the only legally registered set in the world ... Keeping a classic film on the road
The film worked wonders for the Mini’s image, but from the recollection of several people involved in its production it seems that British Leyland could scarcely be used of largesse. Indeed, it’s said that their sole contribution to the film was the supply of six Cooper S’s at trade price. Any other cars needed for the film would have to be bought on a retail basis.
This may explain why the film company decided to purchase a number of ‘cooking’ Minis in Switzerland and dress them to resemble their more sporty siblings. Indeed, it was these cars that were fired (literally, using a rig powered by highly compressed air) out of the coach as it made its ascent into the Alps.
There’s no exact tally of how many Minis were destroyed during the film. Some were destroyed in the hands of Remy Julienne’s brilliant stunt drivers in the UK – either at the Crystal Palace circuit or during the tunnel chase sequence (filmed in the West Midlands) – and the rest in Italy.
To this day, the fate of the Minis that survived the film remains unclear. According to Ken Morris, a member of the production crew, six damaged Cooper S’s were left in a Turin lock-up (along with 30 magnesium alloys) when filming ended. And there the trail goes cold.
One thing that can be said with certainty is that the registration marks sported by the Minis in the film were purchased at auction by David Morton from Newcastle and now adorn excellently crafted replicas of the gang’s red, white and blue Minis.