Golden Start

摘要

Australian Ken Whenham made a big effort to get this rare '68 Mini Pick-up in 2001 and, after a huge rebuild, has transformed it into a radical custom show winner. Self-taught Mini restorer, Ken Whenham has owned a number of Minis in his life, but was drawn by the uniqueness of this car. Believed to be one of six surviving genuine Mini Pick-ups in Australia, he has cut, bolted and tweaked it to be a little different to the rest. In February 2001, Ken heard that there was an original factory built Mini Pick-up located near his home in Wynn Vale, South Australia. Curious to see what he would find, he went over to the owner's house and after a few visits, and despite being told that it was "definitely not for sale", he left as its proud new owner. AU$3000 was what it took to make the Pick-up his. The project started with the removal of the 1275cc engine. This revealed a badly damaged front end, which needed replacement from the bumper to the dash. Both subframes were removed and the body turned upside down to expose another problem - the floorpan was rusted beyond repair. "I had to decide whether to scrap the whole project or take on the biggest challenge of my life," said Ken. "I chose to continue."