Practically Classics Forum

There's a Mini Marcos in a front garden just up the road from me, together with a full size Marcos and a pseudo-vintage van that I think may have Reliant running gear.

I know where there is a rather poorly Mini Marcos shell near me. IIRC its been crumpled a bit, rather a shame...

Interesting that the seller says "Wood & Pickett style" lamps because in so many ways that looks very much like a genuine W&P car and as such, must be saved but not at the expense of the even less common GRP bodied mini that I'll have in my grubby paws at some point in the not too far distant future.

Pete, the van that you saw is possibly kitten & fox-based and either a Vantique or an Asquith.

I'd certainly agree that it's Fox or Kitten based, but I thought Asquith made much larger vehicles on Ford Transit chassis and googling Vantique fails to find anything. There's another slightly different small van parked outside a local antiques emporium which has an R in the centre of the steering wheel boss. There must be a lot of these around, anyone wanting to build a small front engine RWD van didn't have much choice of running gear.

As you say, Pete, Asquith did make Transit (and Bedford) based stuff but they also made this kitten-based one as loved by pharmacy chains for local deliveries thanks to their 22 foot turning circle and plenty of room for sign writing compared to a factory kitten van:

and the Vantique, both vehicles' images from a recent kitten register magazine:


John Box was the man behind the Vantique, hence the similarity of the nose section to that of the Tempest.

One of the vans parked up near me is a Vantique, the other is neither a Vantique nor an Asquith. I'll have to get some pics and try them out on our expert here.

suffolkpete wrote:One of the vans parked up near me is a Vantique, the other is neither a Vantique nor an Asquith. I'll have to get some pics and try them out on our expert here.

If he's busy, I'd gladly step in for a Reliant-related identification job.
That's the trouble with the kitten/Fox chassis though; they're ideal platforms for pretty much any sort of aftermarket body imaginable.

Aron, I love mini 30s but somehow, Austin/Rover - or whoever they were being that week - managed to make the 30 from even less rust-resistant steel than they'd used in the Belgian 1100 Special of 1979/'80 so even if that example is as perfect as it looks, nobody would risk killing it by actually using the thing as a daily hack. Which is kind of why my interest lies primarily in GRP bodied minis and other, similarly tiny plastic things.

have you thought of buying a lotus john?? as i recall they are made of grp & would be easier to get hold of than the holy grail of mini's