December 1970. The chassis drawing.
January 1971. The
frame, with the front sub-frame and engine in place and one rear suspension unit trial-fitted. The
car originally ran with motorbike spring-shocks at the back - and without a rear subframe - but the
car proved to be too heavy for that arrangement and a subframe was later substituted.
February 1971. Fibreglass front end and bulkhead (both of which I moulded off the Mini Bug's (then widened -
you can see the joins)), marine ply floor and other panels and bits and pieces.
March 1971. Looking
more like the finished article. I sewed the canopy on my mother's Singer sewing machine - after
draping the fabric over the frame and cutting it where it looked like there was surplus fabric!
Just as I got the Minamow on the road, the Scamp came to my attention. There was an enormous similarity to it and
what I had produces. Great minds .....!!
The canvas roof was replaced in 1973 with a plywood one. This is the plywood one in 1975. Off - to make way for an alloy replacement.
July 1979. Tidying up the rear suspension - after removing the motorcycle spring-shocks, ready to fit a rear subframe.
May 1984. Corfu.
I got some ideas for door and bonnet hinges from local vehicles and started thinking about cutting
into the Minamow's side walls and putting in a deeper driver and passenger doors - and making a new
bonnet.
September 1989. The beginning of the end - although I didn't know it at the time. A total strip down: to clean up the frame, cut into the sides and add steel framing above the existing level - to allow a fixed roof and proper doors.
December 1989. Mid Cader. The heightened frame (with some new alloy panels attached) waiting to be grit-blasted. I must have decided that the roll bar was unnecessary - as it's gone.
December 1989. Back home. Grit-blasted and primed. This is the last photograph I took of it.
