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Austin 1300GT/Riley Kestrel 1967 on/MG 1300
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Ellis



Joined: 07 Mar 2011
Posts: 1386
Location: Betws y Coed, North Wales

PostPosted: Tue Mar 15, 2011 11:46 pm    Post subject: Austin 1300GT/Riley Kestrel 1967 on/MG 1300 Reply with quote

I hope you will all excuse my posting so frequently in my first week here but I have been able to find answers to questions I have sought for such a long time that I am actively enjoying your forum!

I am trying to help the owner of a 1971 (Austin?) Coopers S establish the provenance of his vehicle and a discussion took place the other day as to whether the 1275cc engines in the Austin/Morris 1300GT, the post 1967 Riley Kestrel and the MG 1300 are all effectively identical bar for numbering.

And, in which ways do they differ to the Cooper S 1275cc?

The 1275cc engine in the Vanden Plas has twin carbs as well but the engine "sounds" completely different without the induction whine.

I will post the 1971 Cooper S story another day. The car's owner has given me permission to do so and I think you will enjoy the topic.
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1964 Jaguar Mark 2 3.4 litre
1962 Land Rover Series 2a 88"
2002 BMW M3 E46 Cabriolet
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bob2



Joined: 06 Dec 2007
Posts: 1728
Location: Malta

PostPosted: Wed Mar 16, 2011 9:02 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I might get this wrong but as far as I remember the blocks on the S had tappet chest covers whilst the 1300GT etc ones did not, crankshaft and conrods were also different, heads were also different whereas the coper S ones had 2 extra studs to hold them down to the block.
The 1300GT engine though was utilized on the clubman 1275GT which eventually replaced both the cooper and the cooper S, reason being that both cooper and S were more complex to work on and had more specific parts and were not feasible anymore for BL.
However the cooper and S did get their revenge as the cooper model made a big return in 1990 although not as iconic as the proper cooper and S of the 60s.
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47Jag



Joined: 26 Jun 2008
Posts: 1480
Location: Bothwell, Scotland

PostPosted: Wed Mar 16, 2011 8:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bob,

The Cooper S block was solid, IE no tappet covers.

Art
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Ellis



Joined: 07 Mar 2011
Posts: 1386
Location: Betws y Coed, North Wales

PostPosted: Thu Mar 17, 2011 12:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

bob2 wrote:

The 1300GT engine though was utilized on the clubman 1275GT which eventually replaced both the cooper and the cooper S, reason being that both cooper and S were more complex to work on and had more specific parts and were not feasible anymore for BL.
.


Was it not also true that BL no longer wanted to pay the £5 premium or royalty that it was obliged to pay to Mr John Cooper on every Cooper built?

The general consensus among "A" series enthusiasts is that the 1300GT engine was superior and more robust than that of the Cooper S.
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bob2



Joined: 06 Dec 2007
Posts: 1728
Location: Malta

PostPosted: Thu Mar 17, 2011 9:00 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

EWG, yes its true that they paid a loyalty fee on each and every cooper or S produced but I do not know how much.

Art I might have got that mixed up since its around 10 years I read about the stuff last.
I was really hooked up on minis that time but as time went by I got hooked on all calssic cars lets say from the 70's down and all the info gathered on minis was swiped out from my brain cells!!
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clan chieftain



Joined: 05 Apr 2008
Posts: 2041
Location: Motherwell

PostPosted: Thu Mar 17, 2011 12:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Not a bad looking Riley Kestrel 1300 on Ebay......saveable.
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Ellis



Joined: 07 Mar 2011
Posts: 1386
Location: Betws y Coed, North Wales

PostPosted: Thu Mar 17, 2011 1:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

marina estate wrote:
Not a bad looking Riley Kestrel 1300 on Ebay......saveable.


Rare now.
An elderly lady here in the village in 1967 IIRC part exchanged her tiny mileage Wolseley 1100 against a new Kestrel and complained that it was too powerful for her! It was two tone beige and brown.

She, in turn, part exchanged that for an automatic Mini Clubman Estate some years later.
Nobody had a chance on the Riley, it didn't get as far as the forecourt.
A mechanic at the BL dealership snapped it up. Hardly surprising.

Edit. In addition to the Kestrel the lady also owned one of the very first Mark One Ford Escort 1100cc vans which she bought new in January 1968. FJC 570F
She used it as a little "day van" for picnic runs out once a week or so and I bought it directly from her in November 1983 with a genuine 29000 miles on it's odometer. Because she had known me from when I was a child she refused to take a penny more than £150 for it.
The first job I had to do was to take the (clean) net curtains off the rear van door windows!
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