Former Special Tuning Manager, Basil Wales, passed away on 12 January 2022. He was incredibly enthusiastic about the Mini and MGs in general and wrote a monthly column in MiniWorld during 2012. He told us about the start of his career at BMC: "In 1959, after two years of National Service, a challenging start to. my career was being offered a brand new unidentified job with the newly-formed BMC Service Division. The new title of Sports Car Specialist Service Engineer seemed to have been created for me and, as soon as the Mini Cooper was launched in 1961,1 claimed responsibility for solving its unique problems, if only because it had disc brakes and was, without doubt, a sporting car ahead of its time." Basil became manager of Special Tuning, at Abingdon, and was ahead of his time as he came up with the idea of putting together tuning kits and we still talk of Stage tuning kits today. "My idea for modification kits came as a result of seeing the way that everyday parts were sold in USA major stores. Something as simple as a cupboard door hinge would come with all the necessary screws, instructions and even a screwdriver in some cases. This was undoubtedly the turning point in the drive for profit, ' as well as using contacts to bring in customer cars for modification."
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