The Last Works Minis ─ The End of a Legend

Bryan Purves bought his first Mini in 1965, which at the time was only two years old. The car was progressively modified, including designing and making adjustable suspension components, machining grooved and drilled brake discs, building his own engines and gearboxes. Purves only entered local clubman rallies as the car was also used as daily transport. His interest in Minis developed into a part time tuning business, in conjunction with his brother. They then built a formula Mini Seven race-car that Purves eventually wrote off while racing at Cadwell Park. The following ten years were spent racing national and international 100cc Karts. A family oriented break ensued. Once his daughter had grown up Purves then became interested in rallying once again and has since participated in many competitive "classic rallies", having been in the hot seat in an Austin Seven Ulster to Monte Carlo and also across the Sahara Desert. He then rebuilt a MKII Cooper "S" which he also rallied. Purves then met Tim Brenchley and they started working together - it was a short while later that Purves and Brenchley formed a sporting partnership. They rallied Purves' MG A Coupe and 1964 MkI Cooper "S". In 2005 Purves purchased what was the last works Mini to ever finish the Monte Carlo Rally and just a month later Brenchley purchased the sister car which was the last works group A Mini ever built.

Happily married to Nicki for twenty years, who he met when he was seventeen, Tim Brenchley has been in the motor trade all his working life. Starting as an apprentice technician with a Fiat & Lancia main dealer. Once qualified he spent a short while in a tuning garage, fitting turbo chargers to anything that had an engine. From here Brenchley moved to a BMW dealer working as a service advisor and progressing to senior service advisor. Eventually needing a change he left BMW and started to do "smart" interior trim repairs to cars at main dealers, which is where he met Bryan Purves, who he then started working part time for. Purves and Brenchley started to do a few rallies together, firstly in his MG A and then in his Mini Cooper. This is when we purchased the last two works Minis and the rest, as they say, is history.