My Morris Sport 850

No one knows how many were produced, originals are hard to distinguish from fakes, only seven are known to remain, and it also sparked the first accusations of cheating in the Bathurst-Phillip Island 500 car race. Today, the Morris Sports 850 is a mystery to car enthusiasts.

It appears that this was not an official BMC car, but rather a fast ride kit that may have been added by several dealers or purchased over the counter for a home mechanic to improve on his stock 850. But the kit was provided with BMC's blessing. .

Aside from badges, special triangular stickers on the hood and trunk, and a chrome grille and exhaust tip, the real upgrades were under the hood. The big trick was that the twin carburetors combined with a redesigned manifold, free flow exhaust and a new muffler allowed the engine to breathe better than the standard model.

So much better, in fact, that a magazine road test in 1962 showed the car accelerated to 0 mph an incredible nine seconds better than the standard car, and top speed increased by seven mph (100 km/h).

There were no changes to the suspension or brakes, it was all about increased engine power and a sporty look. The top speed of the small 848cc engine was just under 80 mph (128 km/h), a frightening thought today given the small brakes, lack of any of today's safety features, and the condition of the roads at the time.

An AMSA magazine report concluded: "This is the first time that any Australian company has produced an inexpensive modified car for an enthusiast whose family obligations prevent him from buying a sports car. We feel that he will be duly grateful and, given the price of 790, he is definitely interested.”

One person who is definitely interested today is Sydney mini-fan Robert Diamante, who owns one of the rare Sports 850s. He says he first saw it at a car show 17 years ago and has been interested in buying it ever since.

Everything changed three years ago when he heard about the sale of a car on a farm in Forbes. “We found the car parked under a tree. It has not been registered since 1981."

“When I saw the badge, I said it should be mine. I paid $300 for it. It took a little work. He was hit in the back. Their sons used it as a paddock beater."

Diamante says he took the car apart and spent about 12 months meticulously rebuilding the rare little car. He says the original owner of the car was a Forbes farmer who died a few years ago. He worked for a Sydney BMC P and R dealer Williams who sold and installed kits and bought a car from them.

In fact, he bought two. Diamante says the first car he bought in 1962 was later stolen and he replaced it with an identical late 1963 model car that Diamante now owns.

This car has two exhaust pipes, which he says is unusual. It also indicates that the 850 sport kits weren't completely stock. The options and features fitted to cars since the kit's inception in 1962 (or 1961, depending on who you're talking to) have changed.

The racing history of the car is no less interesting. Neil Johannesen's name is forgotten in the annals of Bathurst-Phillip Island 500 history, but he was the first to race a Mini.

At the 850 event, he brought a 1961 with twin carburetors. But when officials accused him of cheating, he produced a cable from BMC claiming the modification was legal.

The car was ordered off the grid and his team had to replace them with a stock carburetor from a Spectator Mini. When a rock later shattered his windshield, he took a replacement from the same Mini and continued.

The move was also protested by officials and he was disqualified but reinstated in last place. But the speed that Johannesen's 850 Sports showed did not go unnoticed. People began to see the little Mini as a racing force.

Five 850 Sports models competed the following year, and just five years after Johannesen's controversial debut, the Minis went straight to the top nine positions at Bathurst in 1966.

The little bricks have become legendary and Diamante loves to drive it with only 42,000 miles (67,500 km) on the clock. He says, “It rides so smoothly. It's not a rocket ship, but it's running fine.