Not exactly a n Elf/Hornet, but close

Hello.

My name is John and I live in Athens, Greece. I recently acquired this 1960 or '61 Austin Beach Car, which is like a pre-production Elf with a sort of Saloon front and without doors. There are quite a few common parts like the bumpers and the rear light lenses.

Hi John

I think you have found one of the holy grails of the Elf/Hornet crowd - THE beach car. This if I am not mistaken is the prototype for the beach cars that were produced about a year later and sent over to the USA (about 16 of them, and were based on a normal mini). BUT that is not all because if I remember correctly (and I am sure some one will put me right here if I am wrong) this beach car was built from one of the prototype Hornet/Elf cars, hence the normal bonnet and strange grill and the different trim on the rear lights. I did not relise that this car had survived. I read on stefans website that you rescued it from a scrap yard, did you manage to over come the "spares" issue ?

So I think you have probably found the rarest of them all here - a prototype built on a prototye !- fantastic, that has just made my night

here is another picture of it in its former glory



Catmint

forgot to say -so yes it is and elf/hornet - just you happen to have one of the first

OH MY GOD! That is indeed the Holy Grail!!!! Please, please, please send the pictures into MiniWorld and Mini Mag!!!

How lucky are you??????

I want it!!!!!!!!

Jase

Truly amazing that this car still exists! And it looks be in fair shape. Would those taillight housings have come from another existing model? They look a bit different than the standard Elf/Hornet ones.

I couldn't control myself and started stripping the car. Interior and fuel tank are out. The rear floors are super-clean and even the boot area is without holes.
Most of the chromework has been removed and soon I will take the car to my place and remove the engine and dashboard.

pleas keep on posting new pictures
we like it al

hilbert

John,
I saw in another posted link story that you lost the chassis plate when you got the car. I was curious what the car was registered as in the factory VIN number. Do you know the chassis number? Anyone know how many "3 box Beach Cars were made"?

Jim

The chassis number is SPL 6**-A and there is also a front end number FE 05425. I took many photos of of it before it was removed.

I don't think anyone has noticed but this car doesn't seem have the Elf/Hornet rear wings. It looks like it has modified mini saloon wings. Inside the boot you can still see the vertical seam of the saloon wing. This might confirm the car being converted from a prototype Elf. It might also explain the unusual boot hinges. My Pre-Production Elf has full one piece rear wings and tubular bootlid hinges. A couple of cars were included in the first batch of chassis numbers with much earlier build dates. There are pictures of a Hornet with June or July 1960 registration plates in The Autocar October 1961 magazine.

1071kev wrote:I don't think anyone has noticed but this car doesn't seem have the Elf/Hornet rear wings. It looks like it has modified mini saloon wings. Inside the boot you can still see the vertical seam of the saloon wing. This might confirm the car being converted from a prototype Elf. It might also explain the unusual boot hinges. My Pre-Production Elf has full one piece rear wings and tubular bootlid hinges. A couple of cars were included in the first batch of chassis numbers with much earlier build dates. There are pictures of a Hornet with June or July 1960 registration plates in The Autocar October 1961 magazine.

Well spotted - I noticed the hinges and tried to remember what yours were like. The rear slam panel and corners under the lights are also of a different profile as well - a bit more angular, but the boot lock looks correct.

We have come across the SPL chassis numbers before going through Gaydons records and we think they relate to something along the lines of a SPeciaL build project. Unfortunately this makes it very difficult to find in the records as there is no other cars with a similar number cropping up regularly.

I just wish I could remember where I read about the pre production H'Elf's/beach car

BMCelf - we have the build details of the beach cars, just need to dig them out - about 16 were built over a couple of months in 62 on normal mini shells and most (if not all)went over the US

I thought the profile around the boot looked a sharper but couldn't tell if it was just the angle it was photographed at and the colour. I think the bumpers may be different also. The front one looks like it has been replaced with an Elf one as it has over-riders and fewer fixing bolts than in the press shots. The rear looks original and may have different bolt positions than the Elf ones but it's difficult to see. Hopefully it will all become apparent as the re-commissioning continues. Keep us posted John, you certainly have a wonderful car. Kev

I'm guessing the boot hinges are different to allow it to open higher?.

Right, as promised the details of the production beach cars that we hold.

We have records for 14 cars built from 20/12/61 to 19/3/62 - all were LH drive and listed as export - 11 of which were noted as destined for the USA

Chassis numbers are all 19***, some have the prefix of ST

And that is it I am afraid

Catmint

WOW!

great little car!

love to see it back to former glory

I found out some of my Beach Cars history.

It was previously owned for many years by someone who worked in cargo ships. It was a gift from the shipping company owner. Some Greek magnate (there are a few apart from Onassis).
This person drove the car around in the summers and kept the car in excellent condition.
Then in the late '90s he died and a friend's friend who lived nearby tried to buy it many times over from the widow but she had sort of gone crazy.
When the widow died all her belongings were sold off and so it was bought by a restaurant owner.
The car was left standing outside a car bodyshop garage for about three years and then ended up parked outside the owners restaurant.
On November 10th 2010 it was sent to be scrapped.
On December 16th 2010 it was saved by me.

The only question mark now is who the shipping magnate was, and how long he kept the car before giving it away to his employee.

Considering it spent a good few years parked outside its a right miracle the car is so complete and rust free.

I continued today and prepared the engine bay for the engine removal tomorrow.

Found some excellent colour patches under the dash rail upholstery.

Can you make any chronological sense of the engine and wiper motor numbers?

For the wiper motor 12 60 = december 1960 I think

for the engine - there is a very rough order that they were fitted, but car no 20 did not necessarily have engine number 20, but both numbers are indicative of a time period of when the car was built, and a call to Gaydon's heritage centre with these numbers and the chassis number will give you the definite details

hope this helps a bit

Gordon

8AM meens 850 engine for austin/morris after chassis nr 25000
u-h high compresion engine
116187 engine number

and the wiper motor is produced on dec 1960

and there must also be numbers on the master cluch and brake cilinder
and the floor swits

hilbert

I see that the bonnet hinges are the flat type, confirming the front end being mini saloon based. Dis the dash top and bottom rails have padded vinyl on them or just plain vinyl?

Kevin
Check out the original seamless front wings, the mating and any additional strengthening/bracing may be useful with your MK1 restoration, more photos, me thinks.

The BMC guys again were well ahead of their time, side front wing repeaters on early 1960's cars.

The dash rail was padded.

The engine came out and now its time for the sublframes and everything else. Then the car will be put on a rotisserie.









I found this number on the passenger floor section. It's in similar style to the FE number.

Elf Service wrote:Kevin
Check out the original seamless front wings, the mating and any additional strengthening/bracing may be useful with your MK1 restoration, more photos, me thinks.

The BMC guys again were well ahead of their time, side front wing repeaters on early 1960's cars.

Yes, I'm hoping to compare those details. They might have been made in a different way as this cars a bit earlier than mine. Looking forward to photos and waiting for the weather to improve so I can have a poke at mine.

Yesterday the seats were stipped and today I continued to clean and polish various parts of the car.



The metal and wooden frames are different on the front seats.






the rear subframe was covered in waxoyl. Its a bitch to remove

keep the good work going
and please do'nt stop posting foto's

hilbert