The iconic Mini has been in production since 1959, first marketed by BMC (British Motor Corporation).
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It continued through various successors until 2000 including Leyland, who produced the Mini Clubman from 1971-1979.
Hugh Egan, from the Parkes-based Central West Car Club owns this fine example of an Australian built Leyland Mini and he told me a little about how he came to own it.
"It's a 1974 Leyland Mini S," Hugh said.
"And I've only had it for about six weeks now."
Hugh's owned a few Mini's in the past but this one came about by chance.
"I saw it travelling past my house on a tilt tray and covered in a thick layer of dust. I was intrigued, so I followed it around the corner and I immediately asked the owner if it was for sale," Hugh laughed.
As it turned out, the Mini wasn't for sale (at the time) but as luck would have it, the owner decided that a restoration realistically wasn't going to happen for her and Hugh became the new owner.
"When she agreed to sell it, I immediately rang two mates and we literally pushed it down the road to my house," Hugh said.
"I gave it a good clean-up and tinkered with the mechanicals and with some new tyres and fluids, it was on the road within a few weeks."
As far as Hugh can determine, the Mini first came to Forbes from Brisbane in 2004 when it was purchased by the then owner of the Commercial Hotel.
After 12 months he sold it to one of his patrons, Colin, who had it for about three years before handing it down to his daughter Tracey.
It was a daily driver for Tracey until 2013 when she sold it to her step-sister Heidi who after another 12 months' use, parked it in a shed for future restoration.
It was six years' worth of dust that Hugh washed-off the little Mini when he eventually bought it from Heidi and he's planning on keeping it on the road for quite some time now.
The Mini has a 1098 cc 4 cylinder transverse engine driving the front wheels through a 4 speed transmission.
It's running a bigger 13/4" single S.U. carburettor which Hugh says makes it go like a rocket and he's just loving driving it.
The paint manufacturers in the 70s obviously had a sense of fun when they named the original colour "Oh Fudge" with the brown duco having a respray at some stage.
For more information about the Central West Car Club check out its website http://www.centralwestcarclub.com/.
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