 46mm chokes. Despite of these development, the Mini’s 5-port ‘A’ series engine became less competitive against similar cars fitted with Ford’ race bred SCA unit, and Ryan went into temporary retirement to save up for a better engine. His new engine for 1971 was Arden built, it featured Arden’s own 8-port, crossflow head, Arden cam held in place with an extra 5 cam posts, titanium flywheel and a lightened and balanced, standard, 970cc Cooper S crankshaft. The outcome was an engine revving to 12000rpm, and producing 112bhp, enough to put Ryan back at the top of his class. A long wait for parts in 1974 resulted in the car being mothballed until 1989 when Jon, Ryans’s son, took up the challenge of restoring the car. Remarkably, most of the components were still in good condition and the re-built car was tested at Silverstone a few months later. After the 15-year lay-off, racing classes had changed so much that the1-liter screamers of the 70s had nowhere to race; either being banned outright or totally outclassed by modern machines with much higher capacity engines. The Mini was mothballed again.
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