Having followed the exploits of Paddy Hopkirk, Henry Liddon, Rauno Aaltonen and Tony Ambrose in their little red and white Mini Coopers during the mid-1960s, our vendor grew up wanting a 1275 S for longer than he could remember.

The Works Cooper S Monte Carlo victory of Makinen and Easter in 1965 set the seal on it, and nothing else would do until he was the proud owner of a proper 1275 S.

His first Mini was a nearly-new Mini Deluxe, but the prohibitive cost of a Cooper S, at the time, ruled it out.

Until one day, he acquired LTV 444F, a one-owner car back in 1989 that was in a serious state of disrepair, essentially a rolling shell.

The plan was to create a 'Works tribute' with the intention of doing a bit of rallying.

Plan A was to paint it Tartan Red and Old English White and do a quick job, however, 'the best laid plans of mice and men' and all that meant that Plan B or perhaps a bit further down the alphabet was the reality when he realised quite how much needed to be done.
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