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TKU 133 is an Almond Green & Old English White 1071cc Mini Cooper S it was first registered in June 1963 and has had a somewhat varied existence since then. Considering its chequered history it is still surprisingly complete and in a fairly unmolested condition.
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TKU is my greatest love as far as Mini's are concerned and will always be my number one. I purchased TKU in 1985 from a garage that was formerly a BMC dealership, when we met, it had been languishing in the back of the garage's workshop for some years. Not only was it covered in dust but it hadn't been started for longer than the owner could remember. TKU was in a pretty poor state & was obviously going to get a lot worse unless it was rescued. In 2000 TKU was featured in an episode of the ITV drama "Heartbeat" click HERE to see a short clip. |
After some time, more than 6 months in actual fact, the owner agreed to sell TKU. I arranged to collect it on a trailer and dragged it off to my Mum and Dads garage. To say that TKU was not welcomed is putting it mildly. I already had one Mini in residence (WPB 376 M), my hill climb car so I very soon had to make alternative arrangements.
Anyway after a few moves around the neighborhood, TKU received 2 front wings, A panels, sills and a couple of brand new doors as well as a respray and he was off!
TKU is an example of the most sought after of all Mini models. It is one of the first 1000 1071cc Mini Cooper 'S's, these were originally built as a "Homologation special" for competition use and were based around the by then famous Cooper Formula Junior 1100cc engines. These were originally developed for use in single seater racing cars of the period. These first 1000 cars were so successful that full scale production of 3 versions of the Mini Cooper S began in late 1963. In total 3 models were available the original 1071cc S, the sub 1000cc 970 S and of course the legendary 1275cc Cooper S. These capacities were chosen to fit in with the motor racing capacities of the day.
