Based at his garage and workshop in Surbiton, Surrey, John Cooper managed one of the most successful Grand Prix teams in the late 1950s and 1960s and gave his name to the sportier and very successful Mini Coopers.

The Mini van provided an ideal means of transporting parts and support, and they became a familiar sight in the 1960s. None of them have survived but this reproduction, built by Witney-based British Motor Heritage, was given pride of place on the Rover Mini stand at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 1997.

Painted in the correct British Racing green with white roof and stripes, the verdict from John Cooper was, "Super, an exact reproduction of the vans I used to use."