Rachel Nelson's 1965 Austin Cooper S Racecar
Owner: Rachel Nelson
City: Grimsby, Ontario
Model: 1965 Austin Cooper S
Engine: BMC A-Series 1275cc four cylinder
Prepared by: Andy and Rachel Nelson (a.k.a. Toybox Racing)
Rachel's Cooper S Vintage Racer: Car Number 68
This is one of two Mini racecars owned and driven by the family racing team of Rachel and
Andy Nelson. It's usually driven by Rachel, while Andy usually drives a 1965 Mini which
wears racing number 921. What really stands out about Rachel's Mini, as you'll see in the
photos below, is a level of detailing and aesthetic perfection one might associates with a
show car. It carries a bit more trim than is strictly necessary, but don't let that fool
you. This car has been raced since it was brand new in 1965, it's a serious racecar, and
its pretty quick!
Rachel and Andy purchased the number-68 Mini in February 2005. Between November 2005 and
August 2006 they completed its very extensive restoration. Since then, the Nelson's have
typically raced between two and four weekends a year. They've have raced with Vintage Automobile
Racing Association of Canada, the Sportscar Vintage Racing Association, and the Vintage
Racer Group at venues including Laguna Seca, River's Edge (in British Columbia), Mosport,
Brainerd, and Watkins Glen.
1965 Austin Cooper S badges.
Austin records (available from The British Motor Industry Heritage Trust) show that
this little car was built on April 8th, 1965 and dispatched to a dealership in Portland,
Oregon on April 25th. The original purchaser was Gordon "Red" Schimberg, of Ashland,
Oregon who raced the car extensively from the time it was new. He qualified to race
in the 1966 ARRC at Riverside (placed 9th in CS), the 1967 ARRC at Daytona (CS, 9 laps
before a DNF), and the 1968 ARRC at Riverside (placed 14th in CS). Red also raced the
Mini at Cotati, Pacific Raceways, Sears Point, Newport, Shelton, Portland International
Raceway (West Delta Park), and many other venues between 1965 and 1970.
Our photos show Rachel's Mini as presented in June 2010. Since then, rules have shifted
and so have priorities. Now that VARAC allows roller rockers in the engines valvetrain
and Heim joint type rod ends on suspension components, Rachel and Andy are able to race
under either VARAC or SVRA rules so they decided to put the number 68 Mini on a tough diet.
It was a hefty 1450 lbs without driver or fuel. Now they've taken out trim such as door
cards, carpet, rear seat, boot liner, license plate holder, lamp assemblies, etc., and
also switched out the Hydrolastic suspension. They've added fender flares so they can
run CMW 6" rims, which are lighter than Minilites. So far, weight reductions have totaled
up to about 100 pounds.
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Features and Specifications (as photographed in 2010)
| Engine: | BMC A-Series 1275cc four cylinder engine, bored to 1312cc.
Ivey forged EN40B crankshaft.
Fortech Racing center main bearing cap.
Swiftune front & rear main bearing caps.
Pauter chrome moly alloy billet connecting rods.
Omega forged pistons (+0.040") with a custom 5cc dish.
Swiftune cylinder head.
Swiftune SW23-SP "Historic Race" 300 degree billet camshaft, drilled for pressure oiling.
Swiftune 1.5:1 roller rockers.
Match-ported intake manifold.
Dual S.U. HS4 (AUD 135F and AUD 135R) carburetors.
ITG foam air filters.
Lucas distributor with Pertronix Ignitor breakerless module.
Lucas "bumble bee" spark plug wires with NGK terminations.
Accusump, with electric solenoid actuated valve.
|
| Cooling: | stock copper and brass downflow radiator.
Stock style engine driven cooling fan.
13-row oil cooler. |
| Exhaust: | Maniflow large bore, long center branch header.
Ceramic header coating.
RC40 center exit muffler. |
| Transmission: | Swiftune straight cut gears.
Evolution (Salisbury type) limited slip differential.
Swiftune Featherlight flywheel.
CV joints. |
| Front Susp.: | Hydrolastic suspension, with fluid pressure pumped up to 240psi.
KONI telescoping shock absorbers.
1/8" toe-in.
1.5° negative camber.
4.5° positive caster. |
| Rear Susp.: | Hydrolastic suspension.
Anti-sway bar.
0" toe-in.
0.5° negative camber. |
| Brakes: | (master) stock Lockheed master cylinder. ATE Super Blue racing fluid. (front) Lockheed Cooper S single piston calipers. Goodridge braided stainless hoses. Solid rotors. (rear) stock drum brakes. |
| Wheels/Tires: | Minilite 10x5 8-spoke aluminum wheels.
Hoosier T.D. 165/70-10 tires. |
| Electrical: | Odyssey PC680 sealed drycell battery (15.4lb).
Lucas alternator. |
| Instruments: | (left to right)
AutoMeter Sport-Comp II tachometer (0-10000rpm) with programmable shift light,
Smiths oil temperature gauge (0-140C),
Smiths speedometer (0-130mph),
Smiths dual oil pressure (0-100psi) and water temperature gauge (0-230F). |
| Fuel System: | ATL SP105-AC fuel cell.
Holley "red" electric fuel pump.
Mr Gasket fuel filter.
Holley low pressure adjustable fuel pressure regulator.
|
| Safety Eqmt: | Pyrotech five point cam-loc safety harness.
Cobra racing seat (recovered to match other interior trim.)
Momo suede covered ergonomic steering wheel.
Firecharger 2.3L AFFF centralized fire suppression system.
Amerex hand-held fire extenguisher.
Wink mirror. |
| Weight: | 1450 lbs |
Engine Installation
BMC A-Series 1275cc four cylinder engine.
Downton Engineering Works of Wiltshire was the most successful and respected performance
tuner of Minis and other BMC products from the fifties through shop closure in 1976.
Dual S.U. HS4 (AUD 135F and AUD 135R) carburetors. ITG foam air filters.
Holley low pressure adjustable fuel pressure regulator.
Ignition coil.
Lucas distributor updated with Pertronix Ignitor breakerless module.
Lucas "bumble bee" spark plug wires, installed with NGK terminations.
Lucas alternator.
Stock style copper and brass downflow radiator and engine driven cooling fan.
Lucas windshield wiper motor.
The Mini's distinctive finned aluminum gearbox case.
13-row oil cooler.
Two liter plastic oil catch tank with drain.
Original engine steady bar, but with urethane bushing.
Accessory engine steady bar.
ATL SP105-AC fuel cell.
The ATL fuel cell is available with either a steel or an aluminum cannister.
Holley "red" electric fuel pump and Mr Gasket fuel filter.
Odyssey PC680 sealed drycell battery.
Battery disconnect switch. Notice that this device has extra (unconnected) spade terminals. Internally
it has a separate switch contacts for grounding the ignition coil and alternator as appropriate.
Front Suspension / Etc.
Classic Mini suspensions never relied on steel springs! Minis built from 1965 through 1971 were equipped
with Hydrolastic suspension systems whereas earlier and later Minis were suspended on engineered
rubber cones. Hydrolastic bags provide some compliance but this high pressure system mainly relies on
transfer of fluid between corners of the car. Bonus: the Hydrolastic suspension system is self-leveling.
Lockheed Cooper S single piston calipers. Goodridge braided stainless hoses. Solid rotors.
For the 2011 season Rachel upgraded inboard connections on the lower control arms from stock rubber
bushes to Heim joints. Result: more precise set-up and handling with some weight savings as a bonus.
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Rear Suspension
The shaped rubber cones used on Minis for most of their 1959-2000 production life were engineered
to achieve a rising wheel rate and natural dampening. Ride quality wasn't great, but it was deemed
acceptable. Simple, lightweight, and space-saving, the rubber cone suspension gave the Mini its
famous "go-cart handling". Both suspensions were co-developed with Moulton Developments Ltd.
Through 2010, Rachel Nelson's Mini was one of only a very small handful of Minis racing in
North America on a Hydrolastic system. Most 65-71 Mini racecars had already been converted
to rubber cones. After we took our photos, Rachel switched over too.
Valves on the control lines allowed Rachel to defeat the transfer of Hydrolastic
fluid between front and rear. With valves closed the system was more go-cart like.
RC40 center exit muffler.
Interior
Cobra racing seat (recovered to match other interior trim.)
Specialty Engineering in Delta, British Columbia installed this six point roll cage.
It has two side-intrusion protection bars on the drivers side, and one for the passenger.
Extended pedals.
Smiths oil temperature gauge (0-140C), speedometer (0-130mph), and dual
oil pressure (0-100psi) and water temperature gauge (0-230F).
AutoMeter Sport-Comp II tachometer (0-10000rpm) with programmable shift light.
Since both Rachel and her husband drive the car, they needed an adjustable seat mount.
It wasn't much harder to have eight installation positions instead of just two.
Amerex hand-held fire extenguisher.
Bottle for the Firecharger 2.3L AFFF centralized fire suppression system.
Accusump, with electric solenoid switch.
Minis came with sliding door windows through the 1967 model year.
(Obviously Rachel's door windows have been removed for racing.)
Shoulder harness straps wrap neatly around one of the rollcage's horizontal bars.
Exterior
We enjoyed watching Rachel compete in VARAC's 31st International Vintage Festival at
Mosport International Raceway on June 20, 2010. She lapped the challenging 2.458 mile
circuit quite quickly at 1:52.48 for an average speed around the circuit of 78.67mph.
The fastest lap time set by any Mini that weekend was 1:44.57 by Rachel's husband Andy
who drives a much more highly modified and developed car. Twelve Minis participated.
This car has been raced since it was brand new in 1965!
Rachel's Cooper S is shown here with its original Oregon license plate: number GBA688.
(Rachel was skeptical, so she wrote the Oregon D.O.T. and verified the plate's authenticity.)
Convex mirror.
Valvoline Racing Oil - Participant - 1967 AARC Daytona
VRC: Vintage Racing Club of British Columbia
Polished stainless steel fuel filler cap.
Emergency battery disconnect switch.
Austin Cooper S badging. The name "Mini" encompasses all the many variants of this hugely popular car.
At launch, Austin called their version the "Austin Seven" and Morris used the model name "Mini Minor".
Rear window glass is heavy, so since this photo was taken Rachel has replaced it with
Makrolon, which is a particularly scratch resistant plastic.
Minilite 10x5 8-spoke aluminum wheels.
Hoosier T.D. 165/70-10 tires.
All photos shown here are from June 2010 when we viewed the car at VARAC's 31st International Vintage Festival
at Mosport International Raceway, near Toronto Ontario. Photos by Curtis Jacobson for BritishRaceCar.com,
copyright 2011. All rights reserved.
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