Status Minipower

[275 GTB-4]

From a similar post on AtlasF1......

The Status Minipower, spaceframe rear engined Mini special, only 23 were ever made in UK. I know where one is for sale right now if anyone is interested. Maybe only 20 Status Minipowers (also known as the Symbol) were ever made, of which just eight had bodies. The rest were used for Autocross racing. Designer Brian Luff also made a grp wedge-shaped Mini called the 365.

http://www.priceofhistoys.com/simon/page11.html

a programme listing in the entries for the sportscar race at the October 1973 Levin meeting for "Malcolm Tobeck, Status Mk1, 1293cc". Elsewhere there was mention of him having trouble with his "Mini-powered sportscar" at this or another Levin meeting.

Yes its the same machine registed as a roadgoing car, but then used as a racing car. [deleted] crashed it on testing at Manfield racetrack & broke his foot, he lost total brakes at high speed, the pin fell out of the cylinder to the peddle, I think it was the first car to ever go off the track at that corner & end up on the road to the pits (had no hand brake or reverse gear to save weight as per the regs) weight wet is about 430kg which is pretty good .

It was a new car imported from UK new to New Zealand. [deleted] road tested one in UK & placed an order over there. I got it when [deleted] got the top mini to race.

It has been extensively modified, before I got it & yes I have the MANZ LOG BOOK from I think 1973. It is fitted with six stud magnesium Mags (Lotus made I think with a set of slicks & wets for the back with Mcnallys very wide mini mags up front, S discs up front, 3" high windscrean, 6 point harness, fitted with 3 diff noise cones, one snub type for hill climbing & alloy wedge wing & a March 77B formula Pacific old one.

It has front mounted radiator and has always overheated. I raced it at Manfield racetrack & hill climbed it, but had no money to develop it. With a good head on a 1275 & split webbers with a motor with standard S pistons & about 7th slop I pulled a 14.76 sec standing quarter in the first
3 gears & when I put it in top it wouldn't pull it. The big problem was the gear selection was back the front from a normal mini (right hand gearchange right next to the steering wheel) When I got it it was geared for about 140 mph & I downed the diff much lower & Fitted a SCCR box & hardy spicer shafts & carefully modded the top arms at the back to stop the bumpsteer that must have been setup by the large back wheels that it was never made for.

Its for sale without motor. I'm selling it to help pay for another mini I have stuck in UK.

I have all the paperwork etc for the Status (I think it had diff noises as he wrote the front off in the crash he had early on. I never did see it without the racing mods.

From my Mini friend in NZ who is going through a rough patch....including recovering from an Angle Grinder attack! (be careful out there people!)

I raced it at Manfield racetrack & hill climbed it, but had no money to develop it, as all my money was tied up in the two rally minis. With a good head on a 1275 & split webbers with a motor with standard S pistons & about 7th slop I pulled a 14.76 sec standing quorter in the first 3 gears & when i put it in top it wouldn't pull it, I built the motor out of scraps topped of with my hill climb head that had been gas flowed by jim green & I built the split webbers.

The big problem was the gear selection was back the front from a normal mini, which realy ****ed me off, when racing, but I figured out how to change it without too much wrecking the car (right hand gearchange right next to the steering wheel ) being an electronics man I was always going to fit an electric changed box.

When I got it it was geared for about 140 mph & I downed the diff much lower & Fitted a SCCR box & hardy spicer shafts & carfully modded the top arms at the back to stop the bumpstear that must have been set-up by the large back wheels that it was never made for.

Its for sale without motor and I would ship real cheap to Aus. Im selling it to help pay for another mini I have stuck in UK.

I still have my Mini Marcos MkIII, 1959 Mini to rebuild (trying to find a better body), Andrew Cowans Rally Mini Clubmen & the Status minipower.

I have all the paperwork etc for the Status (i think it had diff noises as he wrote the front off in the crash he had early on, never did see it without the racing mods ).

In my first hill climb at the hairpin the very long gas peddle cable jammed & left me with 8000rpm + gave me a hell of a fright at the time, had to hit the key to kill motor (peddle up front with motor behind makes one heck of a long cable in the days before nylon liners !!). When I got the car it has far too small extractors fitted, fitted 595 supersprint cam & my racing head & built the split webbers (heaps of room out the back of the motor with it behind you). It could'nt change gears, it had been fitted with rose joints at the gearbox end to the selector rods, but wasnt fitted with center rod spacer bushs, so limited the travel with the bolt heads hitting the rose outers. They had also removed the back suspension arm ball joints & fitted flat mounted rose joints to replace them, but still no bolt spacer bushes so suspension arms broke at the race track up @ Auckland, so the dumb boys welded the Mini arms to the top of the hubs with a stick
welder which started moving on me in a standing & flying quarter drags.

I fixed all the suspension problems with relocating the top arm track rod &
refitting ball joints again from a Mini rack (back had front hubs from a
Mini as in UK) & I got the drop arms machined upside down to take the
locating dowls from the top, so I could fit left to right & vice-versa, that fixed all the rear suspension probs, I got the car with sloppy steering rack too, so I dont know how it was ever raced !!!

My first event the flywheel fell off the motor & upon inspection all the good S bits has been flogged from inside the motor!!

It would make a real nice hill climb car, now days as the suspension is very good over ruff changing surfaces, its just like a Lotus F3 car from the 1960s with coil over shocks inboard on bouble ended top arms & full length bottom arms.

I was going to race it with a 970S motor with 8 port head but sold the head last month & with 40 days in a coma on life suport my racing days are over. Its avalable with new 970S crank & 10/10 970S crank & 970S block if some one wants it with a 1 ltr motor, the main spaceframe was never damaged in the crashs only the front part & a damaged back arm that I repaired.

Its not advertised yet but its for sale to someone that wants to race it as a historic type (prefer not to sell as a road car) any help much appreciated. Its cheap, not 10 of $1000 of $ wanted.

My Mini Marcos MK III 1968 with the 970S may be for sale at the right price.

Regards Kerry (NZ)

Anyone want to buy? please contact 275 GTB-4.......
BTW I don't think the fella will let it go to the first person who calls......he has fallen on hard times but does not really want to give it away to someone..a "reasonable amount" is what he is after!

[275 GTB-4]

I haven't checked latley but negotiations were being conducted and the Status may find itself back in its country of origin!! Well done to all...another one saved