TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION
Modified 1979 1275GT
Engine: A-series GT 1293cc fast road spec built by Oselli
in 2001. 12G940 head, gas-flowed, ported, polished.
Oselli inlet manifold, 3-into-1 exhaust manifold. single
SU HIF44 carburettor. K&N cone air filter. K&N flywheel
housing vent filter. Lumenition electronic ignition. Oselli
race camshaft. twin-box mild-steel exhaust system. Mini
Spares two-core radiator. 11-blade plastic cooling fan.
stainless-braided oil-take-off hose. OE alternator. OE
loom. Gearbox: OE GT manual four-speed, four-synchro,
rod-shift gearbox, reconditioned by Oselli. single-pin
differential. skew-cut gears. diaphragm clutch. lightened
flywheel. replacement ‘plastic-cap’ AP clutch master
cylinder, copper pipe, Goodridge hose. Brakes: dual-
circuit OE brake system. ‘yellow-tag’ GMC227 non-servo
master cylinder. OE brake PDWA. steel, copper pipes.
rear GT spacer drums. front later GT 8.4” solid discs. two-
pot calipers. Suspension: OE Mini saloon dry subframes
. refurbished, powder-coated to match bodyshell.
Hi-Los. coil springs. adjustable gas dampers. OE arms,
colour-matched to shell. Wheels/Tyres: Minilight
alloys 5.5x12", refurbished, black finish. Yokohama A539
165/60R12 tyres. Interior: OE GT dash trim, door/trim
cards, door furniture, carpets, headlining. after-market
mats. OE GT line-of-sight dash instrument pod, switches
. Mountney leather-trimmed, shallow-dish, three-spoke
steering wheel. OE gear lever, knob, handbrake system,
pedal box. fresh air heater. OE grey stripe velour, black
vinyl GT seats. OE seatbelts. black-trimmed boot, boot
board. OE 7.5-gallon fuel tank. Exterior: 1979 1275GT
saloon bodyshell, restored. sunroof. replacement
front wings. BL Inca Yellow two-pack paint (BLVC207)
. Waxoyl. OE GT side stripe decals, badges. facelift
GT grille, pre-facelift GT grille badge, RAC badge.
in comfort as its second owner is as
diligent as its first. It only gets used
for “shows and Sunday drives in the
sun.” Since owning the GT, Rob has
picked up a lot of general knowledge
about Mini maintenance and does not
deny that he may own other Minis in
the future, perhaps even build one of
his own. “I feel that I would be able
to do the majority of the work, with
some help from trusted friends.” That’s
what the Mini scene is all about.
Rob’s son is only a youngster at the
moment but it looks like the GT may
still be in tip-top condition when he
eventually gets the keys. “I will teach
him everything I know, when he is older,
and share my love for Minis with him in
the hope that his current love for cars
expands into a love for Minis.” Who’d
have thought that a nicely restored Mini
could become a family heirloom?
Rob Eldridge would like to thank:“My
mum and dad, for being incredibly
patient with me, putting up with my
constant nagging and day-to-day
persistence on how much I wanted
a Mini until I finally bought this one.
They dedicated a lot of their own spare
time to me and this project. I simply
would not have done it without them
taking me up and down the country
to check on the restoration.”
30 June 2019 MiniWorld
[ Modified 1979 1275GT ]
The 1275GT got non-servo, dual-
circuit brakes from 1974. Clubman
engine bay seems huge compared to
round-nose. Original Oselli-prepared
engine was supplied with the Mini.