British Leyland's Mini Mk3.
The Mk3 Mini of 1969-onwards heralded a number of significant revisions to the basic Mini formula, that first went on sale ten years earlier, in 1959. Large exterior seams were still the order of the day (and would be a feature of all the "classic" Minis), although in a nod to modernity (!) the door hinges were now hidden away, as on all the Mini's rivals, and door windows were of the wind-up, rather than sliding, variety. Up front, the grille was revised, and no longer could Austin or Morris variants be found within B.L. (British Leyland) dealerships, they all sported a simple "Mini" identity, along with B.L. badging. Hydrolastic suspension was relegated to the history books, cars now being produced in "dry" rubber cone mode (although the sister square-fronted Clubmans did continue with the "wet" set up until 1971, after which they fell into line).
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This page opens with a couple of Mk3 Mini photos sent over by John, a regular on the OCC Forum.
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The 'L' registration Mini was Mallard Green, and is shown here towing a well-laden trailer somewhere between Shepton Mallet and Blandford, on a trip that
began in Chipping Sodbury and terminated in Poole. This Mini spent its early years as a driving school car, which explains the extra rear view mirror
visible in its windscreen.
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The second of John's Mk3 Mini photos is a head-on view of another driving school example, this time a yellowy-green example (Citron), chosen to match the name of the driving school (Mini Green). HDD 646N is shown here near Ozleworth, in Gloucestershire.
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Thanks for the photos John.
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A 1971 Mk3 Mini in blue.
Many of Keith's car photos appear across the site, and here it's the turn of his BL-era Mk3 Mini. It looks to be a totally standard 998cc example of the breed, although I'm told that a few Cooper mods did nestle beneath its compact bonnet, giving it some extra urge. WOH 378J was a 1971 example. Somewhat surprisingly, it still shows as being registered with DVLA all these years later, although as the Mini is last recorded as being taxed in 1987 it certainly hasn't turned a wheel in anger for a long time, and chances are it was scrapped decades ago but its registration not cancelled.
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The location of the scene is clearly Otterburn Close, which is in Cannock, Staffordshire. Bar a few extensions, the houses look much the same now as they did back in the 1970s, although the cars have changed somewhat:
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Thanks for the photo Keith.
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Return to Page 20 in the motoring photographs archive, or visit the main index here.
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