Perseverance pays – Booij finds the Mini Le Mans

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Whether it’s in a barn or not - many of us dream of a truly legendary find every now and then. But very few of us go to the lengths that our contributor Jeroen Booij did to find it. It did pay off: After years of (re)searching, he got hold of his dream car last week: the Mini Marcos that participated in the 1966 Le Mans 24 hours race. In fact the diminutive 1289cc Cooper ‘S’ powered GT came 15th overall after an array of Ford GT40s, Porsche 906s and Ferrari 275GTBs. It was that year’s only British car to finish and no doubt the crowd favourite, who nicknamed it ‘La Puce Bleue’ - The Blue Flea. Booij says it can be regarded as Le Mans’ most heroic entry, which helped Jem Marsh boost sales. And due to its disappearance in 1975, when it was stolen in Paris, the car came with enhanced mystery. With people searching for it ever since.

So how did he find it? He says he was given a mysterious tip-off earlier this year, after which a long and rather nerve wrecking journey followed, eventually leading him to Portugal, adding:

“But if you really want, I’m sure you will be able to find anything”. That’s good news as, apart from the shell with doors and bonnet, the huge fuel tank and adjustable pedal box, the car he just bought misses just about all of its mechanicals. Booij: “But the shell still hides its original blue and yellow paint and the white roundels under several more layers of paint.” You can read more about his spectacular discovery on his weblog here and here.

(Words editor, picture courtesy Jeroen Booij) 

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