1966 Works Mini JBL 494D Showcased
Last weekend saw the 70th anniversary of the BMC Competitions Department - and Mini Sport were delighted to join in the celebrations.
A stunning display of ex-works and works supported cars, ranging from the famous red-and-white Mini Coopers to Metro 6R4s were on show at the British Motor Museum at Gaydon, near Oxford.
Mini Sport was invited to show JBL 494D, the Mini Cooper built in 1966 at Abingdon.
It was only the second time the car has been seen in public in mainland Britain since 1966.
Although the car had a relatively short competition career, JBL was driven by several famous BMC drivers.
It won its very first event, the 1966 Czech Rally in the hands of Rauno Aaltonen and Henry Liddon, before Jorma Lusensius brought it home in sixth place on the 1000 Lakes Rally in Finland.
A retirement on the arduous Munich-Vienna-Budapest Rally, driven by Tony Fall and Henry Liddon was followed its final outing, on the 1966 RAC Rally, where Harry Kallstrom finished a superb second overall.
The car was then sold to Irishman Adrian Boyd, where it clocked up three top three finishes on the Circuit of Ireland.
The car was then bought in 1984 by Blackburn-based Mini enthusiast Derek Entwistle, who restored it to 95% of its 1966 RAC specification.
Mini Sport then acquired JBL several years ago to add to their collection of Minis, and completed the restoration.
The car was taken to Gaydon by Derek's son Steve, a former a HRCR Clubmans rally champion and winner of the 2019 Rally of the Tests in Paddy Hopkirk's famous Mini 6 EMO.
"It was very emotional for me trailering the car to the show, 40 years after I helped trailer it home from Strabane, in Northern Ireland, with my Dad as a Mini-mad 14-year-old," he said.
And Mini Sport was very pleased to have been asked to join in the occasion, as managing director Chris Harper explained:
"It was fantastic weekend of motorsport history, which may never be repeated. The sheer variety of cars on show, and the numbers, was simply amazing, and we were delighted to play our part."
Motorsport has always been at the heart of Mini Sport.
Mini Sport was founded in 1967 by Brian Harper, whose passion for rallying Minis laid the groundwork for everything we do today. Over the years, we've had the honour of building lasting friendships with Mini legends like Paddy Hopkirk, John Cooper, and Cyril Bolton — relationships that continue to inspire everything we do.
Drawing on decades of experience, we've developed and manufactured a full range of race-proven performance parts, from Advanced Brake Kits and Engine Tuning Options to our powerful R1 Engine Conversion Kit and complete Tuning Packages.
At our Mini Sport workshop, we offer specialist services in competition car builds and performance setup, delivering Minis that don’t just look the part — they’re built to win.
Whether you're restoring a legend or building your own, we’re here to help.
Contact our team:
Email: sales@minisport.com or Phone: +44 (0) 1282 778731
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