Ogle SX1000 GT 1961-1963

[Duell]

1963 Ogle SX1000 GT
Chassis No. MO/63/061

RM Auction October 2012
Estimate:
£18,000-£22,000


1,275 cc OHV four-cylinder engine, SU carburettor, four-speed manual transmission, independent front wishbone with rubber cone suspension, rear sub-frame with rubber cone suspension, and four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes. Wheelbase: 84 in.

• Number 63 of 66 built
• Double the cost of a Mini Cooper S when new
• Tested by Autocar magazine for 1,000 miles at up to 99 mph
• Driven by Sir John Whitmore on the Mini’s 50th anniversary parade at Goodwood

Sir Alec Issigonis’ 1959 Mini rewrote the book on small cars. The car was a huge hit, and by the time production ended in 2000, 5,387,862 Minis of all types had been sold. Modified sports models attracted dedicated fans, as they are lighter, more agile, and much faster. They include the Jem, Marcos, Midas, Radford, Sprint, and the car on offer, the Ogle SX1000 GT, which was perhaps the most sophisticated. The Ogle SX1000 GT’s were very rare, with just 66 built from 1961–1963.

The Ogle was based on the longer van chassis and featured a one-piece fibreglass body. It was six inches longer and four inches lower than the Mini. Designer David Ogle used the Mini platform, drivetrain, and bulkhead, and could convert a buyer’s own Mini for £550, or sell them a complete car for £1,190. Ogle was building six cars a week until he tragically died in an accident in May 1962.

The car on offer is one of around 26 known surviving SX1000 GTs and is considered to be one of the best. Originally registered by David Ogle himself and still on its original registration today, it was fully restored eight years ago by Ogle connoisseur Geoff Hunter, who fitted it with a 1,275-cubic centimetre A+ engine. This was also the car featured in the recent book by Jeroen Booij, Maximum Mini, as well as being the car driven by Sir John Whitmore at Goodwood in the Mini’s 50th anniversary parade in 2009. Supplied with a comprehensive history file and a current MoT, the new owner can enjoy this SX100 GT as a road car or convert it to a lightweight to go vintage racing, where it will be eligible and welcome at many of the very best events. It is certainly a quirky, rare variant of the evergreen Mini design from the combined talents of David Ogle and the genius of the great Sir Alec Issigonis.

[Duell]

Ogle SX1000 GT 1963

[Ferrer]

I always thought this is possibly the best looking of all the Mini derivatives.

[Man of Steel]

The Ogle SX1000 is a front-wheel drive Mini-based coupé-style motor vehicle designed by David Ogle, the founder of Ogle Design. The car was introduced to the public in December 1961, and from the following year David Ogle Ltd. offered to transform any customer's Mini into an SX1000 for £550 (equivalent to £11,800 in 2019). All of the car's mechanical components came from the Mini, but with a new fibreglass body shell. The windscreen comes from the Riley 1.5, as does the indicator stalk on the right of the steering column. The SX1000 has the same front disc and rear drum brake arrangement as the standard Mini Cooper.

A racing version of the SX1000 was produced later in 1962, the Ogle Lightweight GT. As well as its lighter body it had a built-in rollbar, lowered suspension, and bucket seats.

Source: Wikipedia