owner wanted to pep-up the Cooper's performance so he took it to the Downton works near Salisbury and let them work their magic on it. This is what gives the S its real rarity value, as Robin believes that this is the only Mk3 Downton actually converted in-house, before founder Daniel Richmond tragically died in 1974. For the princely sum of ￡129.30 the car was treated to Downton's No 5 Touring conversion - a bolt-on job that included an exchange cylinder head and inlet manifold, a new LCB exhaust manifold and a performance exhaust. The carbs received new needles and less-restrictive filters and a host of smaller items were renewed or refreshed to put the spring back in the Cooper's step. Sadly, there are no dyno figures to show what effect these mods had on the car, but they must have pleased the owner as he kept it for a further 33 years.
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