- Two appearances in the Targa Florio with Bernard Cahier!

- One of the 1,071 cc Cooper S development cars from Downtown Engineering

- Driven by Bernard Cahier, one of the most renowned automotive photographers

- Acquired directly from Henri Cahier by its current owner in 2013

- No reserve

Delivered by Downton Engineering to renowned press photographer Bernard Cahier and Count Metternich in order to take part in the 1962 Targa Florio event, this Austin Mini was enrolled for administrative reasons under the name of Richmond, director of Downton Engineering, the company renowned for tuning sports cars and at that time, a specialist in the A-Series engine fitted to the Austin Seven Mini. Bearing the number 106, the car did not complete the distance required to be classified in the Sicilian race; but the following year, it finished 25th overall under the number 154, with Bernard Cahier and Dutch driver Rob Slotemaker. It then returned to Downton Engineering as a development car for the first Cooper S programmes. Dating from 1962, the bodywork took on the identity of a 1963 Cooper S, as evidenced by a copy of its old British registration document. It was then repainted in a darker colour and converted to left-hand drive, which enabled Bernard Cahier to drive it with greater ease on the continent. It was entrusted to him as a ‘permanent loan’ and he imported it into France via Annecy customs in 1974 without registering it in his name. As exceptional as it may seem, it remained in the Cahier family until it was sold to its current owner, a major German racing car collector.

An inspection of the car confirmed that layers of paint underneath matched the colours of Cahier's car at the Targa Florio; pictures of the race have been provided by Henri Cahier (Bernard's son) to back this up. Furthermore, recent correspondence with Mr M. F. (who maintains the Downton archives) confirms the identity of this car as the most likely participant in the Targa Florio. Mechanically, this car features traces of its racing past, such as its right-cut racing gearbox and its Cooper 1,071 cc short-valve cylinder head.

Inside, it features a special dashboard which still has its odometer in miles. Its historic provenance is bound to attract the attention of enthusiasts of this model, who will be charmed by its fascinating racing history, its ownership by one of the first British specialists in this model and finally, having been driven by one of the most famous automotive photographers.