Widely recognised as a missed opportunity for buyers in the UK, the Italian subsidiary of BL, Innocenti, had carved out the novel idea of selling a Bertone-styled Mini to Europe. Bearing a striking resemblance to BLs own British design 9X prototype, the Innocenti 90/120 series was launched in 1975. The company had been bought out three years previously by BL, having initially built restyled BL products under license for local consumption.
It was comparably expensive and had a smaller cabin space than the original Mini, but its crisp styling and Mini virtues made it an attractive alternative to the original. BL was in deep trouble by the mid-70s having been forced into bankruptcy and needed to be bailed by the British government, which meant the Italian link was severed. De Tomaso bought the company in 1975, and continued the model on a limited budget but offered a handful of promising variants which allowed the car to survive well into the ‘80s, eventually gaining Daihatsu engines.
An attempt to sell the Innocenti in the UK via a London dealer in 1979 came to nothing and BL themselves had washed their hands of their former stepchild, focusing fully on the development of the forthcoming Mini Metro. This 1979 car belongs to the owner of Osbourne Automotive Preparation. When they bought the car the RHD conversion had already been carried out, but needed an extensive restoration from the ground up. The engine has been modified, as you would expect from a race car specialist. The results are simply stunning and were one the highlights captured at the 2022 Wheels Day.
